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Grand Mosque of Makkah Utilizes Advanced Systems for Year-Round Climate Control

The General Authority for the Care of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque in Saudi Arabia employs sophisticated technology to regulate temperatures within the Grand Mosque in Makkah throughout the year. (SPA)
The General Authority for the Care of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque in Saudi Arabia employs sophisticated technology to regulate temperatures within the Grand Mosque in Makkah throughout the year. (SPA)
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Grand Mosque of Makkah Utilizes Advanced Systems for Year-Round Climate Control

The General Authority for the Care of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque in Saudi Arabia employs sophisticated technology to regulate temperatures within the Grand Mosque in Makkah throughout the year. (SPA)
The General Authority for the Care of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque in Saudi Arabia employs sophisticated technology to regulate temperatures within the Grand Mosque in Makkah throughout the year. (SPA)

The General Authority for the Care of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque in Saudi Arabia employs sophisticated technology to regulate temperatures within the Grand Mosque in Makkah throughout the year, ensuring a comfortable and healthy environment for worshippers regardless of the scorching summer heat or cool winter temperatures.
The internal temperature is meticulously adjusted based on external conditions, targeting a comfortable range between 20 and 24 degrees Celsius. During the summer months, all air handling units (AHUs) operate at peak efficiency to maintain this ideal range. Conversely, winter sees a significant reduction in AHU usage due to the naturally cooler climate.
Fresh air is drawn from the Grand Mosque's rooftop and undergoes a multi-stage purification process. High-performance filters effectively eliminate dust particles and other microscopic contaminants. Additionally, ultraviolet sterilization effectively combats bacteria and germs, which guarantees clean and healthy air circulation throughout the prayer halls.
The General Administration for Operation and Maintenance at the authority plays a crucial role. Teams of highly skilled Saudi engineers and technicians continuously monitor temperature regulation, maintain humidity levels, and ensure the operation of all systems.
Technicians manage airflow throughout the Grand Mosque, adapting to fluctuating visitor numbers and density, ensuring optimal thermal comfort while maintaining energy efficiency. Maintenance procedures also adhere to strict technical guidelines and safety protocols, guaranteeing the well-being of all visitors.

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Farmed Production of Some Fish - and Seaweed - is Soaring

Farmed salmon -- like the ones grown in pens here in the Australian island state of Tasmania -- are easier to grow than some other fish species. Gregory PLESSE / AFP/File
Farmed salmon -- like the ones grown in pens here in the Australian island state of Tasmania -- are easier to grow than some other fish species. Gregory PLESSE / AFP/File
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Farmed Production of Some Fish - and Seaweed - is Soaring

Farmed salmon -- like the ones grown in pens here in the Australian island state of Tasmania -- are easier to grow than some other fish species. Gregory PLESSE / AFP/File
Farmed salmon -- like the ones grown in pens here in the Australian island state of Tasmania -- are easier to grow than some other fish species. Gregory PLESSE / AFP/File

The amount of farmed seafood we consume -- as opposed to that taken wild from our waters -- is soaring every year, making aquaculture an ever-more important source for many diets, and a response to overfishing.

According to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, nearly 99 million tons of aquatic animals (fish, molluscs like oysters and mussels and crustaceans like prawns) were farmed around the world in 2023, five times more than three decades ago.

Since 2022, the farming of aquatic animals has been steadily overtaking fishing around the world -- but with large disparities from species to species.

Fast-growing species

The two biggest sellers on the market in 2023, carp and tilapia, mainly came from freshwater farming, while other widely-consumed fish, like herring, came just from deep sea fishing

Thierry Laugier, a researcher at Ifremer, France's national institute for ocean science and technology, told AFP that fish farmers choose species that grow quickly and with simple requirements, to be able to control the life cycle.

Sales of the most widely farmed fish in Europe, Atlantic salmon, came to 1.9 million tons in 2023, 99 percent of which were farmed.

"We know how to control the ageing or how to launch a reproduction cycle, through injecting hormones," Laugier said.

Asia main producer
Asia is by far the biggest producer of farmed fish, accounting for 92 percent of the 136 million tons -- of both animal and plant species -- produced under manmade conditions in 2023.

"For carp, it comes down to tradition, it has been farmed for thousands of years on the Asian continent," the Ifremer researcher said.

At the other end of the spectrum, sardines and herring are just fished in the oceans, mainly for profitability reasons as some fish grow very slowly.

"It takes around two years to get an adult-sized sardine," Laugier said.

He said farming of some fish has not yet been started as, "for a long time, we thought the ocean was an inexhaustible resource".

Seaweed

Little known in the West, seaweed nevertheless accounts for almost a third of world aquaculture production.

Almost exclusively from Asia, seaweed production increased by nearly 200 percent in two decades, to 38 million tons. It is mainly used in industry, in jellies, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, the expert said.

He said seaweed also has the major advantage of absorbing not just CO2 in the oceans, but also nitrogen and certain pollutants.

"And from an ecological point of view it is better to farm macroalgae than salmon," Laugier said.