Our Blue Backyard

December 2025: This was a big year for water research. Here are three studies with huge implications for us all:

Exciting New Water Technology: MIT engineers developed new technology to pull water out of the air using ultrasound. Most atmospheric water devices are extremely slow because they rely on heat to let water evaporate over time. This new approach uses ultrasonic waves to shake the water molecules loose in minutes–dozens of times faster than older methods. It still needs power, but it could be paired with smaller solar panels to pull drinking water from the air in remote places where there’s no groundwater and desalination is too expensive. https://news.mit.edu/2025/ultrasonic-device-dramatically-speeds-harvesting-water-air-1118

Our Planet’s Changing Water Cycle: NASA recently released their study of 20 years of satellite data which shows that rain, snow, floods and droughts aren’t following typical patterns anymore. Human impact (huge irrigation projects, farming, and climate change) is changing where water is distributed on earth. As a result, communities will be less able to plan and predict their water supply in the future. NASA+2globalwater.osu.edu+2

Salt in Our Water: Saltwater is beginning to enter our drinking water. University of Maryland scientists found that saltwater is moving further up rivers from the ocean, which is a real problem, because these rivers provide almost two-thirds of the world’s drinking water. Explanations for this include sea level rise from climate change and human behavior like dredging deep channels for shipping. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10533-025-01219-6