Re: In memory of New Orleans


GSV Three Minds in a Can wrote:
> Bitstring <hg15h1tbbo84uek9csmodc1ebcfbac1eok@xxxxxxx>, from the
> wonderful person John F. Eldredge <john@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> said
> <snip>
> >Literally and figuratively. The whole Mississippi Delta region is
> >slowly subsiding, probably a side-effect of the many tons of sediment
> >the river has washed downstream over the centuries. This phenomenon
> >happens in a lot of estuaries and river deltas; if I remember
> >correctly, London is also slowly subsiding.
>
> It certainly used to be. Of course pumping megagallons of water out of
> the underlying strata didn't help any (London is a chalk basic, the
> edges of which show up at the north/south downs, which is where the
> water gets/got in). ISTR they've pretty much stopped it sinking now, but
> since sea (and thus Thames) level is still rising, it's probably doomed,
> in any long term scenario.

This happened to Long Beach, CA but because of oil pumping, not water.
The rather clever and SFnal solution (IMHO) was to pump vast quantities
of sea water to take up the volume left by the oil. It even made the
oil easier to pump. Here's a fun photo illustrating the problem:

http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ozsvath/images/long_beach_subsidence.htm

Unfortunately for London (apparently) that solution won't work.

But hey, why does London need to pump water out of the ground? Doesn't
it rain about 360 days a year there? Can't people just be asked to walk
to work with their mouth open and facing up?

>
> --
> GSV Three Minds in a Can
> Contact recommends the use of Firefox; SC recommends it at gunpoint.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Petzl Headtorches
    ... Is this about two foot of water? ... Ask any diver. ... GSV Three Minds in a Can ...
    (uk.rec.walking)
  • Re: Petzl Headtorches
    ... Is this about two foot of water? ... GSV Three Minds in a Can ...
    (uk.rec.walking)
  • Re: What was Noam Chomskys contribution to *LINGUISTICS*?
    ... >> is, London - can be rebuilt elsewhere and be the same city, ... What is in cup, is water, not tea, even ... tails of Earthly comets. ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Austr.hunter-gatherers
    ... Journals of Expeditions into Central Australia. ... in the water diving together ... ... river, without net or implement of any kind, and bring up good-sized fish, ... London: T&W Boone. ...
    (sci.anthropology.paleo)
  • Re: The water shortage
    ... Of course London itself already has a grid. ... but I remember discussions about a national water grid. ... Ron Button wrote: ...
    (uk.sci.weather)