Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Contact    |    RSS icon Twitter icon Facebook icon  
Unexplained Mysteries
You are viewing: Home > News > Science & Technology > News story
Welcome Guest ( Login or Register )  
All ▾
Search Submit

Science & Technology

Scientist proposes damming entire North Sea

By T.K. Randall
February 13, 2020 · Comment icon 24 comments

Is it really possible to dam the North Sea ? Image Credit: USACE
A Dutch oceanographer has suggested building two gigantic dams as a solution to rising sea levels.
The ridiculously ambitious concept, which would essentially involve enclosing the entire North Sea, has been put forward by government scientist Sjoerd Groeskamp as a 'technically feasible' answer to the increased risk of flooding for millions of Europeans living in low-lying coastal regions.

The plan would involve building two dams - one between Scotland and Norway measuring 475km across and another between the coasts of France and Southern England spanning 160km.

Known as the North Sea Enclosure Dyke, the project would cost up to 500 billion Euros.

In a recently published paper, researchers noted that such a structure could be built in principal because the North Sea's depth in these regions rarely exceeds 127 meters.
"We are currently able to build fixed platforms in depths exceeding 500 metres, so such a dam seems feasible," said Groeskamp.

Whether such a mammoth project will ever actually become a reality however remains to be seen.

"I guess it depends on what timescale we're thinking of," said Prof Hannah Cloke from the University of Reading. "If you look back hundreds and hundreds of years, then we've made some significant adaptations to our landscape, and the Netherlands is an example of that."

"We can, as humans, do amazing things."

Source: The Guardian | Comments (24)




Other news and articles
Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #15 Posted by Doug1029 4 years ago
That actually occurred a few million years ago.  It was called the Messinian Salinity Crisis.  Judging from salt, gypsum and other dessicants, the bottom of the Mediterranean Basin must have resembled hell.  That would not have brought much in the way of real estate profits, especially since you'd have to bring in potable water by pipeline.  There is also a fault line running through the Straits of Gibraltar that could bring the whole thing to a very sudden end. Doug
Comment icon #16 Posted by Doug1029 4 years ago
It's the barely adequate who survive.  If one is just barely good enough, he lives. Who cares?  There are a lot of Oklahoma farmers and ranchers who see eastern red-cedar competing with grass their cows need to eat and drinking up water they need for their crops.  They care.  They're going to lose the war on eastern red-cedar, but they care. There are homeowners already leaving Staten Island and the Ninth Ward,  They care.  They can't afford to continue the battle against the sea, but they still care about their homes, their families. You'll care.  Every time you pay $10 more for a ste... [More]
Comment icon #17 Posted by Doug1029 4 years ago
?????
Comment icon #18 Posted by pbarosso 4 years ago
for one, i dont eat expensive. its a waste anyway. taco bell is m idea of a good time. climate change is just a good excuse to take our money and you know it.  about the cedar, if you rely on excuses then sure the cedar will win. but humans can eradicate them if they want to. cheaply too. there are just far too many people on this earth with too many politicians farming them for their tax money. in the old days snake ointment salesmen stole our money, now its the snake oil politicians and climate alarmists. i dont doubt the climate is changing. it changed in the roman days too...it does that.... [More]
Comment icon #19 Posted by Doug1029 4 years ago
Taco Bell uses beef in its tacos.  The price gradually goes up.  You'll care.  Increasing rainfall in the midwest floods out cornfields.  You'll care. One can start a battle against any given stand of cedar and destroy it.  But that doesn't get rid of seed stocks already present in the soil.  It doesn't get rid of the cedar on your neighbor's property and those are more than adequate to restock your land.  Controlling cedar in a greenhouse world is a never-ending battle.  If you quit fighting, you lose the war. The climate is now about 1.7C warmer than it was in 1828.  In Oklahoma it ... [More]
Comment icon #20 Posted by pbarosso 4 years ago
the climate is changing and WE CAN DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO PREVENT IT. there is more ice core evidence that we are heading into an ice age than anything else in the world, you can actually google the data: glacial maximums always follow a precipitous spike in temperatures. the last ice age happened when the continents were in the same location they are in now, so no weird ocean currents contributed to the glacial maximum events. but in any event the real thing is WE JUST DONT KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN worrying about it is a waste of time.   actually i have read up about it, you surmise too much.... [More]
Comment icon #21 Posted by Doug1029 4 years ago
Wrong.  We can start by reducing CO2 pollution of the atmosphere.  Follow that up with removing CO2 from the atmosphere.  In the US, coal prices are in free fall.  Utilities are switching to wind, solar and gas.  That will phase out coal, except for smelting and some specialty uses.  Imagine that - the US phases out coal while Trump is still president. Glacial cycles are the result of the Milankovitch Cycles.  BUT:  we can stop them.  We are warming the planet without even trying.  There will never be another ice age as long as humans are in charge of the climate. It's getting late.... [More]
Comment icon #22 Posted by Doug1029 4 years ago
I expect we will adapt - in the short run.  In the long run we may not survive. Whether or not you are a bad person is beside the point.  Most measures needed to combat climate change need to be taken at the societal level.  One person converting to renewable energy makes almost no difference.  But 300 million people converting to green energy can make a dent in pollution. No matter what political persuasion you have, it is not likely that you will enjoy anarchy.  That would represent the ultimate in freedom.  You have to provide all your own electrical, water, roads, sewer and food serv... [More]
Comment icon #23 Posted by fred_mc 4 years ago
Fascinating idea to bring Doggerland to the surface again but not realistic unfortunately, way too expensive.
Comment icon #24 Posted by Aardvark-DK 4 years ago
Those scientists should stop smoking weed....


Please Login or Register to post a comment.


Our new book is out now!
Book cover

The Unexplained Mysteries
Book of Weird News

 AVAILABLE NOW 

Take a walk on the weird side with this compilation of some of the weirdest stories ever to grace the pages of a newspaper.

Click here to learn more

We need your help!
Patreon logo

Support us on Patreon

 BONUS CONTENT 

For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, you can gain access to a wide range of exclusive perks including our popular 'Lost Ghost Stories' series.

Click here to learn more

Recent news and articles