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Appendix I: The Ecology of Dune
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Alesserfolkmighthavehowledindismay.ButtheFremenhadlearnedpatiencefrommenwithwhips.Itwasabitlongerthantheyhadanticipated,buttheyallcouldseethattheblesseddaywascoming.Theytightenedtheirsashesandwentbacktowork.Somehow,thedisappointmentmadetheprospectofparadisemorereal.
TheconcernonArrakiswasnotwithwater,butwithmoisture.Petswerealmostunknown,stockanimalsrare.Somesmugglersemployedthedomesticateddesertass,thekulon,butthewaterpricewashighevenwhenthebeastswerefittedwithmodifiedstillsuits.
Kynesthoughtofinstallingreductionplantstorecoverwaterfromthehydrogenandoxygenlockedinnativerock,buttheenergy-costfactorwasfartoohigh.Thepolarcaps(disregardingthefalsesenseofwatersecuritytheygavethepyons)heldfartoosmallanamountforhisproject...andhealreadysuspectedwherethewaterhadtobe.Therewasthatconsistentincreaseofmoistureatmedianaltitudes,andincertainwinds.Therewasthatprimaryclueintheairbalance—23percentoxygen,75.4percentnitrogenand.023percentcarbondioxide—withthetracegasestakinguptherest.
Therewasararenativerootplantthatgrewabovethe2,500-meterlevelinthenortherntemperatezone.Atubertwometerslongyieldedhalfaliterofwater.Andthereweretheterraformdesertplants:thetougheronesshowedsignsofthrivingifplantedindepressionslinedwithdewprecipitators.
ThenKynessawthesaltpan.
His’thopter,flyingbetweenstationsfaroutonthebled,wasblownoffcoursebyastorm.
