Let's drain the Ocean!

Story # 54, O. T.


      Let’s pump the Oceans dry!


      The World may have a serious problem.  The consensus of many scientists is not if the Ocean’s water level is rising ------ But by how many feet?


      I have just read ‘Deep Water, As Polar Ice Melts, Scientists Debate How High Our Oceans Will Rise.’ by Daniel Grossman.  He rationally presents the various theories of the melting of ice formations as a result of global warning.


      The increase in Carbon Dioxide is believed to be the cause of the Earth’s increase in average temperature.


      Here are my assumptions about this problem:


     1.  The Ocean’s water level is rising.



     2. It may rise 3 – 37 feet in the next 100 years (The exact rise is irrelevant.  The fact is that much beach front property and most of Florida will be under water.) 


     3. The most common cry for action is to reduce the emission of Carbon Dioxide by curtailing fuel combustion.


     4. Reducing CO2 is unlikely to happen and may not stop the ice from melting anyway. (Before man, in past history, the ice melted and the Oceans rose.)


     Here is my proposal for a way to slow the tide from rising:


     1.  Pump the Ocean dry.


     70% of the Earth is covered by water.  But only 3% is fresh water that can be used by man, animals and crops.  Salt water is everywhere and we know how to get the salt out. 

      There are always areas of the Earth that do not have enough fresh water.


      What we have here is a distribution problem.


     2.  De-salt the water by distillation.


     There is a known system of solar collection that uses water to create steam that is used to drive steam generators for electricity.


     3. Use salt water in these solar arrays.


     If Ocean salt water was used in these solar collection systems, the steam produced would be condensed and collected as pure water.  It’s how you made distilled water in Chemistry lab.


     4.  The salt water solar collector would produce two salable products ---- fresh water and electricity.


     5.  Who is willing to pay for water?


     The true cost of normally free water is the price you would pay if you don’t have any. 

      There are areas of the U. S. that need water.  The Colorado River is said to run dry before the flow ever gets to the Gulf of Mexico.  What if we pumped water to the origin of the Colorado River and just let it feed all of the water users to the South.


      In the past in the Atlanta area, there was a 5 year drought.  What if we pumped water to the town reservoirs that could not supply enough water?



     There are known aquifers that supply water to wells.  What if we pumped fresh water into the aquifers?


     6.  Pumping water is a very difficult problem.


     Yes, but it is just an engineering problem.  Americans are very good at engineering things.


     7.  Pumping water is a very expensive project.


     Yes, but selling the electricity and the water will cover some of the costs.


     8.  Who will pay to drain the Ocean?


     It will have to be a government works project.  Individual land owners who will see the gradual erosion of their beach front property, to include their houses, will be in a panic but really can’t do anything about it except take the loss.  Cities with Ocean views will have to protect their dry land.  Half of the World’s population lives within 100 miles of the Ocean. 

      That is a lot of people who will need the collective government’s help.


     9.  Will this work?


     I don’t know.  There are many parts of the solution that are simple engineering questions.  Will pumping Ocean water inland 24/7 have any affect on the water level?  There is an infinite amount of water out there.


     Actually, we are already doing it.  Parts of New Orleans and a quarter of the Netherlands are below sea level and we are pumping the water out to have dry land.  That is continually bailing out the leaking boat.  My plan is to send the water inland so it doesn’t keep coming back.


     10.  Sum it up.


     The tide is rising at an unknown rate.  The cause may be Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere.  The reduction of CO2 may or may not stop global warming which is melting mega-trillions of tons of ice.  The Ocean water level has risen before man was here. 

      So whatever the cause, we need to redistribute the de-salted water inland to where it is needed for normal human activities and farm crops.


      An existing solar collection system using water converted to steam for generating electricity could be adapted to de-salt Ocean water.


      The resulting pure water must be pumped inland.  A network of canals could be used when practical.


 Conclusion:


           Pumping the Ocean dry is a solution to the impending rising tide!