We have all heard about the Dead Sea on multiple occasions. Probably you have all seen pictures of people floating while reading a newspaper in the middle of the sea with great nonchalance. After a curious grin of wonder when looking at those pictures I have always said to myself : “I wonder how that really is possible?” without never investigating into the matter. Isn’t it ironic that it holds the macabre name of the “dead” sea while it appears that nobody can actually sink or drawn into an ever floating sea. The name “Dead Sea” is a translation from the Hebrew name “Yam ha Maved” which means “Killer Sea”. This sea with a high concentration in salts is known for having beneficial health consequences on the human body. In the past years, historians, scientists and experts are worried that the Dead Sea might be dying due to the constant lowering of the water level.

Stretching across Israel, Jordan and the occupied West Bank, holds an important religious significance: “the Jordan river is believed by many to be the place where Jesus was baptized” (Source: http://geography.howstuffworks.com/oceans-and-seas/dead-sea-dead.htm). Its unique salty composition and the presence of heath enhancing minerals are known to have attracted important historical character such as King David and Cleopatra. Today the Dead Sea is still famous for the rejuvenating effect it has on bathers and its ability to improve the skin and the cure problems such as joint inflammation, arthritis, acne or eczema. Scientists seem to beilve that this is due in great part to the high salt concentration found in that sea. The mineral slats concentration is so high that “fish accidentally swimming into the water from on of the several freshwater streams that feed the Sea are killed instantly, their bodies quickly coated with a preserving layer of salt crystals” (Source: http://www.extremescience.com/zoom/index.php/earth-records/37-dead-sea). While the Dead Sea is deadly for fish and other marine creatures, for us adaptable humans it is completely safe. The density of the water is much more than that of plain regular water and for this reason a human body becomes more buoyant and floats. It is interesting to note that while the Dead Sea is constantly fed with water coming from near by rivers the salt is never drained out of the sea. Not even the process of evaporation manages to get the salt of of the Dead Sea. While the water evaporates, it leaves behind dissolved minerals.

According to experts, this source of fascination that attracts many tourists every year is at risk. An article in the New York Times confirms that “the water level is now dropping by more than three feet a year” (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/world/middleeast/05deadsea.html?_r=1). The dropping rate of water started around the 1960s, mostly due to the fact that Israel, Jordan and Syria started diverting the waters of the Jordan river, feeding the Dead Sea, for agriculture and other domestic purposes. In addition, the potash industries on the Israeli and Jordanian sides are also playing an important part in depleting the Dead Sea. A possible solution would be the construction and implementation of a water conduit connecting the Red Sea to the Dead Sea in order to create hydroelectricity, providing desalinated water to Jordan while also contributing to refill the Dead Sea. It appears that the World-Bank would be ready to sponsor such construction; yet, experts and environmentalists are worried about the potential consequences: “mixing the waters could result in an algae bloom that could give the Dead Sea a reddish hue” (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/world/middleeast/05deadsea.html?_r=1). Since it has been suffering from water scarcity, Jordan is particularly interested in the project and Israel seems to be supportive of the idea. Surprisingly Palestinian authorities signed the agreement for a World-Bank sponsored feasibility study and this pleases a great deal the Palestinians community that interprets that signature as a somewhat start to the recognition of Palestinians rights.

Close to 35 different kinds of mineral salts, from calcium, to magnesium without forgetting bromine, can be found in the Dead Sea. This concoction of salts is responsible for the Sea’s macabre name. Indeed any plant or living creatures that ends up in the salty waters dies immediately. Human beings are the only privileged living creatures that can happily float away without any consequences. In addition to attracting tourists and scientists from all over the world, the Dead Sea as become a rare symbol of regional cooperation, an exception to war, fighting and the incapacity to communicate. Israel, Jordan and the Palestinians seem to want to cooperate and communicate with the hopes of safeguarding this unique wetland.