Will the Dead Sea Rise Again?

The Dead Sea has had its ups and downs over the millenia, as we know from a careful study of its geology. In the past, these changes were due to natural processes and occurred relatively slowly. In recent decades, however, humans have contributed—inadvertently—to changing this remarkable body of water in more dramatic, and potentially disastrous, ways.

Over the past 50 years, the surface of the Dead Sea has been dropping at an alarming rate. Four decades ago, it was 1,290 feet below sea level; now it’s more than 1,350 feet below sea level—a drop of sixty feet. Estimates of just how fast the Dead Sea is losing water vary, but according to some environmentalists, its surface has lately been dropping by as much as 3 feet per year. Highways and buildings that once skirted its shore are now sometimes several hundred feet from the water. So, besides being already “dead” biologically—no life, other than microorganisms, can live in its salty water—the Dead Sea also appears to be dying as a geographical feature.

What’s causing the Dead Sea to dry up? Tourism is partly to blame: the communities and resorts on its shores demand fresh water, which Israel and Jordan draw from the Jordan and other rivers that feed into it. Tapped also for irrigation by both countries, this water would otherwise keep the Dead Sea replenished. In addition to less fresh water flowing in, the Dead Sea’s natural evaporation—remember, it has no other outlet than into the air—has been accelerated in recent decades by industrial development.