Talk:Volga-Don Canal
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[edit] Length, Width, Depth?
It would be useful to know the maximum size vessels that can transit the canal. -- Geo Swan 06:01, 6 February 2006 (UTC)
Southern route:
max length: 140 m Max width: 16m max draft: 3.2m Max air draft: 13.5m Max weight: 4164 tonnes
Northern Route:
max length: 190 m Max width: 16m max draft: 2.75 m Max air draft: 2.4 m Max weight: 4168 tonnes
[edit] Elevation
This is one canal where the elevation could be of great interest, in light of global warming.
In general, most speculation on global warming asserts that if either Greenland's or West Antarctica's ice sheets melt, either one will raise mean sea level by 20 to 30 feet. Both would raise it accordingly.
The entire Volga basin is already at low relief and elevation. The area where this canal was dug seems, as far as I can tell, to be the relief between the Caspian Sea Depression and the world's oceans in general is lowest. In other words, if global mean sea level rises, this is the point where the global ocean would first breach to rise separating it from the largest exposed depression still below sea level. All the major cities along the Caspian Sea, plus a considerable amount of rural area in general, could be flooded.
The question is, then: what is the elevation along this watershed divide, and under what global warming scenarios could rising sea levels manage to flood the Caspian Depression?
I don't believe any other depression on earth has the same combination of low relief, large population, and wide area at possible risk.--Disgustedandamused 04:30, 10 July 2006 (UTC)
- Volgograd sits at 145 meters (475 feet) above sea level, so I don't think there is much danger. Kmusser 18:08, 18 September 2006 (UTC)
