Urban Atmospherics

Over at Bldg Blog, a posting about noctilucent clouds, or clouds that glow in the dark because of their extreme height. He provides an interesting conjecture into how an urban situation might harness this strange natural occurence into experience or even infrastructure (harnessing light energy?)

I have personally been interested in atmospherics and their affect on urban environments since graudate school. What is fascinating are the ways with which, beyond LEED sustainability $%^&, we can harness energy such as light, wind, water. There is an abundance of energy in various forms in our atmosphere, existing as virtual phenomena (Please note that I would deem oil as physical phenomena, ie we know it's there, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see it).

For example, what if there were a Nicola Tesla-type of device, suspended 300o feet up, that could harness turbulence, or lightning, then deliver it to our power system? We could be looking at technologies thought of only in Science Fiction.

When studying in Calabria, IT, a friend and colleague devised what he called the shade tree: Nets strewn on trees to trap moisture and dissipate it into water vapor which would in turn replenish crops and provide livestock with an essential element. As part of a study we did, this solution, albeit quite theoretical, was exactly what we're talking about here. Water was absolutely scarce, and gathering inspiration from olive harvesting, with its netting, we devised this method of trapping cloud roll-over in higher mountain areas.

Another idea posted is the Air River,
"If groundwater or rain is not available, there are several little-known alternative methods to obtain fresh water by condensing atmosphere humidity. We live in a dilute ocean of aerial moisture. There are also real "sky rivers" full of fresh water from which we can draw."

Fascinating information. Want more? Please share.