Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - The Dead Sea

Episode Date: August 23, 2021

Divided between Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian West Bank lies the lowest point on the surface of the Earth: The Dead Sea. Not only is it the lowest point on Earth, but the sea is one of the saltiest bodies of water on the planet. But how did this place come to exist, and is it true that it will completely disappear at some point? Learn more about the Dead Sea and how it came to be, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Divided between Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian West Bank lies the lowest point on the surface of the earth, the dead sea. Not only is it the lowest point on Earth, but the sea is one of the saltiest bodies of water on the planet. But how did this place come to exist? And is it true that it will completely disappear at some point? Learn more about the Dead Sea and how it came to be on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

What if your perceptions about the past were wrong? ThruLine is a podcast that takes you back in the world, time to uncover the parts of the story that may have gone unnoticed. It effectively turned day into night and how it shaped the world now. Time travel with us every week on the ThruLine podcast from NPR. This episode is sponsored by Scotty Vest. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere and looking at my analytics, that is statistically most of you, autumn is right around the corner. And that means jacket weather. If you're looking for a new jacket this fall, I highly suggest you visit scottyvest.com.

They don't only have jackets that look good, but they're probably the most practical items of clothing in the world. You can easily, discreetly, and safely. Hold your smartphone, tablet, cables, an extra battery, glasses, gloves, a hat, and almost anything else you might want to carry with you. I have personally worn Scotty vest gear almost every day for years, and it has served me well as I've traveled around the world. You can get 15% off all ScottyVest products by going to ScottyVest.com.

and using coupon code Everything Everywhere, all one word at checkout. Once again, that's Scottyvest.com coupon code Everything Everywhere. If you haven't been to the Dead Sea, it's a pretty incredible place for a whole host of reasons. Let's start out with its claim to fame, being the lowest point on Earth. The current elevation of the surface of the Dead Sea is approximately 432 meters below sea level, or 1,417 feet. I say approximately because the Dead Sea is dropping an elevation rapidly. In the mid-1970s, the elevation of the Dead Sea was only 402 meters below sea level. Currently, it's dropping over a meter or three feet each year, which is a really dramatic change in water level.

More on that in a bit. So why does the Dead Sea exist? What makes this place so far below sea level? The most widely accepted theory among geologists is that the Dead Sea is part of the Red Sea. sea rift. The Red Sea Rift is created from the African tectonic plate separating from the Arabian tectonic plate. The most obvious result of this spreading is the Red Sea, which is between Saudi Arabia and Egypt. This is part of a larger feature which includes the East African Rift. The East African Rift starts at the Strait where the Arabian Peninsula almost touches Africa,

and then runs down Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique. All of the major East African lakes, such as Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi, and Lake Tanganyika are part of this rift. Where does the Dead Sea get its water? Most of the water in the Dead Sea comes from the Jordan River. The water comes down from the Golan Heights, flows into the Sea of Galilee, which is also below sea level, and then flows from there into the Dead Sea. From the Dead Sea, the water doesn't go anywhere, and that's the reason why the Dead Sea is so salty. The Jordan River is a freshwater river, and its water is used for agriculture and drinking.

Like all freshwater bodies of water, there's a small amount of dissolved minerals in the water, including salt. Usually it's so slight that it doesn't really matter. When water flows into the Dead Sea, it evaporates, leaving the minerals that it brought with it behind. Over thousands of years, the salts and minerals built up leaving behind the body of saltwater that we have today. The reason why the Dead Sea has been dropping so rapidly recently is that the water in the Jordan River has been diverted for agricultural use and consumption.

There isn't as much water flowing into the Dead Sea as there used to be, so the rate of evaporation is now much greater than the rate of the water which flows in. Just how salty is the Dead Sea. A kilogram of water from the Dead Sea will consist of about 33.7% salt. To put that in perspective, that's about 8.6 times salty. than regular sea water. Contrary to popular belief, the Dead Sea is not the saltiest body of water on earth, but it's close. It's actually the fifth most salty, but the ones which have higher salinity are all pretty small. Because there's so much dissolved material in the water, that makes it much easier to float because the water is denser. The same is true with saltwater and freshwater,

but with the Dead Sea, the effect is even more dramatic. So yes, it's true that you can really easily float in the Dead Sea. However, here's the part where I have to give a personal warning. I went into the Dead Sea years ago and did the floating thing. And yes, it was a unique experience. However, if you have even the slightest scratch, nick, cut, or abrasion on your body, you're going to be an incredible pain. And this could be anything as slight as from shaving to cutting your toenails. Also, you can't really swim in the Dead Sea, at least not like anything you'd be used to calling swimming. It's so buoyant that you can't really do much, and moreover, if you get any of that water in your mouth or eyes, you will regret it. True story. I was on the Israeli side of the Dead Sea

walking around near the shore. I saw an interesting looking rock that was encrusted with salt, so I bent down to pick it up, and while I was looking at it, it slipped out of my hand and fell into the water. A single drop of water splashed up and hit me in the eye. Normally no big deal, but because of the salinity, I couldn't see out of that eye for like five minutes. If it sounds like I'm really down on the whole Dead Sea experience, that's not true. While going into the water is highly overrated, I think, being near the Dead Sea actually has some enormous benefits. For starters, because you're so far below sea level, you're protected from an extra 1500 feet of atmosphere. The atmosphere is also thicker than the atmosphere at sea level. That means the shore of the

Dead Sea is going to get the lowest levels of ultraviolet radiation in the world. If your skin very easily burns, this is one of the best places to go if you want to get out in the sun yet not get a sunburn. Likewise, there's more oxygen at this elevation. One study conducted in 1996 on people with chronic lung diseases found, quote, significant increases in arterial oxygen tension, exercise capacity, sleep oxygen saturation, and an improvement in quality of life while staying at the Dead Sea. This was found during both a short stay as well as a longer stay. The improvements in exercise capacity persisted two to three weeks after leaving the area, unquote. So being near the Dead Sea is like being in a weak, hyperbaric chamber all of the time.

Another question that's often asked is, is the Dead Sea really dead? To steal a line from the movie The Princess Bride, the Dead Sea is mostly dead. There are no macroscopic fish or plants which live in the water. It's simply too salty. However, there are some species of microscopic organisms that have been found. These are called Hallow Archaia, or salt-loving members of the kingdom Archaea. Genetically, they aren't bacteria per se, but they do look like them. Another side effect of the climate around the Dead Sea is that it preserves things extremely well. There's a good reason why the Dead Sea scrolls were found near the Dead Sea.

The area is so dry that almost nothing rots. Probably the most significant historical site overlooking the Dead Sea would be Masada on the Israeli side. I'll do a full episode on this in the future, as well as one on the Dead Sea Scrolls, but it was where a group of Jews held out against the Romans and it resulted in a mass suicide in the year 74. The fortress is really well preserved, as are the remnants of the Roman camp downhill. Roman military camps were designed to be temporary structures, but this is one of the few places where you can see the outline of the camp in the desert, almost 2,000 years later.

On the Jordanian side, there's a river and canyon known as Wadi Mujib. It's a relatively shallow, fast-moving river where you can go canyoning. You can literally walk up the river and climb up waterfalls. I did it several years ago, and it was a blast, other than the fact that I lost a pair of glasses while doing it. Likewise, nearby is the Imani Hot Springs in Jordan, which is one of the only hot waterfalls in the entire world. All things being equal, I enjoyed the Jordanian side more,

as there are better and more accessible resorts, but Boch's side should be visited, especially Masada on the Israeli side. What is the future of the Dead Sea? If it keeps dropping at a meter per year, will it eventually disappear? The answer is probably not. Hydrologists have studied it, think that it will eventually reach an equilibrium. As the sea gets smaller, less water will evaporate, and it will balance with the water coming in. The expected water level, when this will happen, will be around 550 meters below sea level, or about 1,800 feet. However, there's one other reason why it might not disappear.

Jordan, the Palestinian Authority in Israel, have been talking about a project called the Red Sea Dead Sea water conveyance. Basically, it would involve building a pipeline to transport seawater to a desalienization plant. The plant would create fresh water, which would then be used, and then the resulting brine would be sent to the Dead Sea to offset the drop in water levels. The goal would be to bring water levels back to where it was at around 19,000. However, talks about the project had been put on hold since 2017. Believe it or not, there's actually some industrial activity near the Dead Sea.

If you look at a map or a satellite image, you'll see at the southern end of the Dead Sea very large evaporation pools of water. This is technically not part of the Dead Sea. That area dried out years ago. However, water is pumped from the Dead Sea to this area where it's allowed to evaporate. The resulting minerals which then precipitate out are collected, primarily Pondon, Potash and bromine. Likewise, salts and mud from the Dead Sea are sold around the world, which are said to have therapeutic and medical benefits. Beyond floating in the Dead Sea, one of the most popular tourist activities is to cover yourself head-toe with mud. In short, the Dead Sea is a really interesting place. Geologically, geographically, historically, historically,

historically, chemically, even medicinally, there are things that make this a worthwhile place to visit if you're ever in the region. However, if you try floating in the water with a scratch on your body, Don't say I didn't warn you. The associate producer of Everything Everywhere daily is Thor Thompson. If you'd like to support the show, please donate over at patreon.com. There is content only available to supporters, merchandise, and even opportunities for a show producer credit. If you know someone you think would enjoy the show, please share it with them. Also remember, if you leave a five-star review, I'll read your review on the show.