Questions tagged [water]
For questions that have to do with the liquid form of H2O.
213
questions
2
votes
2answers
67 views
Transit for an advanced aquatic species?
I'm designing an aquatic, fish-like species for a sci-fi setting and I've had trouble deciding on methods of transit, particularly mass transit, that would be viable for them. I've considered a few ...
3
votes
1answer
42 views
Plants or something else that enriches distilled water
I'm writing a story in a world very similar to our Earth, but with few differences.
In this world, the "human" beings have to deal with the shortage of drinkable water. But they have plenty ...
-2
votes
1answer
105 views
Drinking water distribution in the event of permanent shortage [closed]
In a world with a strong water deficiency and without the possibility to produce more. It is at a level where some people die of thirst. How could drinking water usage be regulated? Distribution per ...
-4
votes
1answer
87 views
where did all the heavy water in our oceans come from? [closed]
there is 1 heavy water molecule in 7000 light water molecules in the ocean. my question is where did all that heavy water come from? did it form in the earth or is it of cosmic origin?
3
votes
1answer
145 views
Is it healthy to only drink rain water?
I read that it is perfectly fine to be drinking collected rain water as long as the air and the container are not polluted. However, would it be possible for a civilization to
survive and
live ...
0
votes
1answer
122 views
Can there be an ocean in a CO2 atmosphere?
See my first question here and other things about atmosphere: What would be the color of a CO2 atmosphere?
Hi so I have a planet with a CO2 atmosphere so can there be any ocean on this planet?
4
votes
3answers
213 views
Would merfolk kept in captivity suffer from lack of oxygen?
In my story, in the midst of a human-merfolk war, merfolk are captured by humans, and are periodically de-scaled (they grow back) to sell their colorful scales as jewelry.
In these farms, the merfolk ...
21
votes
8answers
4k views
What happens to my candy-creatures when they get wet and how do I stop it?
Dilithoids or as I call them candy-creatures are the lowest animals on the food-chain on my arid alien planet. What distinguishes them from other alien fauna is their simple body plan and their ...
3
votes
3answers
81 views
Could the differences between day and night on this desert planet allow for strictly nocturnal condensation?
Here's the basic gist of this (debatably) habitable Earth-like desert planet:
Size: Same as Earth
Rotation: 30 hours (three extra hours of daylight followed by three extra hours of night)
Revolution:...
2
votes
1answer
70 views
What would be the technological limitations of an advanced aquatic species? [duplicate]
My latest idea for worldbuilding involves a world in which the surface of the planet is 95% of the planet's surface covered in saltwater (there are still minerals and other collectible resources on ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
How realistically practical is hydrokinetic flight?
According to what I've looked up, the average human is 60% water, and 60% of that water is in cells. Lets assume this "hydrokinesis" is limited to telekinetically lifting and moving liquid ...
0
votes
0answers
24 views
how do moons contribute to flooding [duplicate]
Okay so my planet is twice the size of earth(2 earths can fit inside) but has three celestial bodies(aka moons). does the size of the moons and planet contribute to flooding and the seas and ocean ...
10
votes
7answers
3k views
How efficient would pumping water uphill be using hydropower?
How efficient would hydropower be at pumping water upward? Waterwheels are the cornerstone of unmanned power and are basically gravity powered (solar too if you count the water cycle,) which is very ...
4
votes
2answers
124 views
What quantity of neutron radiation could a water-filled inflatable mattress functionally negate?
I have a character who's a paranoid lunatic that's convinced that a nuclear war is about to break out. As a result of this, they've pumped several inflatable mattresses - you know, the type used for ...
3
votes
2answers
77 views
What would the purgatorial lake be like?
The purgatorial lake in an artificial lake formed from the five rivers of heaven and hell. These rivers are:
The syrup river of heaven, a river of golden syrup
The seed river of heaven, a river of ...
2
votes
1answer
106 views
What would the climate and ecosystems be like if instead of water, land would be 71% of Earth's surface?
According to the Bureau of Reclamation, water covers about 71% of the Earth's surface. Everything from microbes in the ocean releasing greenhouse gases into the air, to the immense amount of water ...
-1
votes
7answers
231 views
Is water recycling really necessary in space?
Solar panels = energy
Mineral harvesting machines= materials
3D printers that print solar panels= infinite energy
So we got the energy part out of the way for space travel, just build more satelites ...
4
votes
1answer
119 views
How big are the waves created by water falling from an absurdly large pipe into a quarry basin?
A pipe 200-meters in diameter comes out of a cliff face and turns downward, like a bathtub faucet. A torrent of water is coming out: 10 meters from exit of faucet to surface of lake. The lake is 40 ...
4
votes
2answers
307 views
How would a horse-sized water strider stay afloat and move on water efficiently
Water striders from the family Gerridae are infamous animals for their ability to skate on the waters surface, making them pleuston (surface-living) animals. Their entire bodies are waterproofed by ...
8
votes
5answers
4k views
What would happen if a huge solid ball (temperature zero kelvin) of helium appeared suddenly in a deep sea?
I'm writing a story about an icy alien culture which applies ultracold helium bombs that they can make appear at any place. The battle between good and evil translates in hot and cold. Though of ...
2
votes
1answer
113 views
How to submerge a 35x45x25 building in water? [closed]
Context:
I’m writing a true crime fiction (I think that’s the genre) story about a serial killer known as “The Electric Eel.” Their M.O. is targeting victims while they’re in water and electrocuting ...
4
votes
2answers
141 views
Are there any ways to move rainfall in the oceans to land?
The Earths oceans receive more precipitation than the land. Much of this precipitation happens in ecological dead zones such as the central pacific, southern Indian Ocean etc. So the precipitation ...
19
votes
8answers
5k views
What would realistically happen if you could water walk?
I like to add fantastical things and make them mundane. In this case, instead of building and maintaining a pedestrian bridge in a fantasy world they would create a waterwalking path. In this case, ...
7
votes
3answers
717 views
Hydrodynamics Question: What happens to water when you apply different extreme pressures?
I am building a magic system with a few components. One of them is built off a magical "touch stone" that interacts with an otherwise untouchable shadow race. I've decided to have a special ...
2
votes
1answer
105 views
World with only shallow waters?
Is a planet the size of earth minimum, probably even larger, plausible if it has no water depth below 70 meters?
6
votes
8answers
2k views
Would my character actually be able to use her "Waterbending" power to swim faster?
So, I have a character who has the ability to alter the velocity of any liquid water less than three inches away from her body, accelerating it in any direction she likes. With concentration and ...
3
votes
3answers
149 views
Desalination ice ships
This is mostly a mental exercise. Now that I've thought about it I feel a need to know what the issues are with this idea. I hope that's alright.
You create a ship that is a floating surface ...
7
votes
2answers
146 views
Are there any rules of thumb to predict which waters should have frequent storms on a fantasy map?
In RL there are areas more likely to have storms which affect ship design (and in premodern era routes).
Are there any rules of thumb to predict which waters would have frequent storms on a fantasy ...
3
votes
2answers
80 views
Feasibility of Capturing high energy atoms and energy in electromagnetic wave in cosmic rays, how to implement near planets?
I read this question about feasibility of capturing hydrogen from the Solar wind a while ago. Hydrogen in solar wind was exploited in that discussion. Here, does cosmic ray often close in towards a ...
2
votes
0answers
100 views
Can solar energy be used to desalinate seawater in Australia? [closed]
An Australian company is going to send solar energy 1, 2 to Singapore and likely to Indonesia.
Could or shall Lake Eyre basin be flooded with desalinated seawater using the solar energy harvested at ...
15
votes
13answers
2k views
Logistics Problem With Water Creation Magic
There's a facet of my magic system that uses a certain kind of crystal to create water out of the magic energy stored within. But, I don't want to solve the entire world's water supply issues with ...
0
votes
1answer
93 views
What kind of rock would be ideal for building a cistern? [closed]
You are forced to build cisterns on a large scale to save rainwater. You can only use hand tools. There is no electricity and no power tools. What rock are you looking for to hew the cistern out of ...
8
votes
5answers
396 views
Hydromancer's Parachute
I am a hydromancer. My magical prowess grants me two abilities:
I can breathe underwater (magically)
I can instantly summon a sphere of pure fresh water centered on myself that's up to 50 meters in ...
0
votes
0answers
33 views
Surprising octopies [duplicate]
Let's assume that an octopus can read your mind and send you ideas that make you believe they are yours. How to surprise the octopus assuming she might not be in the mood for jokes. Consider the ...
3
votes
4answers
321 views
Water in the interior of a very large continent
Consider a world that is much larger than Earth, but has Earthlike conditions on the surface. (Including gravity = 1g, by some suitable unobtainium.) Clearly, the surface could be covered in a large ...
4
votes
2answers
341 views
Long-term, what does my magical 2x2 mile raining deathtrap do to the surrounding land?
Earlier I asked a few questions about one particular part of my setting, which is an Earth in the immediate aftermath of a supernatural apocalypse that made the world a gridded globe of 2x2 mile "...
18
votes
6answers
3k views
How long would it take before the water flowing out from an encased and flooded suburb is drinkable?
One of the early events in my story involves a 2x2 mile section of a suburban town that is encased in invisible walls 100 feet (30m) high and perpetually subjected to heavy rain at a rate of about an ...
6
votes
4answers
1k views
How quickly would an inch per hour of rain flood an enclosed 2x2 mile area?
In my setting, an apocalyptic supernatural event made the earth into a gridded globe of "squares" (more like columns) that are roughly 2x2 miles at sea level, getting larger going up and ...
2
votes
2answers
819 views
What effect would water that is twice as dense, while still liquid, have if a human were to try and swim in it?
In my world there are two bodies of water. One acts as a radiation shield and is part of the atmosphere, so it needs some (undecided) force to keep it in place. The other is ideally twice as dense as ...
3
votes
1answer
423 views
How long does an iron cage remain effective underwater
I'm working on an idea similar to the one presented in the Old Guard; basically an immortal character is trapped in an iron casing from which they cannot escape, that is sent at the bottom of the sea. ...
5
votes
2answers
386 views
How would arctic travelers, in a medieval setting, keep water from freezing?
The setting is extremely cold all the time, and traveling around takes days. How would travelers bring water rations with them and keep it from freezing? There are almost no un-frozen bodies of water ...
5
votes
2answers
293 views
A planet with a naturally occurring margarita-like ocean
I imagined a hypothetical planet named after Bacchus (the Roman god of wine, ecstasy, parties, theatre, drama, comedy, tragedy, and spiritual madness).
Its main characteristic is an ocean composed of ...
2
votes
3answers
282 views
How to dry an ocean planet and NOT turn it into a salty desert?
So, Here's the scenario:
we start with an ocean planet, with minimal dry land. The planet stays this way for at least 400 million years. (Notably, life evolves during this time period.) Then, a magic ...
4
votes
4answers
254 views
What would an until-recently waterworld look like?
So, suppose a world that, for most of its biological history, was a water world, with minimal dry land. Starting from the Cambrian Explosion analogue, the world stays like this for roughly 460 million ...
2
votes
1answer
83 views
Could there be electricity in an ocean city?
I was wondering if a "mermaid city" (where people lived in the ocean and somehow breathed underwater) could have any means to create or use electricity. Thanks!
2
votes
2answers
67 views
Does this method of magnetic capture provide a mostly closed loop system?
The issue:
I have set up a lunar base with around 500 people. Cargo shuttles ("Bullets") regularly fly up and down from low lunar orbit. These shuttles, unfortunately, have a very high mass ...
0
votes
1answer
47 views
Giant, flying fish? [duplicate]
I have this idea of giant, literal flying fish. About the size of a megalodon (if impossible, it can be smaller, I just want them to be really big), they fly at speeds of 70 miles per hour (again, you ...
4
votes
7answers
627 views
How do I naturally keep potable, fresh water from freezing?
My planet is always very cold (I don't have an exaxt number). So cold, that most fresh water would freeze. How do I keep this from happening? Humans can't bring it about, and humans also have to be ...
4
votes
4answers
227 views
Would oceanic planet's water be drinkable?
According to Google, the sea is salty because the rainfall dissolves land minerals and salt, which then washes away to the oceans, and over billions of years that process raised the salinity of the ...
8
votes
5answers
284 views
Will water planets have ice caps?
Considering both full water worlds mostly out of water and ice, and rocky planets that just have a bit too much of it - would polar caps form on them if the conditions are roughly similar to modern ...