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View submission: Ask Anything Wednesday - Physics, Astronomy, Earth and Planetary Science
Death Valley is below sea level and one of the hottest places on Earth. If a Panama Canal sized canal was dug between the Gulf of Mexico and Death Valley, how much water would it lose per day in evaporation **and** what would the result be on the surrounding areas to the East given the influx of moisture-rich air?
Comment by uber_snotling at 07/12/2023 at 00:48 UTC
6 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The 19th largest lake (~350 miles squared) in the US is already between Death Valley and the Gulf of Mexico - the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea is 240 feet below sea level.
It is losing water to evaporation and essentially dying. Water levels are dropping by almost a foot per year since 2005.
However, the influx of the moisture has a negligible impact to the East - check out google maps and look around the Salton Sea - it is one of the driest places in the country.