Engineers/scientists explain this please!

[oldfella1962]

I saw a quick news headline stating that because of a bad drought, the Panama Canal could be in trouble.
Riddle me this Batman, but doesn't the Panama Canal have OCEANS on both ends of it? If the sea level is the same level (or higher!) than it has always been, what would a local drought have to do with anything? I am not reading the article first, because I think getting an explanation as to why this could be from actual folks will be more educational, and possibly entertaining. Any thoughts?

 

[Gator89]

Drought affecting Panama Canal threatens 40% of global cargo ship traffic

Every ship that transits the Panama Canal uses tens of millions of gallons of fresh water to pass through. A historic drought in Panama is limiting the number of ships allowed to pass and the amount of cargo they can carry. CBS News' Ben Tracy reports.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Gator89]

The canal uses fresh water collected in reservoirs / lakes to raise and lower the ships that travel through the canal. While in the canal, ships are above sea level.

 

[JustUs4All]

The central part of the istmus is well above sea level and the canal is designed to use the usually abundant rainfall to supply the water to operate the locks and to do so by gravity. A shortage of rain could be a problem.

 

[GeorgiaBob]

The Panama Canal is actually two canals, one connecting the Pacific Ocean with Lake Gatun and the other connecting the Atlantic Ocean with Lake Gatun. But Lake Gatun is 85 feet above sea level so each canal has locks to raise ships up to the lake level. Locks are chambers in the canal that can be closed on both ends with a ship inside and can either fill with more water to raise the ship, or drain some of the water out to lower the ship.

Lake Gatun is the ONLY source for the water that operates the Panama Canal locks. The only source for the water in Lake Gatun is rain. If the water level in Lake Gatun drops too low it cannot fill the locks and all traffic on the canal stops!

 

[27metalman]

I seen this story a week ago or so. I always assumed that the water used was from the oceans. ???

 

[dwhee87]

Goods that are delivered by cargo ship are fixin' to get very expensive.

 

[oldfella1962]

The canal uses fresh water collected in reservoirs / lakes to raise and lower the ships that travel through the canal. While in the canal, ships are above sea level.

Oh I see! I thought they pumped water from the oceans into the canal (since that is an inexhaustible supply).

 

[oldfella1962]

The Panama Canal is actually two canals, one connecting the Pacific Ocean with Lake Gatun and the other connecting the Atlantic Ocean with Lake Gatun. But Lake Gatun is 85 feet above sea level so each canal has locks to raise ships up to the lake level. Locks are chambers in the canal that can be closed on both ends with a ship inside and can either fill with more water to raise the ship, or drain some of the water out to lower the ship.

Lake Gatun is the ONLY source for the water that operates the Panama Canal locks. The only source for the water in Lake Gatun is rain. If the water level in Lake Gatun drops too low it cannot fill the locks and all traffic on the canal stops!

Interesting! Thanks.

 

[oldfella1962]

I seen this story a week ago or so. I always assumed that the water used was from the oceans. ???

So did I. I thought the canal was just a straight shot "point A to point B" shortcut from the Atlantic to the Pacific. No wonder it was so difficult to build!

 

[basstrkr]

In the sixth grade I read a story about the canal that said there are life forms in the Pacific that are not in the Atlanta and vise versa and letting the two mix would be an environmental mistake. Therefore they designed with fresh water usage. And yes they mix around the Horn but that's different.

 

[Toliver]

How much real cargo actually goes through it now. I heard years and years ago we let it go back to the Panamanians because our ships became too big to use it. Ships are way bigger than they were when they built it. How much does it really affect the overall gross tonnage of what's going back and forth?

 

[bullgator]

In the sixth grade I read a story about the canal that said there are life forms in the Pacific that are not in the Atlanta and vise versa and letting the two mix would be an environmental mistake. Therefore they designed with fresh water usage. And yes they mix around the Horn but that's different.

How is it different? Lots of creatures travel between the oceans. If a virus can get here and around the world from China, I don’t see how a continuous body of water would stop things.

 

[dwhee87]

How is it different? Lots of creatures travel between the oceans. If a virus can get here and around the world from China, I don’t see how a continuous body of water would stop things.

Look at it this way....without air travel, the china virus would've been isolated and never left china.

A flowing Panama Canal that interchanges water from pacific to atlantic is like air travel to a virus.

Organisms live in distinct habitats, and can't live in others. Lionfish are a great example. They are from tropical asian pacific waters. They can't traverse the ocean due to lack of cover, predators and water temp differences. But suck a few into a bilge tank and move them across the world, then dump your bilge tanks in a new place with suitable temps, lack of predators, and plenty of shallow cover, and they'll thrive....and destroy the native local inhabitants in that environment.

 

[Ruger#3]

Next time at Sams or Costco note the Atlantic salmon, a product of Chile.

 

[GeorgiaBob]

How much real cargo actually goes through it now. I heard years and years ago we let it go back to the Panamanians because our ships became too big to use it. Ships are way bigger than they were when they built it. How much does it really affect the overall gross tonnage of what's going back and forth?

Panama has just completed a series of new - LARGER - locks to accommodate both the much larger oil tankers and the new build super sized container ships. The Panama Canal can handle all but a very few of the largest ships in the world. All of the US Navy's warships (including our carriers) can use the Panama Canal.

Jimmy Carter signed the Canal over to Panama as the Democrats response to "international" claims of US imperialism. It was a purely political act of showmanship that has clearly backfired. Manuel Noriega is not the only crooked Panamanian milking the canal for personal gain - and there is a lot of "gain" to go around. The national government of Panama collects about 4 billion dollars a year from ships transiting the canal. Last year over 15,000 vessels passed thru the canal. With the new locks now in full operation (and the old, smaller, locks still operating) transits and revenue are expected to increase - - -
unless Gatun dries up!!!!

 

[Toliver]

Panama has just completed a series of new - LARGER - locks to accommodate both the much larger oil tankers and the new build super sized container ships. The Panama Canal can handle all but a very few of the largest ships in the world. All of the US Navy's warships (including our carriers) can use the Panama Canal.

Jimmy Carter signed the Canal over to Panama as the Democrats response to "international" claims of US imperialism. It was a purely political act of showmanship that has clearly backfired. Manuel Noriega is not the only crooked Panamanian milking the canal for personal gain - and there is a lot of "gain" to go around. The national government of Panama collects about 4 billion dollars a year from ships transiting the canal. Last year over 15,000 vessels passed thru the canal. With the new locks now in full operation (and the old, smaller, locks still operating) transits and revenue are expected to increase - - -
unless Gatun dries up!!!!

Well alrighty then. I guess the canal was not on my list of high priorities to keep up with so I missed the upgrades. Thanks for the explanation. I guess that's a pretty significant amount of cargo going through there.

 

[livinoutdoors]

Seems like a whole bunch of effort to me. Could just make plastic shelves here i guess.

 

[Ruger#3]

Seems like a whole bunch of effort to me. Could just make plastic shelves here i guess.

Some countries actually help us and the trade is fairly balanced. China is not one of them. I‘d haul fresh produce and raw materials north, then medical and industrial equipment south throughout Latin and South America. Leave Lima with a 747 full of asparagus.

 

[notnksnemor]

Do you know China controls the ports on both ends of the Panama Canal?