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by thehappypm 2253 days ago
Sigh. Let's destroy a vast ecosystem and fundamentally change the atmosphere of a hugely important agricultural region. Let's not solve one problem by creating 10.
3 comments

What are these problems? I’ve asked (many) geologists and the best answer they come up with is salt seepage into the aquifer if it’s not done right, and a temporary increase of seismic activity due to relaxation from the added weight.

Look, the Three Gorges damn is much larger than this and much much more destructive. Entire cities disappeared.

But it also generates 22 GW of power.That’s an insane amount of coal that wasn’t burned.

So choose: burn coal. Burn U235. Flood valleys. Sashimi the birds. Carpet the desert with glass. Or massively decrease your standard of living.

For the record, I’m actually in favor of the last option.

Why do you think geologists are the right specialists for this question? I would imagine geological concerns would indeed be mild, but meteorological effects could be monstrous as the weather created by this new sea would massively impact local climates, which could have far-reaching downstream impact.
I agree with you, but at the same time, that is worth looking into because we are already changing the ecosystem fundamentally. We shouldn't just haphazardly try to geoengineer our planet, but geoengineering out planet is pretty much a necessity unless over half of us die and the rest turn into mostly pre-industrial methods of livings.
While the ecosystem is vast, being probably about a million square mi., the flooded region and surrounding area is small.

The mountains would trap the moisture locally. So even three, four mountains over the desert would be untouched.

As to Egypt, it would be restoring the Sahara to the lush green area much of it used to be before humans came in.