The Dead Sea May Soon Be ‘Dead’ as It Evaporates Every Year

The Dead Sea is known for many of its marvelous characteristics. Known for its hypersaline waters, it is one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world. It is also known to be the deepest saline lake and known to be the lowest elevation on land, with its surface to be about 400 meters below sea level. Located in the Jordan Rift Valley, it is known to be one of the most interesting tourist sites near Israel.

This place is so popular that it has been written in history for the past thousand years, from Herod the Great to present times. It has been known to be the supplier of asphalt used for Egyptian Mummification. Going to this site is not only a rich cultural experience but also a very enjoyable one as visitors could take a dip the salty lake.

However, scientists have discovered that the Dead Sea is shrinking at a very alarming rate, and there may come a time that the well-known salt lake will be no more. According to a report from CNN, this evaporation may actually be caused by human intervention yet again. Geographically, its main attribute is the Jordan River, and this is the main source of water supply for the Dead Sea. On the other hand, there had been diversions of natural sources surrounding it as population around the area increased their demand for water.

Since the 1960s, pipelines have been built in the region to supply water throughout Jordan and Israel. However, this meant that the Dead Sea may not get the right amount of nourishment as it originally needs. With heat coming up often and no significant precipitation, the Dead Sea evaporates more quantities than it can replenish. To increase awareness about this issue, a swimming marathon had been done earlier this month in the lake itself.