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Arctic Meltwater Pipeline

 A pipeline to siphon arctic meltwater to where it's needed
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Global warming may lead to severe drought in highly populated parts of the African continent. On the other hand, it may also unlock one of the largest reservoirs of fresh water on the planet - the Greenland ice cap. I propose building a pipeline along the ocean floor to transport meltwater from the Greenlandic glaciers directly to Africa and the Middle East. No pumps would be needed - the centrifugal force resulting from the Earth's rotation would siphon the water towards the equator, probably.
—7ennyn, Apr 27 2006

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       There's a school of thought that suggests Global warming may trigger an Ice Age. (freshwater messing up the gulf stream).
—Zimmy, Apr 27 2006
   

       bold and wildly infeasible. Bun.
—sninctown, Apr 27 2006
   

       Bad science (the centrifugal force bit), but otherwise, what [sninctown] said.
—Freefall, Apr 27 2006
   

       Sorry, I don't thnik centrifugal force alone will make hundreds of gallons of water travel 1/4 of the world. And where would it be built? Above sea level, needing super-strong supports? At sea level, creating a near-impassable barrier for ships? Or below sea level, with room for plenty of mistakes during building?
—croissantz, Apr 28 2006
   

       On the other hand, piling a quarter mile-deep layer of insulating sand over Greenland may lock in all that cold. Bring it on.
—reensure, Apr 28 2006
   

       The pipeline along the ocean floor wouldn't have to be much, just a hose. Granted, a big one, but the pressure inside and out would be similar. The freshwater would be less dense than seawater, so it might be possible to make the hose float above the seafloor with only a few anchors.   

       The centrifugal force probably wouldn't do diddly as far as moving the water goes. A pressure head from the height of the icecap would do a lot more. You still might need to install some peristaltic pumps on the hose.
—baconbrain, Apr 28 2006
   

       Let's first prove that global warming exists. Up until now it are still assumptions. And each plan that has as a starting point this global heating stuff equals for example a plan to build a net above my house in case a airplane drops down....   

       Besides that, the earth has been around far longer than humans, and will be around long beyond the existence of humans.
—EmileB, Apr 30 2006
   

       EmileB - time to wake up and smell the pollution! Global warming has been comprehensively proven to exist, and further more, also has been proven to be a direct consequence of human activities. Of any country, the USA produces the highest proportion on the planet of the greenhouse gasses that cause it.   

       Want to know how it works? Start up a car engine inside your house and see how many potted plants it takes to absorb the fumes. Don't like the smell or heat? - just pump it into next door's living area, whether they object or not. Neighbours causing a fuss? - just deny that there is a problem or better still invade them, and put more engines in each of their rooms.
—xenzag, Apr 30 2006
   

       Any fact or any idea that causes people to invest in more houseplants is a good one.
—reensure, Apr 30 2006
   


 

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