Aquaculture in nonconvective solar ponds

Abstract

Apparatus is presented for cultivating aquaculture and mariculture crops predominantly in the warm storage zone (SZ) of a durable, salt gradient, solar pond. This SZ would be maintained near the optimum salinity and temperature for the particular crop and especially guarded against overheating. The nonconvective zone (NCZ) of this pond would insulate the SZ and buffer diurnal temperature oscillations in this SZ. Variations of the basic invention include using a partition to separate the SZ and NCZ, not using a pond liner, and adding heat from an external source to the SZ, such as geothermal or power plant waste heat. Because temperature elevations will usually be only 10.degree. to 25.degree. C., it will commonly be possible to insure stable stratification with modest salinity changes and to supply sufficient heat from directly absorbed solar energy alone. These solar ponds could economically provide optimum growing conditions fall through spring in temperate latitudes. Three variations are worth particularly noting. In solar ponds in dry climates the SZ could have a salinity near 12% while the UCZ was near 2%. High salinity crops would be cultivated in the SZ such as Artemia, the brine shrimp, or Dunaliella, an algae. An attractive variation for locations near the shore would use a fresh water UCZ, and cultivate marine crops in a seawater SZ. Fresh water crops could be cultivated in a fresh water SZ separated by a partition form a stable, saline NCZ. All of these ponds could be very inexpensive, located outdoors at a wide variety of sites, many of which are now not useful, and provide optimum growing conditions and high productivity yearround. Moreover cultivating crops in a solar pond will require less sophisticated engineering and management of the pond than extracting energy from it.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.