Why Does The Panama Canal Have Lock?

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal locks are a series of water “steps” which lift ships 85 feet above sea level, and then lower them back down to the ocean at the other end of the canal.

The Panama Canal is a kind of water “stairway” that crosses the isthmus of Panama and connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

A series of locks, or water-filled chambers, raise and lower ship enters a lock from the Atlantic side, huge gates close behind it and water is let in.  The ship is raised till it floats at the same level as the next-higher lock.  Then the gates are opened and the ship is pulled to the next locks, and so on.

The licks raise the ship a 28-foot step at a time up to 85 feet above sea level.  When the ship reaches the upper lock, it sails across a large lake, which supplies water for the locks.  Locks on the Pacific side lower the ship to sea level. 

Before this shortcut was built, ships had to sail around the tip of South America, a journey of thousands of miles.  A ship can pass through the 50-mile canal in just hours, instead of taking many days for the longer route.–Dick Rogers

What is the difference between a lake and a pond?

Lake

Generally, a pond is described as a small body of still water without an outlet.  Lakes are usually much larger and deeper and often are fed by rivers and streams.  Generally, lakes differ from ponds in size.

A lake is commonly descried as a large body of water with land all around it.

A pond is usually smaller than a lake.  It is a quiet pool of water so shallow that rooted plants often grow completely across it and the bottom is usually covered with mud.

The cool water in a lake is often too deep for plants to grow except around the shore.  What people know as a pond or a lake, however, may differ from one place to another.

Pond

In some places, for example, a pond may be called a marsh.  And some large bodies of water commonly known as seas are really lakes, such as the Caspian Sea and the Dead Sea.

The “bowl” that holds a lake or pond is called the basin.  The basins of ponds and lakes may get their water from rain or be filled with water that flows into them from rivers, streams, or sometimes even from underground springs.–Dick Rogers