serendipity
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This news must really piss off the usual suspects like McMoonshi'ite.
The Panama Canal is going through a favorable period thanks to a combination of sporadic rainfall during the first three months of the year and efficient management of the water resources collected in the reservoirs. According to Ayax Murillo Burgos, Hydrology Manager of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), Gatun Lake is at 86.50 feet, compared to the 80.35 feet recorded for this same date in 2024. This increase of more than six feet represents a volume of water equivalent to the Alajuela reservoir in its entirety, and translates into an additional reserve key to maintaining the continuity of service. The Panama Canal is the only waterway in the world that operates with fresh water for navigation, making its conservation and management strategy even more relevant. The use of recycling tanks in the Neopanamax locks saves 60% of the water per lock passage.
Precipitation records indicate that the first three months of 2025 have been wet, meaning rainy, making it the third wettest year compared to 2011 and 2018, the years with the highest rainfall after the Immaculate Conception, recorded in December 2010. However, rainfall distribution has been uneven: for example, January 2025 exceeded rainfall in the basin, February exceeded the historical average, and March was roughly average. “So, what’s the answer? The answer is the efficiency, skill, and preparation of the Panama Canal, because what the Panama Canal is also observing, along with other global variables, is the warming of the Gulf of Panama,” Murillo said. Despite these positive water levels, the Panama Canal continues to manage the resource cautiously due to climate uncertainty. Current conditions indicate the presence of a weak El Niño or a neutral system, but international meteorological models suggest the possibility of an El Niño event toward the end of the year, which could bring droughts to the region. Gatun Lake has reached historic highs with ample rainfall and good water management. Gatun Lake Reservoir is the Canal’s largest reservoir, and its level drops during the dry season due to insufficient rainfall.
Read more:
newsroompanama.com
The Panama Canal is going through a favorable period thanks to a combination of sporadic rainfall during the first three months of the year and efficient management of the water resources collected in the reservoirs. According to Ayax Murillo Burgos, Hydrology Manager of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), Gatun Lake is at 86.50 feet, compared to the 80.35 feet recorded for this same date in 2024. This increase of more than six feet represents a volume of water equivalent to the Alajuela reservoir in its entirety, and translates into an additional reserve key to maintaining the continuity of service. The Panama Canal is the only waterway in the world that operates with fresh water for navigation, making its conservation and management strategy even more relevant. The use of recycling tanks in the Neopanamax locks saves 60% of the water per lock passage.
Precipitation records indicate that the first three months of 2025 have been wet, meaning rainy, making it the third wettest year compared to 2011 and 2018, the years with the highest rainfall after the Immaculate Conception, recorded in December 2010. However, rainfall distribution has been uneven: for example, January 2025 exceeded rainfall in the basin, February exceeded the historical average, and March was roughly average. “So, what’s the answer? The answer is the efficiency, skill, and preparation of the Panama Canal, because what the Panama Canal is also observing, along with other global variables, is the warming of the Gulf of Panama,” Murillo said. Despite these positive water levels, the Panama Canal continues to manage the resource cautiously due to climate uncertainty. Current conditions indicate the presence of a weak El Niño or a neutral system, but international meteorological models suggest the possibility of an El Niño event toward the end of the year, which could bring droughts to the region. Gatun Lake has reached historic highs with ample rainfall and good water management. Gatun Lake Reservoir is the Canal’s largest reservoir, and its level drops during the dry season due to insufficient rainfall.
Read more:
Gatun Lake Reaches Historic Highs Archives - Newsroom Panama
newsroompanama.com
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