Charlie StrossJun 4, 2023

Panama Canal’s Continuing Draft Reductions Pose Threat to Trade

Buried lede: it's due to a drought reducing water availability for the locks. Cause is climate change. https://maritime-executive.com/article/panama-canal-s-continuing-draft-reductions-pose-threat-to-trade

Panama Canal’s Continuing Draft Reductions Pose Threat to Trade

Concern is growing that a significant climate event is unfolding at the Panama Canal, with the potential of impacting one of the world’s most importan...

The Maritime Executive
Show threadDNAvinciJun 4, 2023
@cstross
Pure ignorance about how the panama canal and locks work:
Wait... Do they use FRESH water for the canal? The furthest it can be from ocean is 40km. Is there some (bigger than digging the panama canal) engineering challenge to pumping salt water 40 km?
I'm sure the ocean level is higher than ever...
Show threadCharlie StrossJun 4, 2023
@dnavinci The Panama Canal crosses a mountain range—there's a huge drop-off. And it takes tens to hundreds of thousands of tons of water to flood just one of the locks. Pumping water in such volumes to such altitude would be horrifically energy-intensive, so it's designed to run from rainfall trapped in reservoirs.
Show threadTormod Halvorsen

@cstross @dnavinci

Thanks, I can't believe I never knew this. I also always assumed salt water from either ocean was used. Remembering learing about the existence of the canal in school, but never a word about the design of it. Live and learn, I guess... 🤯

Jun 5, 2023 at 4:57amIvory for iOS