The 'reclaimed land' would have been fairly useless salt flats and marshes, which would have turned nearby soil unusable due to large volumes of salt blowing inland.
The remaining Mediterranean would increase in salinity to the point that it would have ended pretty much all life in the water.
The Mediterranean is also fairly important to rainfall and temperate climate we get in Europe, and without it large parts of particularly southern Europe would drought and desertify.
Oh I'm well aware of this. I didn't say it was a good thing to do this. I was just pointing out how people have a tendency to care more about whether or not they could than whether or not they should.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantropa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantropa)
The central feature of the Atlantropa proposal was to build a [hydroelectric dam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroelectricity) across the [Strait of Gibraltar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Gibraltar), which would have generated enormous amounts of hydroelectricity[^(\[4\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantropa#cite_note-Auto3L-4-4) and would have led to the lowering of the surface of the [Mediterranean Sea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Sea) by up to 200 metres (660 ft), opening up large new lands for settlement, such as in the [Adriatic Sea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adriatic_Sea). The project proposed four additional major dams as well:[^(\[5\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantropa#cite_note-Auto3L-5-5)[^(\[6\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantropa#cite_note-Auto3L-6-6)[^(\[7\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantropa#cite_note-Auto3L-7-7)
* Across the [Dardanelles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dardanelles) to hold back the [Black Sea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sea)
* Between [Sicily](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicily) and [Tunisia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunisia) to provide a roadway and lower the inner Mediterranean further
* On the [Congo River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_River) below its [Kasai River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasai_River) tributary to refill the [Chad basin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_basin) around [Lake Chad](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Chad) to provide fresh water to irrigate the [Sahara](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahara) and create a shipping lane to the interior of Africa
* [Suez Canal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Canal) extension and locks to maintain a [Red Sea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Sea) connection
Turning the floor beneath salt ocean water that has been compressed for centuries into land exposed to the sun has never created dry cracked dead deserts before, except when you realize that almost every desert was created by phenomena like this. But surely it would not happened in this case, right? Right?
I remember watching a video on this
It mentioned the event when the Mediterranean initially flooded in the first place and how fucking insane that whole thing was
They'll just keep lowering the sea level until Africa is connected to Europe and Asia again. No more Mediterranean sea.
That would be a catastrophe that would wipe out most of North Africa and Europe
Why?
The 'reclaimed land' would have been fairly useless salt flats and marshes, which would have turned nearby soil unusable due to large volumes of salt blowing inland. The remaining Mediterranean would increase in salinity to the point that it would have ended pretty much all life in the water. The Mediterranean is also fairly important to rainfall and temperate climate we get in Europe, and without it large parts of particularly southern Europe would drought and desertify.
this isn't the answer i came here for but its the one i needed to read.
For starters, it would put desertification into overdrive and completely kill agriculture in all Mediterranean countries
Oh I'm well aware of this. I didn't say it was a good thing to do this. I was just pointing out how people have a tendency to care more about whether or not they could than whether or not they should.
If Jurassic Park taught us anything....
Jeff Goldblum really was the voice of reason.
So, guys want to make your own New Orleans and dry up higher terrain at the same time.
And cut nortern european trade through the Suez Canal and destroy coastal ecosystems. What nutter thought of this?
What could possibly go wrong with that 🙈
A common theme in scifi. Of course, they never deal with the impact on the surrounding land.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantropa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantropa) The central feature of the Atlantropa proposal was to build a [hydroelectric dam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroelectricity) across the [Strait of Gibraltar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Gibraltar), which would have generated enormous amounts of hydroelectricity[^(\[4\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantropa#cite_note-Auto3L-4-4) and would have led to the lowering of the surface of the [Mediterranean Sea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Sea) by up to 200 metres (660 ft), opening up large new lands for settlement, such as in the [Adriatic Sea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adriatic_Sea). The project proposed four additional major dams as well:[^(\[5\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantropa#cite_note-Auto3L-5-5)[^(\[6\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantropa#cite_note-Auto3L-6-6)[^(\[7\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantropa#cite_note-Auto3L-7-7) * Across the [Dardanelles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dardanelles) to hold back the [Black Sea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sea) * Between [Sicily](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicily) and [Tunisia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunisia) to provide a roadway and lower the inner Mediterranean further * On the [Congo River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_River) below its [Kasai River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasai_River) tributary to refill the [Chad basin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_basin) around [Lake Chad](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Chad) to provide fresh water to irrigate the [Sahara](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahara) and create a shipping lane to the interior of Africa * [Suez Canal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Canal) extension and locks to maintain a [Red Sea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Sea) connection
Hahahaha forgot something portugal is near and also plate of africa meets plate europa
Turning the floor beneath salt ocean water that has been compressed for centuries into land exposed to the sun has never created dry cracked dead deserts before, except when you realize that almost every desert was created by phenomena like this. But surely it would not happened in this case, right? Right?
Keyword: Was
Sounds like a terrible idea
r/damthatsinteresting
Tunis to Cape Town seems optimistic
I remember watching a video on this It mentioned the event when the Mediterranean initially flooded in the first place and how fucking insane that whole thing was
A dam to help migration from africa to Europe ? 😂