The Dead Sea is Dying

By Alex in Travel on Aug 28, 2008 at 2:48 pm

The Dead Sea, actually a salt lake between Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan, is dying and scientist are trying to find out a way to make the Dead Sea, … well, live again:

[The Dead Sea] relies on many small tributaries, but its main supplier of water is the Jordan River. Population growth in the region means more and more water is being diverted from its path towards the Dead Sea to other uses such as irrigation and drinking water. Evaporation, which makes the sea special by keeping salinity high, is also putting the Sea at risk, and the hot, arid climate and practices such as mineral extraction only exacerbate the rate of evaporation. Without an ample supply of water from the Jordan, the water level is dropping at an alarming rate (an estimated 1 meter per year).

As the shoreline recedes, sinkholes and mud are left behind. The scenic beauty of the area is scarred; getting to the water proves more and more difficult; tourism suffers. If this trend continues, the allure of the Dead Sea will be lost for future generations.

Link – Thanks Marilyn!

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Jimbo
Aug 28th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Finally! It has been dying for about 10 million years. Glad to see if finally just do it and get it over with!
Lana
Aug 28th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
You’re an idiot.
Sammy
Aug 28th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Theyre basically using more water than can be renewed.
And its kind of old news.
Ive known it was dying for a year or so
valerie
Aug 29th, 2008 at 1:26 am
I’m 46 and I cannot remember a time when I didn’t hear the Dead Sea was dying. I mean, it is called the ”Dead” Sea!
Jenny
Aug 29th, 2008 at 1:27 am
yeah it’s been dyeing for a while, neither government wants to deal with it(jordan or israel), it’s a case of waiting for someone else to do the job… they just need to clear a path from the jordan river
if you go there, you see the old showers they had right near the water about twenty years ago, and it’s just sad to see how really far away from the water line they are today
MoonCake
Aug 29th, 2008 at 7:07 am
work WITH nature, not AGAINST it. death is not something you can prevent. move on. find another source and exploit it until IT dies. regardless of how much we try to “save” the environment, there is little we can actually do. if our behavior is causing a slow death in nature, all we have to do it STOP the behavior. it’s a simple solution. the only reason it’s so hard is because people become attached to certain methods, and are too stubborn to change their behavior. something we don’t allow ourselves to realize is the fact that human beings are the most adaptable animals on the planet, yet, we are the most resistant to do it. we are the only animal that dwells on all seven continents, and we think as soon as we occupy land we have free reign over the nature of the land. who cares if the dead sea is dying? it was bound to happen anyway. but if the people in the area change their behavior, maybe a couple more generations can enjoy the dead sea while it’s still here.
Polx
Aug 29th, 2008 at 7:57 am
Might seem an odd idea here, but why is anyone concerned?

A large pool of hyper salinated water is receding because people are using the water beforeit gets there, for crazy ideas like irrigation and DRINKING.

Once water gets to the Dead Sea it is unusable.

Also I don’t think there is any life at all in the dead sea.

I will just Wiki that….

Yes, there is no life above bacteria in the Sea year round.

Screw it, let it evapourate.
Jimbo
Sep 4th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
I agree, it’s kinda like kissing your sister. Sure, it is a kiss but not worth much.
pog
Oct 15th, 2008 at 7:03 am
It’s prolly just a grammatical or semantic thing, but it’s kind of conflicting to say that the Dead sea is Dying. If it’s already dead, it’s pretty much a done deal and there isn’t anything else you can do for it.

There is nothing living in the dead sea, hence its name, except for some bacteria and perhaps microscopic animals or algae.
jazmine
Mar 2nd, 2009 at 11:08 am
the dead sea is not old news its news that never dies for a reason also the dead sea is named that way for a reason if u r smart u would know that the dead sea has a high density of salt thats wat makes it unique… nothn nthn nthn!! would servive in it not even microscopic animals or algae. And the dead sea is a great wounder that has the ability to cure deases such as skin problems or arthritis . also without the dead sea and the products it produces there would be no turism without turism the economy of jordan and isreal will crash. sooo the dead sea must be saved for the economy and the the ability of curing health problems. plus jordan and isreal do care but they do not have enough money to produce a project they have been working on the have tried many ways many yimes but failed and now they are just trying to find other solutions. soo who doesnt really understand the situation dont try to sound smart
why would we give up ?

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