Drought-hit Panama Canal must 'adapt or die' as water levels drop

[NickB79]

https://phys.org/news/2023-08-drought-hit-panama-canal-die.amp

The canal relies on rainwater to move ships through a series of locks that function like water elevators, raising the vessels up and over the continent between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

However, a water shortage due to low rainfall has forced operators to restrict the number of vessels passing through, which is likely to result in a $200 million drop in earnings in 2024 compared to this year, canal administrator Ricaurte Vasquez said Thursday.

The Pacific warming phenomenon known as El Niño, which can cause drought in some nations and flooding in others, is making the situation worse, meteorologists say.

"The big disadvantage that the Panama Canal has as a maritime route, is that we operate with freshwater, while others use seawater," said Vasquez during a presentation to the media.

[getagrip_already]

1. Wonder if cutting down rainforests is having any impacts?

It could just be weather cycles, or it could be climate changing due to environmental impacts.

Dunno what impact deforestation has? Any?

[IbogaProject]

2. We are heating up

The record highs out number record lows 3 or 4 to 1. What is most notable is greater variation and greater extremes. It isn't just a little warmer. At 1.5 Celsius we already have 12% more water vapor in the air, that is water not on the ground as much. And then when it does rain record floods are more common. Here in the northeast USA the current frequency for '100 year floods' is about every two years and every ten years for '500 year' floods. Deforestation hurts too has the ground gets hotter and less water gets held back in plants and in the shade.

[msongs]

3. it's located between 2 unlimited water supplies nt

[calguy]

4. From the article:

"The dwindling freshwater cannot be replaced with sea water—as used by the Suez Canal which connects the Mediterranean with the Red Sea—as this would require massive excavations.

"Suez was much flatter and it was sand. In our case it is rock and there is a mountain range which is not very high, but it is there and it is a challenge," said Vasquez."

[haele]

5. The freshwater lake in between is critical for passage across the mountains.

Panama canal is nothing like the Suez. It's a 10 hour trip through locks, and 50 mile lock and canal system just can't be backfilled filled with seawater without destroying the rainforest environment around it.
I've been through the big ditch 4 times. It's 90% jungle an 10% Lake Gatun, which also supplies most of the electricity for the Canal Zone.

Haele

[EYESORE 9001]

8. Wow! Someone should alert a civil engineer about that revolutionary idea!

[Stinky The Clown]

6. Huge but little known obstacle: Atlantic and Pacific are at different levels

Also, Pacific tides are big - 15 or 20 feet from low to high. Atlantic tides are less than 5 feet.

Mean sea levels are also different. The Pacific is higher than the Atlantic.

I short, it is impossible to directly connect the two oceans at that latitude.

[Hekate]

7. 1904 - 2024. It is striking how many big projects are just now giving out--after only about a century

The 20th Century and all its progress…