Atlantropa, Is it a viable Option TODAY

I am watching a fantasic project that is being discussed on Science Discovery Channel refered to as Atlantropa, based on efforts by the Munich architect Hermann Sörgel in 1928.

Anyways, I would like to bring this topic into ATS, and if the Mod Squad ( ) feel this should be moved to another site here, please feel free.

Here is the First link to Show I am watching now. It appears it will play again tomorrow Aug 13/06 at 11AM. (The site is slow right now, and I expect this is due to Hits.)
science.discovery.com...

For some details about this, lets see what Wiki has to note.

en.wikipedia.org...
Atlantropa was a gigantic engineering and colonization project devised by the German architect Herman Sörgel in the 1920s and propagated by him until his death in 1952. Its central feature was a hydroelectric dam to be built across the Strait of Gibraltar, and the lowering of the surface of the Mediterranean Sea by as much as 200 metres.

It goes on to explain concerns about Globalization, Population Growth and preparing Europa and Africa for the Coming Growth, and giving this region a vast source of Hydro Electric power inorder to compete against the Americans and the Pan Asain community.

Aside from this, there was not much more offered to expand on this.

So what else is there.

A Swiss Group has a fairly updated review on the matter

Issue 10 Spring 2003

Atlantropa
www.cabinetmagazine.org...

From 1927 until his death 25 years later, Sörgel worked on plans for a gigantic project that was initially named "Panropa" and later "Atlantropa." With the help of a 35 km-long dam in the Straits of Gibraltar, he wanted to cut off the water supply from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, letting the sea gradually dry up until its water level was reduced by some 200 meters. This was supposed to open up 600,000 square kilometers of new land and enable marvellous new capacities for power generation.

Here is a more current report of this premise of Sorgel's, and some comments regarding this sort of venture.

Gibraltar Strait Dam Macroprojects

Richard Brook Cathcart
GEOGRAPHOS
1300 West Olive Avenue Suite M
Burbank, California 91506-2225 USA

(818) 953-9113

www.daviddarling.info...

Abstract

Between World War I and II, the German architect-engineer Herman Sorgel (1885-1952) organized a pan-European effort to realize the Atlantropa Project, an effort intended to reduce by natural evaporation the Mediterranean Sea’s area by 30% with an artificial closure of the Strait of Gibraltar, exposing new land (former continental shelf). Until 1952, Sorgel sought to control North Atlantic Ocean seawater inflow to generate 50,000 Mwe of hydroelectricity for Europe and North Africa. By 1997, R. G. Johnson postulated erection of a permeable partial dam at Gibraltar Strait to control the outflow of seawater from the Mediterranean Sea without generating any electricity. His purpose was to prevent a New Ice Age. The most important geoscience facts, assumptions and climatological prognostications related to both of these environmentally complex 20th Century Macro-engineering projects are briefly examined, with Sorgel’s pre-Space Age techno-visionary viewpoint emphasized.

And it goes on with some very interesting examinations of such a project but with a compelling concern of who to reduce the effects of Ocean Level increases.

I found a couple of facts stated which were a bit of a surprise, but upon reflection, does make sense.

• About 33% of the world’s humans live within 100 km of a shoreline and 100 vertical meters of present-day sea level (Small and Nicholls, 2003).
  
  
• Worldwide, approximately 10 million persons today live below contemporary sea level

I never did really consider that previously.

And the text goes on discussing this "Project" of Dams and effects and such.

The premise sets up a Seires of Dams to produce Hydro, as shown in the following.
The Normal Scale
www.xaqt.net..." target='_blank' class='tabOff'/> A Closer Look.



With this noted, and offered, I am curious whether this WAS, IS, or COULD BE a viable option to

• Increase The Power Supplies of Afrika, Europa and the Middle East
  
  
• Redistribute currently used Agricultural Lands for further habitiation, and afford the region with New Agricultural Lands within the Med Basin.
  
  
• And if the Afrikan Concepts included, could be a benefit to their region in order to support life, and the lands currently under water pressures, with an Oasis Effect, and returning some of the areas that have become Arid Wastes with useable lands again for both Wildlife and Man.
  

I trust this is of interest, and look forward to discussing this further with all you creative minds in this "Area".

Ciao

Shane

Very cool idea, I'd like to see it built.

A I'm no engineer, I've no idea what kind of structual and
engineering challenges would be faced, I could guess though.

I'm curious how economic this would be to build, that is how much
would it cost to build, and how much of what material would be
needed, if the links say so, well I have'nt looked at them,
as I'm in something of a hurry.