earth science

Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links

Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links rather than just read about it. In short: A fixed link or fixed crossing is a permanent, unbroken road or rail connection across water that uses some combination of bridges, tunnels, and causeways and does not involve intermittent connections such as drawbridges or ferries. A bridge–tunnel combination is commonly used for major fixed links.

Key takeaways

Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A fixed link or fixed crossing is a permanent, unbroken road or rail connection across water that uses some combination of bridges, tunnels, and causeways and does not involve intermittent connections such as drawbridges or ferries. A bridge–tunnel combination is commonly used for major fixed links. This is a list of proposed and actual transport links between continents and to offshore islands. See also list of bridge–tunnels for another list of fixed links including links across rivers, bays and lakes.

History

Cosmopolitan Railway In 1890 William Gilpin first proposed to connect all the continents by land via the Cosmopolitan Railway. Significant elements of that proposal, such as the English Channel Tunnel, have been constructed since that era. However, the improvement of the global shipping industry and advent of international air travel has reduced the demand for many intercontinental land connections.

Existing or under construction

Proposed

Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea Iran and Qatar (who will take most part of the project's financing) have plans for an underwater tunnel connecting the two countries, being planned to be the longest tunnel in the world (having 190 km). It would link the Iranian port of Bandar-e Deyr to an unspecified location in Qatar across the Persian Gulf in both road and railway sections; however, a road tunnel is not considered very feasible due to the long distance. It had the support of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organisation managing director, Ali Akbar Safaei, and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who expect the creation of a joint Qatar-Iran committee with the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Also, it will create a straight and direct route between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Iran proposed to build an overpass bridge over the strait of Hormuz that will link Iran economically to GCC countries and Yemen through 39 km road link between Oman's Musandam exclave and southern Iran. The idea was having the support of Iranian Ambassador to Oman Ali Akbar Sibeveih. The Persian Gulf Bridge in Qeshm–Bandar Abbas (Iran) will be a 2.4 km (1.5 mi) long road-rail bridge, connecting Qeshm Island to mainland Iran, from the historic port of Laft to Pahal port in Bandar Abbas (Hormozgan Province). It was proposed to build an undersea tunnel instead of a bridge, but was rejected due to high costs. The Saudis were exploring two options to build a 400 km tunnel or bridge to link Gwadar (in Pakistan) with Muscat (in Oman) at the mouth of Strait of Hormuz at one end. The objective was to bypass its trade routes (including for oil supplies) with Iran and Qatar, because of the Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, also to extend the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. A 1,200 miles (1,900 km) tunnel, carrying Maglev trains, is planned to connect India’s biggest city Mumbai and emirate Fujairah (United Arab Emirates) through the Arabian Sea in a high-speed railway line to transport passengers, tourists and workers in just 2 hours. It had the support of Abdullah Alshehhi, chief consultant of Abu Dhabi National Advisory Office (a Masdar City-based consultancy), and the Gulf Cooperation Council. It is considered the longest submarine tunnel project in the world and will have a depth of 15,000 feet below the surface of the Indian Ocean. Also, Karachi (Pakistan) and Muscat (Oman) are also included future plans of train stations, making provision for a road to be constructed within the tunnel for cars and trucks as well as a floating hotel, shopping centres and fuel stations, featuring pipelines for oil and water. Expansion of the project might include the One Belt One Road Initiative, linking China to Pakistan economic corridor at Gwadar Port with UAE, through the Fujairah port to complement the Chinese silk road.

See also Atlantropa Orkney tunnel Trans-Asian Railway List of transport megaprojects List of straits

References

External links The Trans-Global Highway Development Corporation which is working with governments to make the highway a reality. Original Trans-Global Highway Proposal The Schiller Institute article on the Trans Global Highway Archived 2014-04-19 at the Wayback Machine Wikivoyage, Wikimedia's global travel guide with information on driving in each country

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links

In research: Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Exploratory engineering, Proposed bridges, Proposed undersea tunnels, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links in simple terms?

Why does Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links.