Since the canal is fed from the two oceans it links together, how can it dry up? I am puzzled.
“Since the canal is fed from the two oceans it links together, how can it dry up? I am puzzled.”
Not only that, but according to the idiot left... the sea levels are rising at an alarming rate. So.... what’s the problem with the canal? Logic says it would only get deeper, if that were the case. Oh wait. Leftists don’t do logic. Nevermind.
A lot of it is in the mountains fed by a lake.
Since the canal is fed from the two oceans it links together, how can it dry up? I am puzzled.
Panama canal was build by the US engineers during the bast times of US engineering (before WW1).
The French tried originally, but failed miserably.
The problem was that canal is in malaria infested jungle with nonstop tropical rains and pretty long (like 80 miles) and high ridge separating the oceans.
Instead of digging through the isthmus as the French tried, the genial American solution was to use all that rain running into the construction. They build artificial lake, fed by the rains and series of locks raising and lowering the boats on their way. The lakes supplied by the rain water run water east and west, to both of the oceans. The locks were also using water to open and close so energy use was minimal.
Plus, they send scientists to exterminate (mostly) the malaria carrying mosquitoes first!
So no, canal is not supplied by the ocean, but by the rain water.
But - after the canal was transferred to Panama, it has been mismanaged. Among other mismanagement, Panama widened it and the number of ships increased, but the rains did not. So now the canal is running out of the water!
But of course, every government mismanagement problem is caused by global warming!
It is who maintains the canal. Remember that China controls both ends of the canal. Maybe this is a “dry run” for some future event.
The Panama Canal is not at sea level. There are inland lakes well above sea level that are included in the passage. These lakes feed a series of locks that raise and lower ships making the traverse to and from the lakes.
There is currently a drought that has affected the supply of water that fuels the locks.
The canal is not fed from the oceans. It’s fed from Gatun Lake, which is filled by rainwater. The canal operates 100% by gravity, with fresh water running downhill into the locks. No Gatun Lake, no Panama Canal.
Aside from a natural draught, if the lake was sabotaged to cause it to empty (many dikes, dams etc) the canal would be put out of action for years until the lake could be refilled by the rain.
When they built the canal, they built the manmade lake, so it could be filled by the time the canal was ready for ships.
So much for rising sea levels.