[pea-jay]

Look at Frank's map of California. Death Valley is in the far NE corner of it across 4-8K high mountain ranges, several hundred miles from the ocean. 3 words... NOT GONNA HAPPEN.

The Salton Sea is an accident though long term (geologically) it is destined to be submerged, initially maybe by river capture or rising sea levels, but eventually sea floor spreading will get it. Baja peninsula is slowly being torn off of North America, which will eventually progress into the imperial desert.

That engineers and politicians have gone to the effort of discussing the MED-Dead canal figures, this project makes enough sense it might actually happen. Thats if war doesnt break out first.

[Tanada]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('frankthetank', 'H')mmm. I've got a few thoughts on the subject.

Overview


1. WIKI Salton Sea

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he Salton Sea as it exists today is the aftermath of a man-made environmental disaster that occurred between 1905 and 1907, when improper management of irrigation routes from the Colorado River caused the river to flow unchecked into the Salton Sink for some two years.

Early efforts to provide irrigation to the fertile Imperial Valley region had culminated in the creation of the Imperial Canal, leading from intakes on the Colorado River to the below-sea-level Imperial Valley. As this waterway became blocked by the heavy load of silt deposited by the river, the California Development Company, which was responsible for the irrigation system, decided to build a diversion channel on Mexican territory, out of reach of the then-new U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. However, the ill-advised new route crossed unstable river delta that was regularly reshaped during floods of the Colorado, and the CDC did not have the funds necessary to construct a proper headgate system at the intake from the Colorado river to prevent accidents if the river flooded.

In 1905, massive flooding of some 150,000 cfs on the Colorado overran the diversion channel and diverted the river into the Salton Sink. Cutback erosion of the soft soil in the channel deepened it and created a steadily-growing waterfall that worked its way back towards the location of the river intake, with the falls at one point reaching 100 feet in height. Scientists worried that if the cutback reached the river itself, the river would be permanently diverted into the Salton Sink, and the cutback might even continue up through Yuma, Arizona. The Southern Pacific Railroad, which had substantial business interests in the region, spent some three million dollars (under intense government pressure) over two years to stop the river's flow into the Salton Sink. In 1907 these efforts finally succeeded, and the river resumed its natural course towards the Gulf of California.

The residual water from this ecological catastrophe formed the Salton Sea of today, and continuing man-made agricultural runoff has been largely responsible for sustaining it. This event also created the New River and Alamo River. As the basin filled, the town of Salton, a Southern Pacific Railroad siding and parts of the Torres-Martinez Indian Reservation land were submerged.

The Salton Sea disaster was a significant part of the impetus behind the construction of dams on the Colorado River, notably Hoover Dam. One purpose of the dams was to help prevent the type of unchecked flooding that had nearly destroyed the Imperial Valley.

[redwoodrob]

It is comforting to know that others have considered this death valley restoration possibility. Cutting a channel or pipeline form Mexico to allow an inland sea in Death Valley could solve Global Warming. Our guesstimate is a one inch drop in Sea level. A massive ecosystem could be created creating food and recreational opportunities comparable to a Great Lake. The heat sink effect will cool the region. The amount of transpiration would Help irrigate and cool the Southern Untied States. Mangrove forests can grow in salt water and sequester Co2 in biomass. I can not calculate the time it would take to fill with a given volume particularly with the transpiration and Mangrove possibility. Other areas like the Dead sea seem to have this sort of potential.
lets do it.

Rob

[vtsnowedin]

Putting enviromental issues aside for a moment lets look at a bit of the physics here. First a syphon will only work if the hill you are drawing over is less then about 35 feet high. After that it gets air locked. to be exact take the air pressure at the intake then divide by .433 psi or each foot of rise in the pipe. once you get to zero you are done. so if sea level was an even 15 psi /.433 = 34.6 feet. It matters not how low the outlet is. So now you have a channel or pipe drilled on grade. You need some pitch to counterbalance friction. With smooth walled pipe you might get away with a pitch of 400 ft to one foot of fall. 282 ft*400/5280=21.2 miles. After that you are SOL.

I quess the sidewinders are safe at least from drowning in sea water. Now if we cover all of the Mohave with solar panels how much electricity can we make and will the man made shade freeze the scorpions?

[Tanada]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vtsnowedin', '8')) Putting enviromental issues aside for a moment lets look at a bit of the physics here. First a syphon will only work if the hill you are drawing over is less then about 35 feet high. After that it gets air locked. to be exact take the air pressure at the intake then divide by .433 psi or each foot of rise in the pipe. once you get to zero you are done. so if sea level was an even 15 psi /.433 = 34.6 feet. It matters not how low the outlet is. So now you have a channel or pipe drilled on grade. You need some pitch to counterbalance friction. With smooth walled pipe you might get away with a pitch of 400 ft to one foot of fall. 282 ft*400/5280=21.2 miles. After that you are SOL.

[DryGuy]

Wait .....Death Valley was once the bottom of a sea? And the climate changed? How could that be.... I thought MAN was responsible for all climate change. sarcasm off.

[Tanada]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DryGuy', 'W')ait .....Death Valley was once the bottom of a sea? And the climate changed? How could that be.... I thought MAN was responsible for all climate change. sarcasm off.

[coyote]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('GASMON', 'S')eriously though, leave the place alone. Unique & beautiful - and very, very quiet. I've driven thru it. Awe inspiring

[Tanada]

For those convinced that sea level rise will soon cause NYC or Washington D.C. to have to relocate you might be interested to know that that last time Earth had 400 ppm CO2 in the atmosphere sea level was between 65 and 80 feet higher than it is today. Unfortunately for those eager for the return of those days the fastest known sea level rise on Earth, during Melt water Pulse 1A, was 40mm per year. That was with massive continental ice sheets in North America and Eurasia all melting at one time.

Even if by some odd scenario Greenland and Antarctica both went into melt mode to give us a 65 foot rise (20 meters) at the known maximum of 40 mm/y it would still take 500 years to hit that new level.

Sure EVENTUALLY sea level rise will eat its way far inland from where it is now. But it isn't going to happen at horror movie speed, the Bermuda grass growing in Florida could outrun the rise.