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Dead Sea Shrinks: A Race Against Time
25 Oct
Summary
- The Dead Sea recedes about 4 feet annually, shrinking its surface area by a third.
- Diversions of the Jordan River have reduced its flow to the sea by over 90 percent.
- Thousands of dangerous sinkholes threaten tourism and infrastructure near the sea.
The Dead Sea, a natural wonder located at the lowest point on Earth, is facing a severe crisis as its water levels plummet. Annually, the sea recedes by about 4 feet, resulting in a roughly one-third reduction in its surface area over the past fifty years. This dramatic decline is primarily attributed to the substantial damming and diversion of the Jordan River and its tributaries by Israel, Syria, and Jordan for agricultural and domestic needs. Water flow to the Dead Sea has dropped by over 90 percent.
Compounding the issue, industrial mineral extraction operations on both Israeli and Jordanian sides pump water into artificial evaporation pools, further depleting the remaining northern basin. Climate change exacerbates the situation by intensifying droughts and reducing rainfall, accelerating the sea's shrinkage. The consequences are stark: the formation of over 6,000 hazardous sinkholes along the shorelines, rendering formerly popular tourist areas like Ein Gedi inaccessible and unsafe. Consequently, tourism has shifted to artificial pools managed by mineral companies, fundamentally altering the visitor experience.
