Finding Water in the Desert

There is water everywhere on Earth. There is just less of it in some places than others. There is always some amount of water in the air and under ground. If you are in the desert surrounded by sand at noon, you really must have water to avoid becoming dehydrated.

During the day, the temperature rises. Whatever water there is will evaporate into the air. After sunset the air will cool and be unable to hold all the water in it so there may be some condensation. During the day though, it is still possible to obtain water from the ground by digging a hole.


Put a container at the bottom of the hole and put a sheet of plastic over it. Weigh down the ends of the sheet at the edges of the hole and put s stone in the middle of the sheet so that it sags in the middle. The plastic sheet will act like greenhouse glass so that the space under the sheet will get hot. Groundwater will evaporate and condense on the underside of the sheet, dripping down into the container. After a while the container will be full. More water can be made by digging more holes.

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