Slashdot Mirror
Evaporation Prevention Using Molecular Blankets
Makarand writes "According to this article in the
New Scientist, a Canadian company is testing a
technology to reduce water evaporation from reservoirs by
spreading an ultra-thin blanket of organic molecules on the surface to block the escape
of water molecules into the air.
Trials conducted in India and Morocco showed between 30 and 45 per cent reduction in evaporation
using this method. However,
the long term ecological effects of reducing evaporation in lakes or reservoirs is not yet clear
as evaporation prevention can increase water temperatures and affect the exchange rates of gases
such as oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide."
In case there are people that like to be warned, goatse troll...
"73% of quotes on the Internet are made up" -Ben Franklin
That is, actually, an interesting quote although in a different context than the author of the article intended.
The Tet Offensive was an unmitigated military disaster by the NVA. All attacks were repulsed by the US troops at a horrible cost to the attackers. It was also a major disaster when it came to politics. North Vietnamese leaders wished to raise a nationwide popular uprising that would drive the capitalists and their South Vietnamese "puppets" into the sea.
Why was it such a turning-point then? Because of the media - both international and US. The Vietnam war was the first televised war. When the audience saw young soldiers exibiting the signs of combat stress, crawling in dirt and dying, it gave the impression that the US forces were losing the war. In fact, the reverse was true. Before the Tet offensive the NVA was almost smashed and the casualties inflicted by the Americans during Tet made it even worse.
What broke was the morale at home and it was broken by the sensationalistic media. Even worse, something similar is certainly happening in Iraq as we speak.
The owls are not what they seem
I'm curious why this had to be tested in India and Morocco. I don't know if it's the case here, but I get really sick of things being tested in far away places, apparently because the lives of the people who live there are not valued as high as those of westerners. Remember Mururoa?