Do you think a small inland sea could help places like australia or africa?

I have thought about the benefits of an inland sea area that could be artificially constructed in desert areas.


A sea that had no sharks or very large predators could be a thriving dinnerplate to the surrounding locals and a breeding ground for caviarre and pearls.


It would have the advantage of whatever trees you can get to grow in its locality. By continually having a flow in and out- there could be electricity produced and as it would be free- hence the overheads on any de-salination plant - would be greatly reduced.


Australia has a problem with its native peoples that could be controlled or maybe even eliminated by offering the work to these people and as much guidance as necessary.


If they were offered the first residency and control of fishing and oyster farms etc - it could be a step in helping these people move toward the future instead of early graves-I believe they have a life expectancy of around 60yrs and less due to oppression and depression.


Can anyone help?

Do you think a small inland sea could help places like australia or africa?
Check out the Salton Sea in California.


The Salton Sea as it exists today is the aftermath of a man-made environmental disaster that occurred between 1905 and 1907, when improper management of irrigation routes from the Colorado River caused the river to flow unchecked into the Salton Sink for some two years.





But forget that the salton sea is a great place and there's talk about bringing in ocean water and making it navigable by oceangoing ships. This would inprove the economy of the area. It is one of the premire bird habitats in the world. If the same conditions were available in Africa or Austrailia I'm sure a similar project could be undertaken. The salton sea did not cost anything but allowing the water to flood the area for two years.





I also bring your attention to the fact that salt is a necessary staple in the sahara and may provide part of a sustainable economy.


If you read about Ghandi and the British salt tax in india you would understand how important salt is to a person living on $.50 per day in Chad.
Reply:Time will tell.


Africa is split along one side by the East African Rift. It happened with Madagascar 50 million years ago when it slowly split off the continent, and the eastern part of Africa is currently slowly splitting away from the remainder of the continent. Currently, water is percolating into that region through fissures. Madagascar has a wetter climate, maybe that eastern portion will also get a wetter climate.


One practical problem that is faced, though, is movement of water through that region is limited. The evaporation of water is fast, but water can't escape any other way, so the water gets so salty it precipitates different salts, such as sodium carbonate. Those deposits are a source of income for local peoples as they collect them and sell them to processing plants that purify them and sell them as industrial supply chemicals.


By doing a rather limited amount of canal-digging, those low-lying regions made by the East African Rift could be flooded pretty quickly. Your question is really pretty realistic for Africa. But......I'm afraid that we'd pretty much end up with a landlocked lake where water flows in, evaporates, and doesn't have sufficient outflow. We'd end up with a really huge soda lake, not a developing ecosystem.


Nice question, and doable, actually, but I'm afraid you'd be very disappointed with the results until a few million years could go by to open up that rift far enough that water can actually flow through enough to keep the salinity similar to the ambient ocean salinity of 4%.
Reply:This is the perfect example of a pipe dream. The costs involved of building any such project would far outweigh any benefits. How would the water flow in and out? How would you keep the water in the "sea" and stop it eroding the land? How do you know any marine life would flourish in artificial surroundings? How would you deal with contamination? - Yes -it's a crazy idea. Wonder how long before a government invests in it!!!
Reply:Did you say "...offering the work to these people..."?





Suggest you come and visit,nay live here, and see if you can say that hand on heart :-)
Reply:Collecting the points while offering kudos for some of the thoughtful analysis above. Undoubtedly a pipe dream, but a noble one and it triggered an interesting discussion of the benefits of an inland sea.
Reply:It would need to be a large sea or several smaller 'lakes'.


I doubt you could keep predators out as 'crocks' and the like are mobile and nature has a way of introducing predators despite our pathetic interventions.





You would also face difficulties from both the native people who would once again see the way of life being subsumed for the 'greater good' as viewed by someone else's perspective despite their own Milena of history, plus the conservationists would point out you are destroying the natural habitat of a wide range of dessert species of animals and plants.





The best thing we can do in some cases is to recognise if we stop interfering in the balance of their 'world' they can get along fine without us
Reply:No doubt an inland sea in places like Australia would be beneficial, just as the Sea of Galilee has been for thousands of years. However the problem is,where are you going to get the water from in the middle of a desert?