Posted on 08/20/2023 11:08:43 AM PDT by Vendome
In what is being called the “world’s worst traffic jam,” some 200 cargo ships are waiting to pass at the Panama Canal as, thanks to global climate change, the area experiences its worst drought in 100 years. As Futurism reports, the huge backlog has been growing for some time and might not get any better for a few weeks yet. The human-made passageway is famous not only as one of the world’s most impressive feats of engineering but as one of the most important trade routes on Earth.
"..the flow of ships at the Panama Canal started at about 1,000 vessels when it opened in 1914, that traffic has steadily increased. In the 2022 fiscal year, the passageway was crossed by over 14,200 ships, accounting for some 40% of U.S. container traffic and annually representing $270 billion in cargo. "
This might not seem like a lot, but the slowed passage has left an increasing number of ships waiting to cross the Panama Canal, now crossing the 200 mark and the wait for passage averaging 20 days. Due to the worsening drought, said canal administrator Ricaurte Vásquez Morales at a recent press conference, the restrictions could remain in effect through the rest of 2023, resulting in a loss of revenue estimated at $200 million.
“If we don’t adapt,” Morales says, “we are going to die.” It’ true for the Panama Canal, and for the planet as well.
....Oh well...
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
The seas are rising. And also drying up. And it’s all your fault.
Elevation.
But I thought Climate Change/GlobullWarmhung was supposed to raise the sea levels?
Guess we’ll just have to wait those remaining 7 to 9 years for the Caps to melt.
A man, a plan, a thgourd drought canal: Panama!
Well when the glaciers melt....... 😂👍
My question as well, though I understand the canal is 50 miles long, they may have relied on rains to supply water in between.
Now, to ensure stability, they many want to consider installing a pump system or....wait for it...a viaduct from the mountains of Panama where they will have a continual supply of water with little energy resource required to deliver to the canal
“thanks to global climate change” = Mismanagement
Lived in Panama for the better part of the 90’s working for Uncle and others...
97-98 was super dry due to El Nino.
Nature’s cycle.
Great diving and fishing no matter what the climate was!
The Panama canal is not fed from two oceans. The ships have to be lifted through the locks to lake Gatun, then lowered through the locks on the other side. The whole canal is powered with water stored in manmade reservoirs/lakes.
The Chinese helped the Panamanians build a third, much larger, set of locks, to handle much larger ships.
The American engineers always said they doubted the ability of the rainfall to support a third set of locks.
If it were easy to set up more lakes to power the canal, it probably would have been done by the 1990's
I foresee two things to aid the canal, both are expensive solutions.
1) build a rail system for container ships that would offload from one side cross the Panama hills and then load on other ships on the other side.
2) desalination plants that pump fresh water up to Gatun lake.
Just wait till they show the videos of Ellis Island on some of the commercials. The sea level has not changed 1” in 100 years.
I guess the sea level only drops is some locations! Lol
Aren’t the ice caps melting dealing with the oceans drying up?
OMG we are dealing with climate toddlers.
I find that amazing also since global warming should cause the seas to rise, if anything they should have more water unless the seas are dropping
Rising sea levels caused by melting ice caps. Oh, wait....
Gatun’ Lake supplies most of the water for the locks.No view of Gatun’
Most of the Panama Canal is actually an inland lake and waterway in Panama. This lake is higher than sea level and the ships must be raised or lowered at each end via ‘locks.’
If the water level in the lake/waterway falls, it takes longer for the locks to fill with water and this affects the speed with which the locks can be operated.
Thanks. That answers the question of why they didn’t use seawater to fill/drain the locks.
Isn’t that China’s problem? They run it.
The lock system is feed by lake waters. That is not seawater in the lock system. The vessels must be lifted about 85 feet to traverse Panama. The Lakes are higher than the canal and their water is feed into the locks to lift the vessels threw the lock system.
Because climate change raises the sea level. Uh...wait...I’ll get back to ya.
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