What would happen if you took all the sand from the Sahara Desert and dumped it into the Mediterranean Sea?
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F myrmepropagandist shared this topic
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What would happen if you took all the sand from the Sahara Desert and dumped it into the Mediterranean Sea? Could you fill it up?
According to the wikipedia the Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and surface area, 2,500,000 km2 (970,000 sq mi)
So 3,750,000 cubic km
Now the average depth of the sand in the Sahara is much less easy to pinpoint. I have found 16ft but also 110ft. I don't think anyone knows.
But the Wikipedia has the surface area at 9,200,000 square kilometres (3,600,000 sq mi)
So 147,200 to 1,012,000 cubic km
I think the sea wins by virtue of depth.
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According to the wikipedia the Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and surface area, 2,500,000 km2 (970,000 sq mi)
So 3,750,000 cubic km
Now the average depth of the sand in the Sahara is much less easy to pinpoint. I have found 16ft but also 110ft. I don't think anyone knows.
But the Wikipedia has the surface area at 9,200,000 square kilometres (3,600,000 sq mi)
So 147,200 to 1,012,000 cubic km
I think the sea wins by virtue of depth.
@futurebird @Bubotomy an item to consider: Due to the low latitude of the Sahara, prevailing winds blow across it from east to west. These winds regularly pick up dust and even sand, and transport it across the Atlantic, where it falls on the Carribean islands and northern S. America. I would think this regular removal of material would tend to reduce the depth of sand in the sahara.
