Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-09-15
THE INLAND LAKE OF SAHARA,
What the Results of Converting the
Desert WOuId he Ultimately


What the Results of Converting the
Desert Would be Ultimately.
P. II. Wander Weyde, of New York,
read an interesting paper before Section
E of the Science Congress at Philadel-
phia Thursday, of which the following is
an abstract:
calculations have been brought for
ward tending to show that the filling up of
such portions of the Desert of Sahara as
are below the ocean level with sea water
will cause injurious results by inducing a
perceptible lowering of the ocean level,
and great disturbance of the terrestrial
centre OF gravity by Withdrawing so
much water from the general surface and
leading it into a depression now existing.
But careful consideration of the correct
figures show that such objections are
based upon an OYer-estimBte of the
amount of water to be displaced, the re-
suit of which, great as it is, could only be
perceived by the most delicate appliances
of the present day, and would have no
effect of any practical Importance.
"There is, however, another considera-
tion which thus far appears to have been
overlooked. 1t is based on the fact that
the sadness of the ocean and of some
lakes is a result of the drainage of the
wash all soluble material which the rivers
carry into them, and where it has to re-
main. because evaporation can only re-
move the water. All inland lakes with
out outlet to the ocean are therefore salt,
and the degree of this sadness is in GER
tain respects a measure of the amount of
soluble material in the watershed which
is drained into them. So the Salt Lake of
Utah, which is a saturated solution, shows
.
is the same with the Dead Sea, while the
Caspian Sea, in which the proportion of
salt is much smaller than it is in the
ocean, shows that the amount of salt in
the basin of the VOlga is less than it is in
the rest of the earth's solid surface.
THE SALT LAKE.
"The Salt Lake of Utah, as is well
known, is the remnant of a large lake,
which once, at much higher level, COW
cred very extensive territory, and, not
withstanding the soluble material of its
watershed, has been mostly washed out,
and that at present it receives only sup
plies of comparatively pure water. The
capitalization of salt around it's shore is
prOfuse, while the lake is still contract
ing, of course, temporarily only, until the
evaporation has become equal to the sup
ply.
with such facts before us we can
easily fOresee what the ultimate, unavoid-
able results will be, when the lower basins
of the Desert of Sahara have been filled
with. ocean water by the contemplated
channel to the Mediterranean. The evap-
Grafton being excessively rapid in this
arid and rainless region, it will 90 on at
an enormous rate as soon as the depres-
sion is filled to almost the ocean level,
which, however, it will never reach for
reason of the evaporation; this will cause
the ocean water to flow continually
through the channel to replace the water
removed. The result will be a lake OF
which the sadness will continually in
crease, and in few decades reach point
of saturatiOn when disqualification along
its shores will begin forming belt of salt
around it's whole extent.
THE LAKES DISAPPEARANCE.
''This belt will rapidly increase in
width, so that in a few centuries the
original lake will have contracted to its
deepest portions, while at last it will dis
appear, leaving in place an immense de-
post of salt. 1t is not unlikely that the
great salt deposits from which at present
rock salt is mined had similar origin
from natural sources. In fact, the ex-
pertinent to transform the Sahara Desert
into lake will be the construction of an
enormous salt-pan, which may lead to a
perceptible reduction or the salt contained
in the ocean.
at has been argued that this evapora-
tion would change the climate of the sur
rOundings, and bring rain into thus far
rainless localities. This is undoubtedly
so, but the amount of rain thus obtained
would never equal the evaporation, and,
being insufficient, it would only retard,
but not prevent the ultimate result de-
scribed, of a lake in the tOrrid zone, chief
ly supplied with sea-water.
"Whether the change of the sandy desert
of Sahara into salt desert is desirable is
a question which L leave to others to solve.
For my part, do not think that posterlty
would bless us for such a legacy"