Carl N. Hodges (March 19, 1937 – April 3, 2021) was an American atmospheric physicist and founder of the Seawater foundation. He was the main driving force behind ideas of using sea canals to

irrigate Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has be ...

desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

s. The idea is to grow sea farms in the artificial sea canals using plants like

salicornia ''Salicornia'' is a genus of succulent, halophytic (salt tolerant) flowering plants in the family Amaranthaceae that grow in salt marshes, on beaches, and among mangroves. ''Salicornia'' species are native to North America, Europe, central Asia, ...

and

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

, and introducing fish and shrimp. This is thought to be able to resurrect ecosystems, create jobs, wealth and food sources. This has been proposed as a solution for

starvation Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy intake, below the level needed to maintain an organism's life. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, de ...

and even being able to counter the

effects of global warming Effects of climate change are well documented and growing for Earth's natural environment and human societies. Changes to the climate system include an overall warming trend, changes to precipitation patterns, and more extreme weather. As ...

and

rising sea levels The sea level has been rising from the end of the last ice age, which was around 20,000 years ago. Between 1901 and 2018, the average sea level rose by , with an increase of per year since the 1970s. This was faster than the sea level had e ...

. He was a primary consultant on development of the Epcot attraction, Listen to the Land.

References

* *

External links

* * 2021 deaths 21st-century American physicists American atmospheric scientists Atmospheric physicists People involved with desert greening 1937 births {{US-physicist-stub