Dead Sea Disappearance Issue

The Dead Sea, also known as Salt Sea, is located on left side of Jordan and right side of Jerusalem.

The land locked lake boasts of salt levels almost ten times that of oceans. Its salinity is attributed to the fact that there is accumulation of minerals because of no outlet for them. The water level in it is almost constant with inflow from the Jordan River and loss through evaporation. Due to its high salinity, the lake is deadly for marine animals and plant life. Bacteria is the only from of population that live in the Dead Sea. Most of the bacteria that live in it have adapted to high salt levels and some bacteria can live only in Dead Sea as they prefer high level of salt in the water. But it is unknown how many varieties of bacteria live in it. Dead Sea is a famous tourist destination and known for therapeutic for humans. Because of higher density in the water, it increases buoyancy allowing tourists to float atop.

Scientists have expressed fear that Dead Sea may disappear because water from its only water source (the Jordan River) has been rushing out of the Dead Sea more than it is moving into the Dead Sea. And growing sinkholes have been swallowing up the Dead Sea. As the water reduces in the Sea, large amount of sediments and large deposits of salt are collected along the shores. These mineral deposits dissolve with rainwater or runoff from the mountains. As minerals melt, they leave behind empty spaces beneath the surface. Eventually, with no material left, there will be a collapse of ground to form large scale sinkholes. The sinkholes, which have been growing at a rapid pace, are threatening the tourists.

Some scientists proposed that water could be pumped to Dead Sea from the Red sea which is 180 Km away from it. Though it is highly expensive, there is no other way to save the Dead Sea. At least the water from the Jordan River must be allowed to flow freely into the Dead Sea.