What would happen if they removed the locks from the Panama Canal and let the waters seek their own levels?
In: Planetary Science
Then Panama would have a giant trench running through it.
The locks connect all points in the system to the oceans. The oceans are the lowest points. All the water would drain to them. Excepting any lowspots in lake areas below their connecting channels. There would be remaining water there, small lakes/ponds.
Gatun lake would drain to near-original level and the canals on either side would either both be outlets (rivers to the oceans) or only one would be an outlet and the other would catch a different watershed.
I always wondered this, as well, Turns out the ocean is higher on the west coast than the east (or is it the other way round?). It has to do with rotation of the earth and the tides. It never made sense to me, since water seeks its own level, so sea level should be constant the world over, right?
Then the water in the canal would run out to the oceans. The locks carry ships *up and over*, not just straight across. The middle is at a higher elevation than the two ends.
It would be less exciting than you think because [the canal doesn’t go down to sea level in the middle.](https://img.controlglobal.com/files/base/ebm/controlglobal/image/2022/08/1660318905109-cg1901lessonslearned1650compressor.png?auto=format,compress&fit=fill&fill=blur&w=1200&h=630) That saved a ton of excavating otherwise the middle would have had to be super deep canyon. It was easier and cheaper to have the locks and canal go uphill, across the middle, then downhill.
If the locks were all removed, the channels would drain and become normal outflow from Gatun Lake in the middle. No water flow from one ocean to the other could happen because the middle is elevated.
Drain to sea level because of the height of the canal. It might have some water left. We don’t really know.
The Panama canal isnt a straight shot like the Suez canal. The Panama canal takes boats to a lake that is essentially up a mountain. Then the boats then go back down the mountain through the locks to the other side.
If the locks were removed, water would flow from the high point of the canal to the low point of the canal which is the ocean and would virtually drain the canal aside from the low points where water can’t escape.
If you wanted the water to be level from ocean to ocean that would require a massive operation to move billions upon billions of cubic yards of soil and rock which would cost a massive amount of money. Not only would the cost be unfathomable, but ask yourself where would someone dispose of that massive amount of soil and rock?
Latest Answers