By AlwaysUnite - CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
The Qattara Depression Project was originally proposed by the German geographer Albrect Penck in 1912. He proposed that channels be dug from the Mediterranean to allow for the generation hydroelectric power. There would another potential benefit to letting seawater flood the basin which is about 60 m below sea level: the lowering of sea level and altering the climate of the adjacent regions to receive more rainfall. Because of its location, the artificial lake would have to be constantly refilled via the channels and it the evaporation would cause it to become hypersaline, ultimately leaving behind a vast salt flat.
