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Is the Dead Sea dying?
March 04, 2009The water levels in the Dead Sea - the deepest point on Earth - are dropping at an alarming rate with serious environmental consequences, according to Shahrazad Abu Ghazleh and colleagues from the University of Technology in Darmstadt, Germany. The projected Dead Sea-Red Sea or Mediterranean-Dead Sea Channels therefore need a significant carrying capacity to re-fill the Dead Sea to its former level, in order to sustainably generate electricity and produce freshwater by desalinization. The study1, published online this week in Springer's journal, Naturwissenschaften, also shows that the drop in water levels is not the result of climate change; rather it is due to ever-increasing human water consumption in the area.
Normally, the water levels of closed lakes such as the Dead Sea reflect climatic conditions - they are the result of the balance between water running into the lake from the tributary area and direct precipitation, minus water evaporation. In the case of the Dead Sea, the change in water level is due to intensive human water consumption from the Jordan and Yarmouk Rivers for irrigation, as well as the use of Dead Sea water for the potash industry by both Israel and Jordan. Over the last 30 years, this water consumption has caused an accelerated decrease in water level (0.7 m/a), volume (0.47 km³/a) and surface area (4 km² /a), according to this study.
Abu Ghazleh and colleagues developed a model of the surface area and water volume of the Dead Sea and found that the lake has lost 14 km3 of water in the last 30 years. The receding water has left leveled sections on the lake's sides - erosional terraces - which the authors recorded precisely for the first time using Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) field surveys. They were able to date the terraces to specific years.
The authors point out that this rapid drop in the level of the Dead Sea has a number of detrimental consequences, including higher pumping costs for the factories using the Dead Sea to extract potash, salt and magnesium; an accelerated outflow of fresh water from surrounding underground water aquifers; receding shorelines making it difficult for tourists to access the water for medicinal purposes; and the creation of a treacherous landscape of sinkholes and mud as a result of the dissolution of buried salt which causes severe damage to roads and civil engineering structures.
To address the mounting stress on water resources in the Dead Sea basin and the environmental hazards caused by its lowering, the authors suggest that the diversion of Jordan water to the Mediterranean coast could be replaced by desalinization of seawater, causing the recession of the Dead Sea to be considerably slowed, and buying time to consider the long-term alternatives such as the Red Sea-Dead Sea Channel or the Mediterranean-Dead Sea Channel.
The authors conclude that either of these channels will require a carrying capacity of more than 0.9 km3 per year to slowly fill the lake back to its levels of 30 years ago and to ensure its long-term sustai-nability for energy production and desalinization to fresh water. Such a channel will also maintain tour-ism and potash industry on both sides of the Dead Sea.
Springer
The authors point out that this rapid drop in the level of the Dead Sea has a number of detrimental consequences, including higher pumping costs for the factories using the Dead Sea to extract potash, salt and magnesium; an accelerated outflow of fresh water from surrounding underground water aquifers; receding shorelines making it difficult for tourists to access the water for medicinal purposes; and the creation of a treacherous landscape of sinkholes and mud as a result of the dissolution of buried salt which causes severe damage to roads and civil engineering structures.
To address the mounting stress on water resources in the Dead Sea basin and the environmental hazards caused by its lowering, the authors suggest that the diversion of Jordan water to the Mediterranean coast could be replaced by desalinization of seawater, causing the recession of the Dead Sea to be considerably slowed, and buying time to consider the long-term alternatives such as the Red Sea-Dead Sea Channel or the Mediterranean-Dead Sea Channel.
The authors conclude that either of these channels will require a carrying capacity of more than 0.9 km3 per year to slowly fill the lake back to its levels of 30 years ago and to ensure its long-term sustai-nability for energy production and desalinization to fresh water. Such a channel will also maintain tour-ism and potash industry on both sides of the Dead Sea.
Springer
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Earliest evidence of use of fire in Eurasia discovered in Hebrew University Excavations at Benot Ya'aqov
The first solid evidence of human use of fire in Eurasia as early as 790,000 years ago has been found in excavations in Israel conducted by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Institute of Archaeology. The discovery was made in excavations, which have been conducted over seven seasons, at the Benot Ya'aqov bridge site along the Dead Sea rift in the Hula Valley of northern Israel. According to Prof. Naama Goren-Inbar, head of the Institute of Archaeology and director of the Benot Ya'aqov excavations, this is the best evidence yet found for human use of fire during the period of the Acheulian culture (from approximately 1.8 million years to 250,000 years ago). An article on the discovery of t
Unravelling the threads of history at the ESRF
An international team of scientists from Israel, Germany and the United Kingdom has recently been working at the ESRF in order to unravel the threads of history. Wrappings of the famous Dead Sea Scrolls have been studied with synchrotron light. The X-rays will hopefully provide the team with precious information, such as the kind of fibres the textiles are made of and the type of pigment that was used to dye some of them. Both identifications, coupled with Carbon-14 dating, might eventually also date these textiles. In 1947, Bedouin shepherds discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls in different caves in the area of Qumran, near the Dead Sea. It is commonly accepted that they were written between the
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Adovia Natural Dead Sea Mud Soap - Great for Eczema, Psoriasis or Acne! by Adovia Mineral Skin Care Our All Natural Black Mud Soap contains a unique combination of Dead Sea minerals derived from Dead Sea Mud. This effective mud soap removes dirt and cleanses your skin, while simultaneously infusing it with minerals essential to keeping your skin hydrated and moisturized. Our Dead Sea mud soap is enriched with century old Dead Sea mud, leaving your skin cleansed and nourished. As more people are learning about the healing and beauty effects of black mud from The Dead Sea, this soap is becoming a very popular choice for skin care conscious people. |
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Dead Sea Body Mud - Treat Psoriasis, Eczema by Adovia Mineral Skin Care From the depths of the spot on earth with the highest concentration of natural health-enhancing minerals, Cleopatra's Choice brings you Dead Sea Black Mineral Mud. The special natural ingredients cleanse and disinfect the skin, while refreshing and revitalizing it and maintaining the skin's natural moisture levels. Mud from the Dead Sea is known to cure skin disorders through strengthening the skin tissues, maintaining the chemical balance of the skin, stimulating blood circulation and eliminating toxins from the skin. |
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Natural Dead Sea Salt - Unscented, Treat Psoriasis - 10 Pounds by SeaOra Mineral Skin Care Come home after a long day and relax your body in a warm bath with rejuvenating, relaxing bath salts from The Dead Sea. For centuries people have traveled great distances to come and bathe in the salt rich waters of The Dead Sea. The only thing second to actually bathing in the sea is taking a bath with Dead Sea bath salts. Now you can enjoy these wonderful salts in your own bath tub without having to travel to The Dead Sea! |
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Seacret From the Dead Sea Eye Gel t 1.7 Oz by SEACRET Seacret Eye Gel SEACRET EYE GEL Nurture The Sensitive Skin Around Your Eyes Restore moisture to the skin around your eyes for a new, youthful view of life. Seacret Eye Gel is enriched with Dead Sea minerals and Vitamin E that will nurture your skin and promote its healthy look. It is effective and suitable for all skin types. Types 1.7 fl. oz (50 ml) Dead Sea Salt & Minerals contains 21 minerals including magnesium, calcium, sulfur, bromide, iodine, sodium, zinc, and potassium. Vitamin E Considered an antioxidant superstar, is the major naturally occurring lipid-soluble, antioxidant protecting skin from the adverse effects of oxidative stress.Vitamin A Helps maintain smooth, soft disease-free skin. It is a beneficial cell-communicating ingredient and an antioxidant. It helps skin cells... |
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Seacret From the Dead Sea Mud Mask New! by SEACRET SEACRET Uniqe facial mask based on an advanced formula composed of dead sea mineral mud that gently purifies and cleans clogged pores. Combined with a herbal complex of aloe vera, chamomile extract, mandarin oil, sunflower seed and jojoba oils |
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Swisa Beauty Dead Sea Facial Peel 1.0 oz by Swisa Beauty swisa facial peel |
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