JFET_V5_N1_RP9
Restoring The Global Equatorial Ocean Current Using Nuclear Excavation
Magdi Ragheb
Journal on Future Engineering and Technology
2230 – 7184
5
1
73
81
Global Warming, Climatic Change, Geo-Engineering, Carbon Management, Global Equatorial Current, Isthmus of Panama, Nuclear Civil Engineering, Excavation
As an answer to a possible future situation of unchecked global climatic change involving global warming, we discuss a mitigating geoengineering project that would lead to a more stable climate for the Earth; achieved by restoring the previous stable condition in the Earth's climate where the ancient equatorial ocean current circulated freely across the Central American Land Bridge. Such a large scale civil engineering project would involve the conventional and nuclear excavation of a sea-level canal through several possible routes. We present the historical perspective of the Panama Canal and discuss the costs involved, previous studies of a sea-level canal across the Isthmus of Panama and its foreseen environmental consequences. Other proposed approaches of carbon management and sequestration such as iron and iron sulfate seeding of the oceans and Earth shading are compared to the excavation approach; which appears to offer lower cost, scalable technology and is free of possible ecological unintended consequences.
August - October 2009
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