People will remember the Dead Sea for two reasons: The Dead Sea Scrolls and the amount of salt contained in the water. It is also the lowest elevated body of water on earth. The Dead Sea lies 1300 feet below sea level.
Also referred to as the "Salt Sea," the body of water contains no forms of life except for bacteria. Often times fish get carried into the Dead Sea from the Jordan river and are killed almost immediately.
Thousands of people, tourists and local citizens, use the Dead Sea as a natural spa.
The Dead Sea is an important part of the middle-eastern economic and religious culture. Both Jewish and Christian religions revere the Dead Sea. It is also used as a main tourist attraction due to its high buoyancy due to the Dead Seas saline levels. Human beings are able to effortlessly float in the sea.
But with all of its attraction, the sea is slowly draining. According to a Smithsonian.com article that chronicled the Dead Sea decline, the sea has shrunk from 50 miles long in 1950 to 30 miles long today.
Environmentalists blame Israeli and Jordanian companies that use the Dead Sea to extract Potash, a raw component used in fertilizer. Since the Dead Sea borders both Jordan and Israel, it is used by both companies for economic purposes.
The Dead Sea is 'fed' by a number of fresh water sources. A combination of Israel, Jordan, and Syria siphon enough water from the surrounding bodies of water that feed the Dead Sea to cause it to dry up.
The rivers Jordan, Karmut, and Lake Kinneret are all sources of water for the Dead Sea. these three bodies of water are all heavily used by Jordan, Israel, and Syria. This is causing the sea to rapidly disappear, causing terrifying consequences for the ecosystem surrounding the sea.
One of these consequences is the rising number of sinkholes around the dried up areas in the Dead Sea. When fresh water combines with the salt deposits it cause the ground to dissolve and create a sinkhole.
In 1990 there were 40 sinkholes. Today there are over 3,000 sinkholes and counting. At the current rate, one sinkhole is created almost everyday.
Sources
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/emej45ldlg/dead-sea/
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-dying-of-the-dead-sea-70079351/?page=1
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/is-the-dead-sea-dying-water-loss-continues-at-record-rate-8229546.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/154254/Dead-Sea
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/moment/2013/09/the_dead_sea_is_dying_how_sinkholes_habitat_destruction_and_low_water_levels.html
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