Flooding the Sahara

Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy

Banned
In ATL the French had plans to create a Gulf of Triton (?) in part of Tunisia and Algeria. Is this feasible? Does anyone have a map, or at least a description, of the new coastline? What effects would this have on the climate, soils, and biology of the area? Where would the best places to establish settlemets be?
 

Highlander

Banned
I can imagine it would be terrible for local wildlife, but would provide easier irrigation and trade routs.

What year would this be attempted?
 

Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy

Banned
Highlander said:
I can imagine it would be terrible for local wildlife, but would provide easier irrigation and trade routs.

What year would this be attempted?
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Well the idea has a whole history behind it, but the earliest proposal to catch the public's interest came from a French officer in the late 1860s or early 1870s. I can't remember the name or year, try googling some keywords.
 

jolo

The idea also came to my mind. It would increase rainfall in the area, even out temperatures, and allow lots of salt water plants to grow. Some parts of the coast should be used for salt production, to keep salt levels down.

All you need is a piece of desert close to the coast and lower than the surrounding sea, at least during tides. Dig a big channel, and it's done. If the area is higher than sea level, a few wind driven pumps might be needed, and it takes more time.

I'd do it if I didn't have another use for the area.
 

carlton_bach

I really, really love these heroic engineering ideas, but where exactly did they plan to do this? Most of the Sahara is well above sea level - several hundred meters. There is an area just southeast of the Atlas mountains that is near sea level, that may have been what they had in mind, but 'flooding the Sahara' is overstating that case a bit.

Given Western Civilisation's track record at improving the lot of other climes, the place would probably just turn into a stinking, malarial swamp...
 

Flocculencio

Donor
carlton_bach said:
I really, really love these heroic engineering ideas, but where exactly did they plan to do this? Most of the Sahara is well above sea level - several hundred meters. There is an area just southeast of the Atlas mountains that is near sea level, that may have been what they had in mind, but 'flooding the Sahara' is overstating that case a bit.

Given Western Civilisation's track record at improving the lot of other climes, the place would probably just turn into a stinking, malarial swamp...
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It sounds like one of those amazing Victorian ideas. Noble in ideals but unworkable :D
 

Justin Pickard

Try looking for the Qattara Depression - a significant engineering project (although not as large at Suez or Panama) could have created a flow of water from the Med into an artifical lake. Furthermore, the climatic evaporation would have left vast quantities of salt - which could be mined for industrial purposes. If this had happened, Egypt (or possibly the UK, or even France) would be far more economically powerful today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qattara_Depression

http://www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/80858e/80858E0a.htm

It's possible that I might do a TL based on this at some point. I did have a look at the possibilities in my Three Thrones TL, but I think this might be worthy of independent examination. Something for Christmas, perhaps. :rolleyes:
 

Admiral Matt

Gone Fishin'
No. That's not really an issue. They might have to dredge the channel off and on, but otherwise it'll just take care of itself.
 

NapoleonXIV

Banned
I found this, certainly one of the sillier sites I've been to, but the music is mellow on a rainy night, dude. Damned long and not even a map. Also, I think even Africa may object to Europe's sewage being used to irrigate them:rolleyes:
 

Vitruvius

Yes I've heard of this project before. It was supposed to flood the Chott El Jerid (aka Djerid) in Tunisia to form an an inland sea. Some plans called for an extension into the Chotts of neighboring Algeria as well. It was supposed to recreate the ancient Lake Triton(is) that allegedly existed there in ancient times. There's some info here and here.

I don't think it ever went past the fanciful what if planning stage. There were also some even more elaborate plans to transform the Sahara which you can read about here.
 

Vitruvius

thekingsguard said:
Wasn't this also discused with the Atlantropa Project?
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The second one, the Congo-Chad mega project, was part of Atlantropa. The first, more limited proposal, for recreating Lake Tritonis was put forward much earlier and was mainly a French colonial project to increase the value of Algeria as a center of trade and agriculture.
 

GoaHockey

This would probably end in another huge environmental disaster that would take generations to heal. (think enormous Soviet engineering projects like the Virgin Lands program/Aral Sea).
 

Falecius

More to to topic, there are two novels by Jules Verne and John Wyndham respectively, that took the idea seriously; it was science fiction, but I think they hint at a significant impact of such ideas on the social imagery of the time.
 
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