Water Article

I would recommend using real book sources from people who have actually explored and used the water collection methods and take from their experience. Authors and credible survival teachers like Les Stroud, Mike Hawk, and Cody Lundin, who practice survival on a different level. Also, check out a few YouTube channels, like that of Dave Canterbury and other survival teachers who actively get out into "the bush." The U.S. Army Survival Manual is a cut and dry piece of literature that speaks little to the effectiveness of techniques spoken about in it. Read the books, find out what works for people who have been there and had to use the technology available to them and speak on what works. Just mentioning methods isn't explaining them or how to use/make them. For a more complete article, you need real sources aside from what you find on your computer and also to explore methods like rain barrels and ways to keep water safe at home and abroad. Bringing an eye to technologically advanced and easy to carry water filter bottle systems or the relatively simple filter straw for those on a budget. Speaking about the pros and cons associated with different carry systems and the materials involved for their use. A strong emphasis on why not to drink salt sea water and it's effect on the body if you do. Stories of those individuals who survived like one family who stranded at sea used water enemas as a means to survive (true story, check out Les Stroud's book, Will to Live for a more complete analysis of that story and others). Explore, medically speaking how the body processes water and how long it takes for that water to be useful to it. Look into the effects of eating snow and why it can be good and bad depending on the situation which is also related to how the body processes water.

In point of fact, it may behoove you to turn water into a series of articles in parts tackling certain aspects one at a time.

I'm liking your input more and more. I have plenty of (auto)biographies of explorers, survivalists, and natives from around the world. I'm guessing I should go and get Les Stroud's book 'Will To Live' over the weekend, it sounds like a decent read. Pros and cons were always planned to be placed including the medical benefits and problems. I myself will be trialling methods on both recomended methods and large sacle methods within my budget range. Reading a few books of late I have come across some pros and cons of collection and purifying methods. Also some problems with products.
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I'm going with your and Captain rads suggestions thus far. Including survival stories would be great a great idea.

That indeed may be a good idea. I'm not sure how you'd divide it up, but I'm sure it could be done. There's certainly a lot to be said about water.

This is a great idea, and it gives more time to concentrate on the larger, more important topics / methods.

FYI the OP so far is just topics which is planned to delve into each topic and subtopic. I do want to get this right before posting as an article, thud why it's sitting here in "Article Discussions". All and every bit of feedback will be considered, and thus far all of it will be applied.

My next problem is finding how to split the article up into seperate sections. I think 3 sections will be ideal or max 5 sections including Alternatives to water with it's pro and cons. What are your suggestions.

PS I had to look up behoove.

Just to let other people know where I am coming from;

I have lived and worked(ing) in high drought prone area's and hydration methods are drillied into us on a weekly, if not, daily basis with refractometer testing, water enhancement possibilities, and the scare tactic of a tube going up our *ehem* for testing of hydration in the case of heat stress. Heat Stress avoidance is also drilled into us daily due to the heat of underground mining and heat of summer on the surface.

A lot of the methods of collection and pruifying I have hands on knowledge and maintanence experience. Things such as windmill pumps, bore pumps, hand cranked pumps, water diversion, siphoning, water filters, water purifying tablets, rain tanks / barrels, water management in drought prone areas, dams and irrigation, water testing and even experience with store bought, boating survival solar stills (which actually do a good job with 2x2 meter sized ones).

I was a qualified gold medallion lifeguard for 3 years with 5 years prior training. I was a (cub)scout for 13 years and a part of boys town for 3. I also go camping, fishing, hiking as often as I can but due to work and young family commitments this has reduced over the last 3 years.

I'm not saying all this to be able to stick my chest out and nose up, I am saying this to allow others to realise I am not just a kid trying to make a name. I have the experience to keep a small group hydrated and away from heat stress in the outback and along the coast. I am doing this article to share my knowledge and to learn as much as I can from others and share this with our community here at ZPI. Every bit of survival know-how can and probably will save your life, save you money and save you time.

I have seen solar stills made from palm leaves and coconut shells, with glad wrap and a bowl and with a 44 gallon drum, a tarp sitting on a saltwater swamp. So I know there are always more than "One method to skin a cat". Knowing many methods of one system is what has kept people alive and I (see: us) want to stay alive.

I better at explaining things on hand or face to face and have difficulties with explaining things on paper or in this case screen. And with the help of the staff and members so far I have been able to express what I want.

Good deal, looks like you've got good experimental design. Multiple trials allow you to average your numbers for a more accurate time, which I recommend using over one trial's results or listing out all data. For example, comparing your data in table format might look like this:

Remember that experiments test only one variable at a time if possible; keep your hose lengths static when testing for differences in hose widths. Likewise, keep the widths of the hoses the same when testing effectiveness of different hose lengths. You don't need data tables for every experiment, but using a few would be helpful if the differences in data matter. Try to also be as precise as possible with your measurements as well.

I'd also recommend taking pictures and using them in the article if you haven't already been doing so.

Here's the above table without formatting:

[table]
[row]
[col][b]Type of Hose[/b][/col]
[col][b]Average Siphoning Time[/b][/col]
[col][b]Hose Length[/b][/col]
[col][b]Remaining Fuel[/b][/col]
[/row]
[row]
[col]Narrow[/col]
[col]334 seconds[/col]
[col]10 cm.[/col]
[col]4 mL[/col]
[/row]
[row]
[col]Wide[/col]
[col]234 seconds[/col]
[col]10 cm.[/col]
[col]12 mL[/col]
[/row]
[/table]

Don't stress about the formatting if you're not comfortable with it, but I do recommend trying to learn it.

Water can also be found in some plants, all that is required is some digging.

Here are some plants as per this website.

http://crisistimes.com/desert_water.php

Also a couple of more things according to this site:

3.Where sand dunes meet the sea digging above the high tide mark might reveal a thin layer of fresh water sitting atop a heavier layer of salt water.

http://www.pbs.org/lawrenceofarabia/revolt/water.html

In essence, both of our responses here were only half true. The form of dew most acknowledged by the layperson is that which is formed on plants like grass in the morning. If we follow the definition exactly as it were from entry one, though, any form of condensation could be classified as a dew, like that which forms on an ice cold glass of tea. My complete lack of sleep and attentive posting aside, plants are, as other sources of water, equally responsible for the moisture that is formed in the atmosphere. By the process of guttation, a plant transpires its excess water into the atmosphere via evaporation. During the day the stomata of a plant is wide open for CO₂ and O₂ for gas exchange; however, more water is lost than CO₂ is usually gained, but such is the compromise in plant gas exchanges. Since the stomata are closed at night time, the moisture received in the atmosphere can then condense to a surface that is cooled (Having such broad surfaces as most plant leaves do this is accomplished fairly easy). So, to be clearer, we can thank plants for morning moisture formation as much as we can distant and close bodies of water.

1. You are correct in the process of plants sweating. The droplet of water at the end of the process is called transpiration, not dew.

2. The water on the side of the glass from the coolness is called condensation end story.

3. Guttation process of plants is caused by excess moisture in the plant. If the plant did not have this moisture the leaves would shrivel after the evaporation of the guttation process. Guttation is also caused by the roots soaking in more water and pushing moisture out of the plants pores, and other reasons.

4. The plants are able to pool the moisture on the leaves resulting in a combination both transpiration and the dew point temperature. If there is not enough relative humidity in the air the plant will not transpire unless the soil is overly moist which the guttation than will be caused by pressure not evaporation. If it were caused by evaporation the soil would be dry. Hence why marshes, tend to be filled of mist, the humidity is high and everything that can sweat, will.

You mean you want me to explain the condensation method?

Okie dokie.

First off, let me tell you this method alone will not get you a lot of water quickly, but it will give you a little bit of (mostly) purified and potable water with little work.

So you'll need a depression in the ground, a piece of plastic ( i used semi transparent, i don't know if non transparent will work or not), and something to hold water. I've done this two ways one, with damp soil that i couldn't get water out of, and the other was to urinate into the depression. Then after you have your damp depression you place your water holding object roughly in the middle and lay the plastic over the top. You'll want to anchor the sides as best you can. Rocks work well for this. Then place a few pebbles (or whatever you have) on the plastic directly over your water holding object. The heat from the sun combined with the greenhouse effect should evaporate the water in the depression and the water will condense on your plastic. After collecting enough you should get droplets to form, and begin to run down the plastic to the cup and drip into the cup, collecting a small amount of clean, potable water for you. Like i said, this method is SLOW, but the water is definitely drinkable.

Method: Condensation

Effectiveness: Very

Problems: Slow. Takes most part of the daylight hours.

Taste: depends on how clean your plastic and your water collection device are. When using urine, no oder or taste remained in the liquid when removed from the collection pit.