OceanWell secures $11M in series A to build deep-sea water farms as a new approach to desalination, with less energy used, no waste

Desalinating water seems like the golden solution to a dry world. Israel does it. Saudi Arabia does it. Island communities are doing it. But desalination should be a last resort because it’s energy intensive and it has environmental coastal effects. The salty brine is devastating to animals and plants on the shore. Could a novel solution from the US mine water from deep in the sea, using the ocean pressure as the means to drive osmosis through desalination membrane cells?

OceanWell, a water technology company based in Los Angeles, announced $11 million in Series A funding this week to scale its modular deep-sea water farms and launch California’s water farm pilot with Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD).

Related: harvesting energy from the waves

OceanWell is developing modular deep-sea water farms made up of pods that harness natural hydrostatic pressure at depths of 400 meters for reverse osmosis desalination. Each pod can produce up to one million gallons of fresh water daily, and the modular design allows for scalable projects based on demand.

Each pod requires 1.5MW to operate to pump water from the pod to the shore. And the salt water released from the process is not considered detrimental to the ocean floor.

This technology ensures ultra-clean water by filtering out salts, bacteria, viruses, pesticides, and PFAS, while its components are engineered for durability in harsh deep-sea environments. Unlike traditional desalination methods that are energy-intensive and threaten marine life, OceanWell’s technology reduces energy consumption by up to 40 percent, while protecting marine life and eliminating toxic brine disposal.

“Our goal is to provide utility-scale, reliable and sustainable freshwater solutions that can supply clean drinking water to communities across the globe,” said Robert Bergstrom, Founder and CEO of OceanWell. “We’re grateful to our investors whose collective expertise across water technology, manufacturing and infrastructure project development will be invaluable to our company, and particularly as we look to scale up operations in the coming months.”

Kubota Corporation, a century-old leader in water infrastructure manufacturing, the family office of Jon Hemingway of Carrix Ports, and Charles McGarraugh, former head of metals trading at Goldman Sachs, participated in the round.

There is a rising mismatch between clean water supply and demand – with experts projecting that 5 billion people could be without clean drinking water by 2050. The problem is driven by rising demand for water in key economic sectors like agriculture, industry and manufacturing and compounded by the effects of climate change such as drought and flooding.

Since 1970 water demand has increased by 1.7x, while global supply has dropped by 50 percent. OceanWell aims to provide affordable, abundant freshwater with its deep-sea pods, which produce 1 million gallons per day of potable water each. OceanWell’s first water farm is being developed in its home state, California.

Since its founding in 1890, the Osaka, Japan-based Kubota Group has been working to solve social issues through superior products, technologies, and services in the areas of food, water, and the environment. To address the globally worsening issue of water scarcity, Kubota has increased investment in cutting-edge water technologies. Japan is a large island in need of alternative freshwater solutions.

“One of Kubota’s goals is to provide comprehensive solutions for the entire ‘water circulation loop’ from water production and supply to wastewater treatment and reclamation. OceanWell’s innovative technology, which can provide a stable long-term supply of potable water to water utilities in water-scarce regions, is indispensable for achieving this goal,” said Eiji Yoshioka, Director and GM of the Water and Environment Infrastructure Consolidated Division of Kubota.

Today’s announcement comes a year after OceanWell partnered with Las Virgenes Municipal Water District to establish California’s first water farm, aimed at supplying fresh drinking water to a region recovering from years of record-breaking drought.

Previously, the company completed prototype testing at the US Navy’s Deep Ocean Simulation Facility. OceanWell is supported by a working group of 24 state water authorities in California and aims to build 15 water farms across the globe.

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Rainwater tanks have become an essential item in Israel where people are afraid that an Iranian attack will threaten their domestic water supply. But like the ancient Nabateans who knew how to sequester water in the desert, the modern Swiss collect water from farm roofs and homes to water their gardens. They may pay a tax in Switzerland, but the rain is either free or cheap and it’s charged with beautiful ions that plants love.

It might seem obvious but in countries starving and on the brink of disaster from an internal terror group taking over, Yemeni farmers are finding relief in growing their harvest but getting access to basic farming tools such as rainwater collection systems. The UN is helping give them the know how to build rainwater tanks. The Houthis in Yemen are using water as a weapon in war. But a not so sophisticated water pool can pull people out of misery

The UN reports that Yemen’s agriculture sector, a lifeline for millions and a cornerstone of the nation’s economy, has been severely affected by extreme climate change. Continued conflict with the Houthis has further exacerbated the situation, contributing to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and widespread food insecurity.

In an effort to address water scarcity caused by climate change, two rainwater harvesting tanks were constructed in in Bait Al-Samhi Village, Dhamar Governorate, improving access to water for community members. Each rainwater tank has the capacity to hold 940 cubic metres of water.

Fouad, a farmer in Bait Al-Samhi Village, is confident that the project will significantly increase production in the coming season. He explains, “We rely on rainfall to irrigate our crops. During the winter, our lands become dry, and agriculture ceases due to the lack of irrigation water. Before the project, the situation was very difficult. We had no source to irrigate our crops after the rains stopped, which led to crop failure and financial losses. Now, after the project, the situation has changed. I can farm even after the rainy season.”

Rainwater harvesting tanks enhance food security for families by supporting farmers to reclaim degraded agricultural lands, and improve irrigation systems. Mutee, the coordinator of the local community committee, says, “Climate change has affected agricultural lands in the region. Due to water scarcity, many people have abandoned farming.”

Related: The man from Japan who watered Afghanistan

Mutee explains that the project was implemented to ensure continued farming activities of the local population, which is their primary source of income.

He adds, “The project has positively impacted community members by expanding their cultivated lands, increasing crop production, and improving their living conditions.”

Saeeda, a mother of five, pictured below, was strongly affected by land degradation due to climate change.

She says, “I grow corn and vegetables during the rainy season, but in winter, farming stops due to water scarcity.”

She explains how the rainwater harvesting tanks will enable her to continue farming after the rainy season.

“Now, I have been able to cultivate two plots of land and will increase the cultivated area with the irrigation from the tanks. Things have changed, and I feel happy when I see my farm green and the crops thriving without damage.” Saeeda hopes her land will remain green enough to cultivate several times in a single season.

The project has created job opportunities for local community members in Bait Al-Samhi, providing income and helping them to acquire new skills through a cash-for-work program.

Related: can clay jugs filter water?

Bader, a father of six and a community member who worked on the rainwater harvesting tanks project, says, “The project provided me with a temporary job for 45 days, which helped me support my family and meet their basic needs while serving the community.”

“In addition to improving agricultural production in the long term, the rainwater harvesting tanks have created job opportunities to help people financially,” says Abdullah, an engineer and project officer with UNDP’s local partner, SFD. Pictured below.

Related: 5 ways to use air conditioning water

The project has increased local farming areas and improved food security by providing approximately 124 farmers with access to alternative water sources.

A great start. Now how can all farmers get access to this beautiful and easy opportunity?

Study the opportunity to help Yemen below (in Arabic).

UNDP Yemen — Rainwater tanks bring relief to farmers in Dhamar, Yemen [AR]

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Me and my family travelled to Ethiopia this past April. People were dirt poor and happy for small handouts and our business, but they were happy. It was clear that if they could many people in Ethiopia would leave. One must be in a terrible place to want to leave one’s home and culture. Instead of focusing on refugees, the world needs to put more attention in helping people stay in their country, supports the UN. Happy, healthy people don’t want to leave home.

“We must come up with better ways to help people and communities become more resilient to climate change’s impacts, to ensure that people who are especially vulnerable have the chance to adapt and thrive,” said Director General Amy Pope of the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM).

As world leaders gather at the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (known as COP29) in Azerbaijan this year this organization says they need more concrete and sustainable solutions for the communities most affected by the impact of climate change to help them stay.

Related: Is COP29 suppressing climate change activists? 

Climate adaptation and resilience measures are needed for people who want to remain in their home, ensuring their livelihoods can sustain and recover from the impacts of climate change: “We must come up with better ways to help people and communities become more resilient to climate change’s impacts, to ensure that people who are especially vulnerable have the chance to adapt and thrive,” she said.

Flooding in Spain and North Carolina this year makes people worry about how unprepared we are when climate events hit. Climate migration is not just a concern of the future, it is the present reality for millions globally, DG Pope noted. Last year alone, disasters caused more than 26 million internal displacements (GRID 2024, IDMC). Syria is a prime example.

In the Horn of Africa, for instance, recurrent droughts and flash floods have pushed entire communities, especially pastoralists and smallholder farmers, to relocate in search of water and grazing land. In Bangladesh, rising sea levels and frequent cyclones have led to the displacement of coastal populations, forcing families to migrate to urban areas in search of stability.

Meanwhile, parts of Central America have experienced severe droughts that have decimated agricultural livelihoods, compelling thousands to move in search of work and resources. These examples demonstrate that climate migration is a pressing issue today, affecting diverse populations across continents.

Around the world, climate change is influencing how and why people move.  It prompts some to move for job opportunities as its impacts change livelihoods. In extreme cases, communities dealing with extreme impact of climate change and are no longer possible to adapt are compelled to relocate to safer areas. It is important that there are solutions in place that protect and support those who want to stay, those on the move and those needing or wanting to move.

Millions of people were displaced during the Syrian civil war, a conflict created by drought. Hundreds of thousands died. In the best scenario the world won’t move to Europe or America. People around the world will be able to adapt in place and thrive for generations.

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On Yemen’s West Coast, families endure long daily treks to collect water – a lifeline that remains scarce for millions. Photo: Moayad Zaghdani 

Families on Yemen’s West Coast often rely on unsafe water sources, increasing the risk of disease as clean water remains difficult to access. Photo: Moayad Zaghdani 

IOM’s water projects in Hays and Yakhtol are providing vital relief to thousands of displaced families and local residents, ensuring access to clean water in one of Yemen’s most water-scarce regions. Photo: IOM/Moayad Zaghdani 

Sami, a father of twelve in the Hays displacement camp, constantly worries that his children will miss school to fetch water. Photo: IOM/Moayad Zaghdani 

Despite the challenges in accessing water, Yemeni parents hold onto hope for a future where education can be prioritized. Photo: IOM/Moayad Zaghdani 

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In the fertile plains of Turkey known as the Konya Plain and celebrated as the country’s breadbasket, an eerie phenomenon is taking shape. More than 2,600 sinkholes have appeared in the last years and experts believe it’s from drought and a reckless use of the country’s groundwater draining the aquifers.

Varying in size the sinkholes are starting to threaten not on the farmers’ lives but residential areas as well including the regions of Cihanbeyli, Yunak, Kulu, Sarayönü and Kadınhanı, where the farmers’ rely on grain production.

While sinkholes are believed to occur in nature, experts in Turkey say the sudden increase is manmade. Officials at the the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and the Sinkhole Application Research Center at Konya Technical University are closely monitoring the situation. 

Read related: Sinkholes from the Dead Sea region

Will authorities be able to get groundwater overuse under control?

Turkey is notorious for cutting corners and disregarding policies meant to protect people. Years of neglect is the reason why there are so many fatalities after earthquakes in Turkey. The same is true with the recent decision to cull millions of dogs, 4 million dogs, from the streets of Turkey.

Turkish environmentalists were killed for protecting the land. The least we can do is petition that justice is served.

The government had issued rules for sterilizing feral dogs and cats on the streets. The policies weren’t enforced and now the animals are paying the price.

In other areas, whistleblowing against pollution can send you to jail in Turkey. Treehuggers have been murdered for protecting forests against mining. Read the story on Ali Ulvi and Aysin Büyüknohutçu.

Word to visitors to Turkey: Watch out.

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After a long dry spell last autumn and winter, Afghanistan and its neighboring Middle East countries have been witnessing unusually heavy rains and snowfall this year. In recent news, about 35 people are presumed dead from flooding in Afghanistan.

This comes less than a few weeks after the United Arab Emirates and Oman were flooded. According to the Emirati National Center for Meteorology, this April’s rain was the heaviest rainfall recorded in 75 years. Mid-April, more than a year’s worth of rain fell in a day on the Arabian Peninsula, one of the world’s driest regions.

Some suggest that ongoing experiments in cloud seeding is the reason for the freak weather. Others note that it’s a bigger experiment than that: human-made climate change.

From April 14 to 15 this year, the United Arab Emirates and northern parts of Oman say the rainfall accounted for at least 20 fatalities in Oman and four in the UAE.

Israel also clocked the hottest temperatures on record in April, at 40 degrees C beating a 30-year record. According to research from the University of Roehampton in England, the human body may lose the ability to rid of excessive heat and stop functioning optimally when outside temperatures reach beyond 40 degrees Celsius (104 F).

Afghanistan, run by the Taliban, is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. As climate change affects water, farming, food –– we will see more unrest and terror –– exactly what happened in Syria during its civil war period. About 580,000 people died in Syria as a result of water insecurity, food insecurity, with millions more as displaced as refugees in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, Europe and Canada.

Syrians are currently under the thumb of a cruel dictator Basher Al-Assad and his British-born private-school educated wife Asma Al-Assad. The Syrian economy runs on drug money.

Why Afghanistan is especially vulnerable to climate change

1. Water Scarcity: Afghanistan heavily relies on snowmelt and rainfall for its water supply, particularly for irrigation in agriculture, which sustains the livelihoods of a significant portion of the population. However, changing precipitation patterns and the melting of glaciers due to rising temperatures are leading to reduced water availability, exacerbating existing water scarcity issues.
2. Droughts and Floods: Erratic rainfall patterns have intensified the frequency and severity of droughts and floods in Afghanistan. Prolonged droughts devastate agricultural output, exacerbate food insecurity, and drive rural communities into poverty. Intense rainfall events trigger flash floods, destroying infrastructure, homes, and crops, and displacing thousands of people annually.
3. Displacement and Conflict: The intersection of climate change impacts with existing socio-political challenges further compounds Afghanistan’s vulnerability. Displacement driven by climate-induced disasters strains already fragile social systems, exacerbates resource competition, and can fuel conflict over dwindling water and arable land, perpetuating a cycle of instability and insecurity.

If we don’t want to see more mass migrations from the Middle East to Europe and North America, we as people of the world need to help find solutions to those in vulnerable, dry lands in the Middle East and Africa. People will have no choice but to flee to cooler, more prosperous lands.

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In a study recently published in the journal Ecology, University of California, Irvine scientists uncover the intricate dance between drought, wildfires and invasive species in Southern California’s coastal sage scrub ecosystems. The research, led by Sarah Kimball, director of the Center for Environmental Biology at UCI, sheds light on the critical interplay of these factors and its profound implications for ecosystem health.

The research, conducted at the Loma Ridge Global Change Experiment, showcases how prolonged drought acts as a catalyst, influencing not only the severity of wildfires but also paving the way for invasive species to take center stage. By simulating drought conditions, the study clarifies connections between climate change, wildfire dynamics, and shifts in plant communities.

Reduced fire severity associated with drought creates an environment conducive to invasive species. Non-native grasses, in particular, thrive in these conditions, potentially leading to a transformation of the landscape and abundance and diversity of native species.

The findings carry significant implications for managing these vulnerable ecosystems. The study advocates for strategies that carefully consider the frequency of wildfires and the control of invasive species post-fire. Controlled burns, commonly used in other ecosystems, are not recommended for coastal sage scrub systems, as they can inadvertently promote invasive species.

“This study is unique in that replicate experimental plots were subjected to several years of different precipitation regimes prior to the wildfire, allowing an opportunity to test how a range of pre-fire weather conditions influenced fire severity and resulting plant community composition,” says Kimball: “We found feedbacks between invasive species and low-severity wildfire, indicating that control burns should not be conducted in this system.”

Beyond academic circles, the research holds significance for the public. As wildfires increasingly impact communities, comprehending the factors influencing their severity becomes paramount. The study prompts a reevaluation of traditional wildfire management approaches, highlighting the urgent need to address climate change for the preservation of natural ecosystems.

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Today on the streets of Jaffa, where I live, I saw for the first time in my life a woman in hijab (helmet on top) driving her motorbike in full throttle along Jerusalem Boulevard. She was too quick for me (on my peddle bike!) to take a photo. I was pretty proud of her, because although Muslim women in Israel can be quite liberal, this was something that broke all stereotypes.

But in Iran it’s another story… women who are not wearing the traditional headscarves, also known as hijab, are now being blamed for devastating drought.

Ayatollah Yousef Tabatabai-Nejad, an arch conservative prayer leader in the city of Isfahan announced that Iranian women who continue to wear immodest clothing are causing the nation’s rivers to run dry. They are also damaging the environment in other ways, the cleric has claimed.

A strict Islamic dress code must be enforced, he mandated, to ward off drought. In media reports this same cleric, also suggested the use of acid attacks, and the whip on “bad hijab” women: those who are not properly covered up.

Last month he roiled against a new trend where Iranian women are taking selfies without the headscarf and posting them online.

“They have brought me pictures that shows women by the side of the dry Zayanderud river, ” the cleric said. “These actions will ensure the upper stream of the river will become dry too. Believe me it is true.”

“You may ask yourself why European countries with so much crime and sin have so much rainfall … God punishes the believer, for remaining silent and letting girls take pictures by the river as if they were in European countries.”

Headscarfs have been compulsory since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Those who can get away with it bend the rules.

Thousands of women have posted pictures of themselves without headscarves on the Facebook page, My Stealthy Freedom.

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A recent study released by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) concludes that the current drought that began in 1998 in the eastern Mediterranean Levant  – which includes Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey – is the region’s worst dry spell since 1100 C.E.

NASA scientists reconstructed our regional drought history by studying records of tree rings, from dead and live specimens, across several Mediterranean countries to determine patterns of dry and wet years over a 900-year time span. Tree rings are good indicators of precipitation since dry years cause thin rings while thick rings show when water was plentiful. They concluded that the years between 1998 and 2012 were drier than any other period, and that the drought was likely caused by humans.

Ben Cook, lead author and climate scientist at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies and the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University in New York City, said the range of regional weather events has varied widely over the last millennium, but the past twenty years stand out as extreme, falling outside the range of natural variability.

They also discovered that drought isn’t localized, meaning that if one region is damaged by drought, those conditions are likely to exist throughout the Mediterranean basin. Kevin Anchukaitis, co-author and climate scientist at the University of Arizona in Tucson, said in a statement on the NASA climate change website, “It’s not necessarily possible to rely on finding better climate conditions in one region than another, so you have the potential for large-scale disruption of food systems as well as potential conflict over water resources.”

Large-scale disruption of food systems as well as potential conflict over water resources.

Is anyone listening? Cook stated that the Levant region drought lasting from 1998 to 2012 was about 50% drier than the driest period in the past 500 years, and 10 to 20% drier than the worst drought of the past 900 years.

Last year, as reported by CBC News, researchers at Columbia University and the University of California Santa Barbara found that drought triggered a collapse in agriculture in Syria and the migration of 1.5 million farmers to the cities, straining resources. The water shortage was one of several contributing factors that had worsened the situation in Syria in the lead-up to the outbreak of that country’s devastating civil war in 2011.

Researchers also discovered patterns that are helping to identify underlying causes for drought, which will allow scientists to differentiate droughts made worse by human-induced global warming. Cook said the research – which is part of NASA’s ongoing work to improve the computer models that simulate climate change – supported other studies indicating human causes of extreme climate events.

The North Atlantic Oscillation and the East Atlantic Pattern are two major airflow circulation patterns influence when droughts occur in the Mediterranean, patterns which describe how winds and weather tend to behave given certain ocean conditions. They have periodic phases that tend to steer rainstorms away from the Mediterranean and bring in dryer, warmer air. The resulting lack of rain and higher temperatures, which increase evaporation from soils, lead to droughts.

“The Mediterranean is one of the areas that is unanimously projected [in climate models] as going to dry in the future [due to man-made climate change],” said Yochanan Kushnir, a climate scientist at Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, who was not involved in the research. “This paper shows that the behavior during this recent drought period is different than what we see in the rest of the record,” he said, which means that the Levant region may already be feeling the affects of human-induced warming of the planet.

Historical documents recording droughts that occurred between the years 1100 and 2012 corroborate the findings of the tree ring research. Michael Mann, director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State University, said the NASA study is one of several worrying reports about unprecedented climate conditions.

Meanwhile, drought continues across much of the Middle East. You can make a difference. Search Green Prophet archives for some immediate actions you can take, now. Drop a brick in your toilet tank. Try your hand at a hydroponic vegetable patch, using new green-tech to boost efficiency, such as the operating system flux.  Take shorter showers.

The full report is available at the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres.

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The UAE lives on desalinated seawater,  energy-intensive and expensive to produce. The nation takes a schizophrenic approach towards water conservation. Unbridled development of water parks and glass-clad skyscrapers (requiring copious amounts of H2O to stay sand-free and sparkling) evaporates progress gained by modern building codes (which recommend high-efficiency plumbing).

The average Emirati uses about 550 liters of water daily compared to the international average of 170 to 300 daily liters, according to the Federal Water and Electricity Authority.  Consider typical summer temperatures that hover at 113 ºF, and wonder why conservation is not in the cards.

Crafting a mountain from flat desert terrain is in keeping with the Arab nation’s development ambitions. It already boasts the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. It has artificial islands in the shape of palm trees and a miniature map of earth’s continents. There’s an indoor ski slope and a company that constructs home “snow rooms“. “Denile” is not just a river in Egypt; it’s the prevailing attitude towards climate change in the UAE.

The science behind the scheme is simple. The vertical slopes of a mountain force warm, moist air to rise, cool, and condense, in the process create clouds. More clouds give more opportunities for seeding, where frozen chemicals (such as potassium iodide) are dropped into the clouds to boost rainfall. The UAE National Center for Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) stated that the nation spent $588,000 on cloud-seeding last year, with 186 flights spraying clouds to trigger precipitation. But results are unpredictable and can backfire, as happened in March, when nearly 30 cm of rain fell in less than a day.

The NCMS is collaborating with the U.S.-based University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) on the first planning phase of the project, according to Arabian Business, backed by $400,000 in government funding.

“What we are looking at is basically evaluating the effects on weather through the type of mountain, how high it should be and how the slopes should be,” Roelof Bruintjes, an expert in weather modification programs at the National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCR) told Arabian Business. “We will have a report of the first phase this summer.”

Other scientists are not optimistic. “I really doubt that it would work,” Raymond Pierrehumbert, a physics professor at the University of Oxford told Vocativ. “You’d need to build a long ridge, not just a cone, otherwise the air would just go around. Even if you could do that, mountains cause local enhanced rain on the upslope side, but not much persistent cloud downwind, and if you need cloud seeding to get even the upslope rain, it’s really unlikely to work as there is very little evidence that cloud seeding produces much rainfall.”

Pierrehumbert, a geophysicist who specializes in climate change, sees potential for positive science to emerge from the study, perhaps helping to explain why a hot, humid area bordered by the ocean receives so little rain. But he emphasized the larger forces at play, “The UAE is a desert because of the wind patterns arising from global atmospheric circulations, and any mountain they build is not going to alter those.”

There is no decision about best site to place the mountain, nor has its size been defined – which means costs cannot yet be estimated. Bruintjes admits the project will only go ahead if they can develop a proposal that isn’t too expensive for the government, which is feeling the pinch of reduced oil income.

Pierrehumbert believes the funding should go into another project, suggesting solar-powered desalination plants as a better option. But where’s the fun in that?

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