What's the difference in sea levels either side of the panama canal?

Question

What's the difference in sea levels either side of the panama canal?

Answer 1

The difference is 20cm or 7.84 inches higher on the Pacific side, as reported by the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory.

Answer 2

Not commonly known is the fact that the two oceans have different sea levels, and different levels of high tide. At the entrance to the Panama Canal, the Pacific Ocean can rise as much as 20 feet, but 45 miles away, the difference between high tide and low in the Atlantic is just three feet

Answer 3

The water level is not higher or lower on either side of the canal.. water does not stack up.. it equalizes it'self.. it seeks it's own level.. the level is the same, regadless of whic water you are in..

Answer 4

Ignoring the tides differences, the mean level for both seas is the same.

The canal works because it has raised all the inland water to make a huge "lake".  The supply of water comes from the rain forest.  

Rather than cut out "canals" (which they started at the beginning of the century but they were defeated by malaria etc.) which was a huge earth moving exercise, they realised that  damming and raising the natural water level they could create an "easier" way across the peninsular.  

So the locks are also in effect dams!

Answer 5

If you take the mean tide levels at either end of the Canal, the difference is two feet.

Answer 6

Just tried to look this up as its an interesting question...it said the tides in the Pacific can be over 20' higher than those in the Atlantic...The locks are used to carry the canal over high ground which can be over 80' above sea level....but I suspect it is the rise of the tides that determine the sea levels on either side.

Answer 7

On average 15 metres.  It varies with the tide.  This is caused by the rotation of the Earth and the fact that the Americas are in the way of the prevailing currents.  If the whole canal was at sea level with no locks, there would be a huge current through the canal as the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans tried to level out.