Apparatus and method for growing vegetation in hot arid coastal environments

Abstract

An apparatus and method for growing vegetation in a hot, arid, coastal location includes installing, at or below grade, a mat containing seeds, and/or seedlings, and a super absorbent polymer (SAP), the mat being cooperative with a thermally conductive network in thermal communication with an evaporative panel that is cooled by seawater evaporation, thereby drawing heat away from the mat. A seawater reservoir can collect seawater draining from the cooling panel. A pumping system can recirculate the collected seawater to the cooling panel, thereby converting the seawater into brine, which can be periodically transferred to a drying tray for production of salt. A perforated, transparent or translucent cover sheet can be placed on or suspended above the mat. A water barrier can be placed below the mat. The cooling panel can be incorporated into a wall of a cooling greenhouse that surrounds and contains the mat.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.