Dam the Sea

The Mediterranean is saltier than the Atlantic, so the net effect would be to make freshwater extraction marginally more difficult. It remains attractive to use rivers that flow into the Med instead, wherein salinity is much lower.

To create a dam would make shipping in the Straits of Gibraltar more difficult.

Further, there are national security difficulties with a scheme to create a solid surface between Africa and Gibraltar that would make the scheme politically unattractive.

So, although anything is possible, it is unlikely to happen at this time.

"...could any benefit be gained by doing so..."

Yes, the agencies selling the permits would stand to make a fortune.

And don't forget EIA amounts about 10% of the total project cost, thats alot of fortune.

You would make a lot of navies and shipping companies very angry.

How you going to get this by the fishing industry. Some of the Atlantic Tuna species spawn in the Mediterranean Sea. Most likely there are other fish that do too, that migrate back out into the Atlantic.

So what in theory you propose to do is provide a means to provide less expensive fresh drinking water. To the detriment of a good source of food protein.

No matter that the Med will get saltier. The fact that you over look the the environment impact. What that impact would do to the fishing industry in that area of the world. And how that would impact food to the worlds population.

Now you do need fresh water to survive but you also have to eat. And how many communities around the Med depend on fishing and that source of protein.

You a politician? Sound like one there half baked schemes

And while doing crazy things, you can also close down the Suez Canal.

It serves a purpose like in the Americas the Panama canal does. Have you counted the ships passing, both through the Suez Canal AND Gibraltar per day?

You or ET would have to contend with those baboons and those suckers can bite the shazizzle out of you.

Tongue in cheek!

If the dam were high enough and the Suez was closed, you could pump huge amounts of seawater into it as an exact compensation for the global warming ocean rise that everyone is so scared of.

This would isolate the impact to a small portion of the world rather than everyone having to speculate on their waterfront views for the next century.

There are some highly populated areas in low lying areas around the world that would really appreciate this.

Heck, if it filled enough, the dead sea would no longer be dead.

I'm now imagining some poor individual (Arture Denture) who didn't see the development application sitting on the beach, protesting against the construction crews as the waters rise saying things like "A man's home is his castle." and so on.

Does he get whisked away to the safety of intergalactic hitchhiking? Stay tuned!

Normality returns!!

It would be become a huge septic tank. Hang on, it already is....

New opinion:

The Atlantic ocean would be cleaner.

It is not such a stupid idea to look to the street of Gibraltar and think: can't we do something with this?

Yes we could: there is a net loss of water in the Mediterranian Sea compared to the Atlantic Ocean.

This results in a level difference of the two water masses.

As a result of this a nearly constant stream of water goes through the street from west to east. Making this one of the most dangerous portions of the sea worldwide.

As a result there is nearly no tide in the Mediterranian Sea.

Turbines in the street of Gibraltar could harvest a nice amount of energy, that could supply Morocco and Spain with a good portion of the required electricity.

The problem is widely politically and environmental: this is the natural border between Africa and Europe. Thousands of people are standing on one side hoping to capture a ride over the waves to the other side. Thousands have died in trying. (the route over Lampedusa is safer)

Cheap/Greener energy is ready for harvesting but requires political mind changes at very deep levels of the structures

In today's politically correct world the focus is on destroying all dams regardless of use or benefit to humanity so I am thinking; "No."

After all ask any California citizen today why they are suffering a severe water shortage and I would bet most will blame Global Warming rather than admit that destruction of most of their reservoir dams is actually the "root-cause" culprit.

I cannot begin to imagine the discussion and political jockeying building a dam in any ocean or sea would set off.

The level of engineering required would be astounding but the amount of work and the cost involved in executing the project would be beyond most human's ability to conceive.

I'll go ahead and say it: A very dumb idea on many levels.