Global warming is triggering climate shifts and these are many times associated with severe droughts.

This is specifically nasty in Australia, with a climate already characterized by long periods of dryness, so careful management of water supply is a necessary task.

Now, researchers at CSIRO Manufacturing Materials Technology in Melbourne have designed a simple nozzle-like "air shower" device, easy to fit into normal showerheads that decreases water consume while showering by about 30 %.

The device fills the water droplets with a tiny bubble of air, increasing the volume of the shower stream.

In Australia, the households use in average, about 200,000 liters of water yearly, and showers consume nearly a third of this water.

Thus, the 'air shower' saves about 15,000-20,000 liters of water yearly in every household.

The concept of aerating shower water is not new, but this technology is innovative.

The device uses a small Venturi tube with varied diameters, which forms a difference in pressure and fluid speed.

"The nozzle creates a vacuum that sucks in air and forces it into the water stream," said Dr Jie Wu, the leader of the research team.

Air and water mix, forming tiny bubbles within the water stream.

"We make the water droplets in the stream hollow and the bubbles expand the volume of the shower stream."

Subjects probing this kind of shower felt no difference in water pressure, sensation, or overall perception of showering: they had the sensation of a full and steady stream.

Two research and development years were necessary to bring the technology into the commerce.

"We have very promising results on the aerated showerhead's water-saving potential. Now we are looking for commercialization partners who will be involved in the development needed to turn the technology into a marketable device," Dr Wu says.

Image credit: CSIRO.