In Namibia’s stark Namib Desert, where I spent 18 months doing research for my Ph.D., wildlife concentrates around natural springs.
Increasingly, animals there also rely on man-made ponds intended for livestock.
Based on my observations, I believe that in arid places, people may be able to locate usable water sources and detect changes in the quality of sources they are already using by observing bats.
Measuring pollution with canaries, moss and fish People have used plants and animals as environmental indicators for many years.
Similarly, fish and other small aquatic organisms can be effective bioindicators of water pollution.
Therefore, scientists often resort to biological indicators, such as aquatic insects and fish, to assess water quality.
Even the most desert-adapted species need water.
Water quality affects them directly when they drink and indirectly when they consume insect prey, many of which spend part of their lives growing in water.
To find high-quality surface waters, people could observe bat activity levels using acoustic detectors to record bats’ echolocation calls.
If this is true, people living in those areas could detect changes in water quality, such as increased salinity, by gauging activities and drinking patterns of sensitive bat species.