cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/39835523

The surface of the Dead Sea is hundreds of meters below sea level so it seems like pumping would only be needed to prime a siphon and then it could keep flowing. What am I missing?

  • zxqwas@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    If any point is 10m above input surface you can’t siphon or suck water through. You have to push it.

    • NoSpotOfGround@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Yes, and the highest point in this route was 230m above sea level, requiring 22.8x the uphill ‘push’ that atmosphere could provide.

      But even if the highest point was below 10m and friction was not an issue, you would need hundreds of kilometers of perfectly airtight ‘vacuumed’ pipes. If air leaks into the pipes somewhere along their length, the flow stops.