UC Santa Cruz researchers turn coastline fog into water

Golden Gate Bridge shrouded in gray fog.

As the stability of California’s climate is increasingly threatened by the effects of global warming, scientists are leaving no stone unturned in their effort to ensure a safe water supply. UC Santa Cruz researcher Peter Weiss is capturing an elusive, yet prevalent, source of water— fog. 

Already being gathered on modest scales to nourish home gardens and supplement irrigation in the Bay Area, water collected from mist could potentially reinforce communities’ water resources and, if optimally harvested, have wider applications in agriculture, firefighting and forest recovery.  

With support from a 2024 CITRIS at UC Santa Cruz Interdisciplinary Innovation Award (I2P), professor of art Jennifer Parker is partnering with Weiss to create fog catchers — vertical wooden frames that supports fine plastic mesh — across the Bay Area to serve as both public art and sustainable solution, aiming to inspire conservation and encourage viewers to connect with their environment.

Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.