Flooding the Sahara depressions, sea level will drop and evaporation increase, cooling the climate
![]()
![]()
![]()
Even the CIA has explored the consequences of flooding the Qattara Depression in Libya. One advantage that intrigues modern engineers is the possibility of generating massive quantities of hydroelectric power. It would require a canal (or a pair of tunnels ,according to one proposal) only 40 miles long to connect the depression with the sea. The drop of 440 feet would be more than sufficient for the generation of power. Concerns over things such as the impact on indigenous peoples and wildlife are among the many major obstacles to these plans.
[Via Archive.org and The Basement Geographer]
By Eric Gaba (Sting - fr:Sting) and NordNordWest - Topographic background map: Own workSource of data: SRTM30 PlusAll other data taken from File:Egypt_location_map.svg created by NordNordWest under GFDL/CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9676527
The idea of Huzel goes back to the second half of the nineteenth century. The aim was to divert waters of the Mediterranean Sea into the Sahara depressions in Tunisia and Algeria via a canal. The hope was that filling these depressions would alter the climate of the area. The history of the scheme is described in a comprehensive publication by Letolle and Bendjoudi (1997). They describe the geography, geology, hydrology and the socio-economic conditions of the project area. The following brief description is based on their work.
There is a vast depression in the Sahara running from the west of Gabès on the Mediterranean coast of Tunisia to the south-east of Biskra, with a general downward slope of east to west (Figure E.1). Chott Melrhir and Chott Rharsa in the western part of this depression, with an area of about 8000 km2, were proposed for flooding. It was believed that this depression was once part of the ancient Bay of Triton. Herodotus (485–425 bc) and other historians of antiquity described its shores as being highly rich and fertile.
Martins (1864) described that the last of the Chotts in the east is only 16 km away from the sea. By breaking through the Gabès ridge, the basin of the Chotts could become an inland sea. Lavigne (1869) described his observations of the area as a journalist, and raised the possibility of creating an inland sea.
Sahara Sea - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahara_Sea
Traduire cette page
A relief map of Egypt, with the Qattara Depression shown in blue. The Sahara Sea was the name of a hypothetical macro-engineering project which proposed flooding endorheic basins in the SaharaDesert with ...Traduire cette page
Qattara Depression Project - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qattara_Depression_Project
Traduire cette page
The Qattara Depression Project, or shortly the Qattara Project, is a concept for a large civil engineering project in Egypt, rivaling the Aswan High Dam, intended to develop the Qattara Depression by floodingit. .... See also[edit]. Qattara Depression · Sahara Sea · Salton Sea ...Traduire cette page
The Great Sahara Sea That Almost Was - io9
io9.com/the-great-sahara-sea-that-almost-was-837206551
Traduire cette page
20 juil. 2013 - Even the CIA has explored the consequences of flooding the Qattara Depression in Libya. One advantage that intrigues modern engineers is ...Traduire cette page
Flooding the Sahara | Alternate History Discussion
https://www.alternatehistory.com/.../flooding-the-sahara.24512/
Traduire cette page
Traduire cette page
1 août 2017 - 20 messages - 12 auteurs
The Sahara desert by itself is pretty worthless by itself, flooding it would ... Try looking for the QattaraDepression - a significant engineering ...Qattara Depression Project: Time to Revisit? - The Energy Collective
www.theenergycollective.com/.../qattara-depression-project-time-t...
Traduire cette page
10 août 2016 - If the depression were flooded to sea level, the lake formed would cover .... SaharaDesert and its extreme arid climate, the Qattara Depression ...Traduire cette page
Flooding of the Sahara depressions (Appendix E) - Inter-Basin Water ...
https://www.cambridge.org/.../flooding...sahara-depressions/CE895... - Traduire cette page
INTRODUCTION. The idea of flooding the Sahara depressions goes back to the second half of the nineteenth century. The aim was to divert waters of the ...Why The Sahara Sea Doesn't Exist...Yet - Condé Nast Traveler
www.cntraveler.com/story/why-the-sahara-sea-doesnt-exist-yet
Traduire cette page
7 nov. 2016 - The bottom of the Qattara Depression is 436 feet below sea level, ... but just then, a giant earthquake strikes, flooding the desert anyway.Traduire cette page
Hiding Rising Seas in Sunken Deserts | The Mountain Mystery
https://mountainmystery.com/.../hiding-rising-seas-in-sunken-deser...
Traduire cette page
17 août 2015 - Nevertheless, the Dead Sea Depression, flooded with sea water, ... also slated for drowning, but the enormous Sahara tracts are not deep.Traduire cette page
Would it be possible or even beneficial to flood the Sahara? : askscience
https://www.reddit.com/.../would_it_be_possible_or_even_benefic...
Traduire cette page
Traduire cette page
26 nov. 2014 - 3 messages - 2 auteurs
I was reading about some theories in th 1800s and 1900s to flood a part of the Sahara which, if i understood correctly, would turn Northern... ... Found this about flooding the Qattara Depression near Cairo. And then there's this ...Terraform Mars? Whay not terraform the sahara desert? [Archive ...
boards.straightdope.com › ... › Main › General Questions
Traduire cette page
Traduire cette page
11 juin 2004 - 22 messages - 17 auteurs
This flooding would create an inland sea, and in the desrt heat, .... Quattara Depression were flooded(with salt water from the Mediterranean), ...