3 - 9 September 2018 | 158 comments (158 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: It's back. (4.00 / 2)

if they used the heat of the sun to melt sand to make glass stilts, then the solar farms cold be raised above the surface to grow crops underneath that would not suffer from excessive soil moisture depletion from evaporation.

Also, use excess power to pump desalinated seawater inland. tbh, this couldbe rolled out across any desert area near to the sea.

If you grew coppiced trees underneath and then sink the wood into the sea below 100m or so, he wood will continue to sink and place the captured carbon beyond return to the atmosphere. I dunno, do this to Australia, Sahara and Arabian deserts and you might manage to keep atmospheric CO2 down while we work out how to get polticians who give a shit

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri Sep 7th, 2018 at 06:50:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: It's back. (none / 0)

What soil?

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Fri Sep 7th, 2018 at 09:44:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: It's back. (none / 1)

sand goes to soil fairly quickly once organic processes restart.

I've seen some very interesting youtubes about desert reclamations using quite small amounts of water but delivered consistently. the soil creation is very rapid, 3 - 6 years from bare sand.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Sun Sep 9th, 2018 at 07:56:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: It's back. (none / 0)

I was unaware that sand (pulverized, eroded rock) goes to "soil". "Dust" (desiccated soil) may go to soil. But my understanding is, the mineral properties of sand and of soil differ, so therefore the arability of the media.

The Sahara desert, unlike the Gobi for example and purportedly the optimal site of Desertec equipment, is 80:20, sand:soil, unevenly distributed. The maximum depths of its dunes and packed strata are, basically, unknown.

I found a youtube doc about Libyan (Gadaffi's) investment in reclamation that offers a succinct explanation of the financial and technical hurdles to agricultural success --without even the added expenses of solar and wind siting and maintenance.

Astro turf appears the least cost option.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Sep 10th, 2018 at 08:24:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]

errata (none / 0)

soil types (including sand), general reference
what ia organic and mineral properties
structure physical properties
::
Libyan Sahara Water from the Desert - The Secrets of Nature, 00:43:58
50 ha plot reclamation, 2014
"You had to add different kinds of minerals."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Sep 12th, 2018 at 12:51:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]

3 - 9 September 2018 | 158 comments (158 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Top Diaries

Shock Election Loss Rutte IV In Senate Race

Honduras Establishes Close Ties with China

A Return to Normalcy?

A Grand Slam for Ireland?

NI Protocol: It's all over bar the shouting?

Chinese peace principles for the war in Ukraine

The Windsor Framework

Twenty years of war in Iraq

Recent Diaries

Settler Extremism Blessed by Jerusalem Leaders

US Interference In Lebanon-Syria-Ira
q

City Agriculture - March 17, 2023

Shock Election Loss Rutte IV In Senate Race

Stalemate Endures, Pessimism Grows, Deaths Mount

Honduras Establishes Close Ties with China

A Grand Slam for Ireland?

Living In Spain and Social-Democracy

USA Censorship Act to Kill Disinformation

Flying Fortresses and Nuclear Threat

Universal Criticism Asylum Threshold EU Fortress

China Trade and Relations

SBU As a Terror Network

A Return to Normalcy?

Georgia and Foreign Agents or Spy Law

Nord Stream Blasts Timeline of Denial

Crimea As Endgame Before Going M.A.D.

Scourge of Joint Alliance USA, KSA and Jihadists

Israel's Fascists Call for Genocide on Palestinians

NI Protocol: It's all over bar the shouting?

Occasional Series