What would happen if they removed the locks from the Panama Canal and let the waters seek their own levels?
In: Planetary Science
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.
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