Drought-hit Panama Canal to restrict access for one year

France 24 ^

[JohnBovenmyer]

The higher Pacific side is broadly connected to the Atlantic via the Arctic Ocean and the southern ‘ocean.’ I wonder what processes maintain that 8” difference. And although netting only 8 vertical inches the current canal goes up and back down much more in crossing the mountainous center of the Isthmus. The heavy rainfall over the Isthmus is collected in high artificial lakes and released as needed to power the upward locks. The widened canal for larger ships needed more water per locking. Current rainfall isn’t enough. If, as claimed, half the rained lake water goes for (mostly sea level) human consumption replacing that with desalinated water would be cheaper than pumping desalinated into the top level lake. Still expensive but perhaps the canal fees could be raised enough to cover that and be justified by full rather than partial shipload transits.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

It's weird. Normal elevations are given as "above sea level" or "below sea level".
So what sea level are they talking about: Pacific or Atlantic? Throw in the tides,
and then it's definitely above my pay grade.

[Graybeard58]

The canal’s sub-administrator Ilya Espino

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But of course! Everybody knows that submarines need deeper water.

[JohnBovenmyer]

>it’s connected to an OCEAN on both sides. How can it be affected by drought?

An ocean at each side of a hill. Their water won't run uphill on its own. Rain water onto the hilltop, running downhill, powers lifting ocean water and boats up the hill. Not enough rain and you can't power as much up the hill. Just like a water powered mill can't grind as much stuff when the stream level is low.

[GailA]

btt

[Svartalfiar]

In what world does pumping ocean water into freshwater reservoirs make any sense?
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The reservoir was built to operate the locks. The reservoir already has salt water in it because of the action of the locks.

The amount of sea water that manages to travel up the locks really isn't that much. It's not nearly close to the amount of salt you would add by pumping ocean water into the Lakes.