1
Q
Dew/Fog harvesting
A
- water condensates on surfaces colder than the air
- even in very dry regions, there is dew
- most of it will evaporate within the first hot hours of the day, we need to get it deep enough into the soil so it doesn’t evaporate anymore
- best dew collector better than every mechanical, are plants
- the more layers the more cycles of water cyclyes used
https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajbodAFqNbA
https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnGR-j93JEw
2
Q
Orographic effect
A
- wind pushing humid air to the side of a mountain
- due to higher pressure up the mountain the clouds will lose their water before they rach the other side
- hence you have a rainy and a dry side
3
Q
Precipitation
A
- research the precipitation in your area
- is it evenly spread or cyclical? rain/dry season?
- find out about extreme rainfalls/storms through internet, neighbours, library or other records
- plan your swale sizes according to these extreme events
- stability of swale can decide about life/death of plants and animals
- always harvest and store rainwater, even in humid areas, drought can be man-made or an effect of climate change
- calculate monthly/yearly water fall and the run-off for your property
4
Q
Climate Analogs
A
- climate similair to yours on other parts of the world
- due to climate change, some species will die or move up
- look into climate analogs around the globe to identify plants that could fill up that space and function
- never introduce new species without thinking about the possible consequences
5
Q
Heat
A
- the darker the color the more radiation is absorbed
- albedo effect: the higher reflection (white surface) the lower the heating of that object
- water, rocks and even soil can function as a thermal mass
- low-grade heat: convection (heat that travels through gas/liquid)
- mid-grade heat: conduction (heat that travels through contact, solid-solid or liquid-liquid)
- high grade heat: radiation (heats up solids without heating up the air)
- factors that decide about heat of a climate are: latitude,t season, slope angle (sun or shade side) and air clarity
6
Q
Air Flow
A
- hot air goes up, cool air goes down
- can be used with openings in different hights to create a constant air flow
7
Q
Wind
A
- observe the patterns of wind on site through the direction of tree flags
- where do the strongest winds come from? what seasons?
- hot/cold winds?
- do they carry humidity, salt, toxic or organic material, etc.?
- can be a detrimental factor to inhibit plant growth
8
Q
Wind break
A
- increases growth and yields
- straight perpendicular edges, not parabolic (like Mollison had in his book)
- best 11.5 times wide as trees once they are mature
- accumulation of organic material due to slowing of wind above the windbreak
- have a permeable outer layer, that doesn’t block 100% of the wind so you don’t create unpredictable edge effects (bad example completely shut metal fence = acts like a wing)
- stream lines = smooth edges speeds up winds on edges (screw up on purpose the linear design)
- find native edge species around you, make a list and select for a beneficial polyculture, add from climate analogs if necessary
- may be necessary to protect the wind break as it establishes (temporary fence)
- only once wind break is established you can start planting the layers behind
9
Q
Landscape effects
A
- the further away from big masses of water the harsher the sommer/winters
- water mitigates these effects
- altitude: colder, big contrast between day/night, thinner air, less pressure, more radiation
- can’t replace temperate species in tropical climates just by going up, as there are more factors that differ than the temperature, like light cycles
- snow can act as a shield against frost at night, below it doesn’t get colder
10
Q
Climate change
A
- design for that 100 year storm/flood/draught
- climate change will make these events a lot more frequent
- design the most resilient system possible with species that are not adapted yet, but will in future warmings
11
Q
Soil building in tropics
A
- due to missing seasons and extreme plant growth the top soil is thinner and lot more vulnerable to till farming
- the fungi are vital for carbon sequestration
- more fungi that sequester in certain seasons in temperate climates
- don’t try the same soil building methods without adapting it to the different circumstances
12
Q
Carbon Sequestration
A
- we could place back all the CO2 into the soil within 50 years if we regenerate the soil
- fungi and microbes in healthy soil sequester CO2
- to reverse global warming we have to put back 2.1cm back into the soil
- just regenerating the prairie soils of the US would be enough to mitigate clmate change
- stop using NPK which cuts the sequestration in the soil
- there’s limit when mature forest phase is reached, only until then “carbon minus”
13
Q
Brittleness
A
- how does the land react to disturbance?
- either it will recover or turn to desert
- disturb your land and see what happens
- if it doesn’t recover it’s brittle
- check on local constructions sites, revisit after certain amount of times
- often arid is more likely to be brittle, but not always
- the time needed to recover can tell you about brittleness level
14
Q
Trees
A
missing
