Ra in the Dead Sea

The²²⁸Ra concentrations of the Dead Sea waters range from 0.13 to 1.48 dpm kg⁻¹, two to three orders of magnitude higher than those of ocean waters and lake waters. However, the²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra activity ratios, (0.12–1.29) × 10⁻², are in the range reported for the hydrosphere.The surface waters of the Dead Sea are enriched in²²⁸Ra by a factor of about three over the near-bottom waters. There is a factor of about two spatial variability in the mid-depth Ra concentrations at the two profile stations. The near-bottom²²⁸Ra gradients yield vertical eddy diffusivity coefficient (K) of 2.0 and 0.4 cm² s⁻¹ at profile locations 1 and 2 respectively. These values are comparable to those measured in oceans and lakes.     

Tritium in the Dead Sea

Tritium data in the Dead Sea for the period 1960–1979 are given. Tritium levels have increased until 1965 in the upper layers of the Dead Sea reaching a level of 170 TU, in response to the atmospheric buildup of tritium from thermonuclear testing. The levels have been decreasing ever since, both because of rapidly declining atmospheric concentrations of tritium and because of mixing of the surface layers with tritium deficient, deeper water masses. The depth of penetration of the tracer delineated the depth of meromictic stratification and successfully monitored the deepening of the pycnocline, until the overturn in 1979 homogenised the entire tritium profile. Modelling the changing tritium inventory over this period showed the predominance of the direct exchange across the air/sea interface, both in the buildup of tritium in the lake and also in its subsequent removal from it. The good fit between calculated and measured tritium inventories confirmed the evaporation estimate of 1.46 m/yr (the mean value for the period) with a precision unattained by other methods.     

Iron in the Dead Sea

The distributions of dissolved and of particulate iron in the Dead Sea during the period which preceeded its overturn and thereafter (1977–1980) are reported. During 1977–1978, the vertical profiles of the iron phases revealed facets of the mixing pattern: the progressive deepening of the pycnocline, restricted mixing within the upper water mass and penetration of surface waters into the deepest layer. The inventories of particulate iron suggest resuspension of bottom sediments in November 1978 and after the overturn the gradual disappearance from the water column of iron sulfides and iron oxy-hydroxides. Fluxes of iron from and to the lake in the undisturbed meromictic Dead Sea have been estimated: it appears that diffusion of divalent iron from bottom sediments was the major source for the standing crop of iron in the lower water mass. Low settling velocities of solid particles in the dense and viscous Dead Sea is one of the causes for the relatively large concentrations of particulate iron. The rate constant for oxidation of divalent iron in Dead Sea sediment interstitial waters is larger by two orders of magnitude than in other natural waters.     

Dynamic simulation of the Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is a hypersaline terminal lake located in the Rift Valley between Jordan and Israel. In this work a generalised mathematical model describing the behaviour of the Dead Sea has been developed. The model established the condition of the Sea by evaluating a series of ordinary differential equations describing mass balances on the water and major chemical species in the Sea. The Sea was modelled as a two-layer system. The model was validated by comparing its predictions to measured level records. The results obtained highlighted the importance of detailed evaporation modelling, showed the necessity to model the Sea as a two-layer system, validated the usage of average distribution data to estimate the flowrates of rivers, and justified ignoring diffusion effects in further modelling. The model predicted that in the case of continuing current conditions, the level will continue to decline, at a decelerating rate, because the area and evaporation rate are both decreasing. Under these conditions, the model shows that the salinity of both layers will continue to increase, and that seasonal stratification and seasonal crystallisation of gypsum and aragonite will continue.     

Near bottom temperature anomalies in the Dead Sea

A bottom photographic and temperature study was carried out in the Dead Sea using a miniature version of the unmanned camera system ANGUS (mini-ANGUS). Due to the low transparency of the Dead Sea water, the bottom photographs provide very poor results. Only in a very few locations was the floor visible and in those cases it was found to be a white undulating sedimentary surface.The bottom temperature measurements, which were made continuously along the ship track, indicate the presence of a large zone of temperature anomalies. This zone is located in the deep part of the north basin at a water depth of over 330 m. The anomalies occur above a portion of an east-west fault which cuts through the Dead Sea suggesting the presence of hydrothermal activity.     

The geochemistry of manganese in the Dead Sea

The most important source of dissolved manganese, Mn(II), to the Dead Sea is by upward diffusion from bottom sediments. This source contributes about 80 tons of Mn(II) each year. The concentration of dissolved manganese in the Dead Sea is extraordinarily high (7.03 mg 1^?1). It appears that the content (some 1.026 × 10⁶ tons) of dissolved manganese in the sea has remained constant during 1977–1979, although oxygen was introduced into deeper layers during the deepening of the pycnocline (1977–1978) and during the overturn of its water masses in the winter of 1978/79. The rate of oxidation of Mn(II) in Dead Sea water is extremely slow hence Mn(II) may practically be considered as the stable form of Mn in Dead Sea waters. Dilution by fresh water causes a pH rise and may facilitate faster oxidation of the dissolved divalent manganese. It is shown here that the shape of the Mn(II) profile, observed in the lake during 1963, may have developed by oxidation of Mn(II) in the more diluted upper layers and subsequent reduction of the oxidation products in the anoxic and more saline deeper layers during 260 years of continuous meromixis.     

Estimation of evaporation from the Dead Sea

A project to link the Dead Sea to the Red Sea via a canal is undergoing extensive study. As part of this study, a method to estimate evaporation from the Dead Sea is required as it is a hypersaline lake in which standard methods cannot be applied. Two methods based on Penman and Dalton formulae were examined. The method derived here is a modified Penman model that estimates the evaporation as a function of salinity, humidity, air temperature and wind speed. Other parameters such as water temperature are included implicitly in the model. The results obtained were verified as satisfactory agreement was achieved by comparison with previous measurements. A short‐cut relationship to estimate evaporation as a function of salinity only was also derived. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stress tensor and focal mechanisms in the Dead Sea basin

We use the recorded seismicity, confined to the Dead Sea basin and its boundaries, by the Dead Sea Integrated Research (DESIRE) portable seismic network and the Israel and Jordan permanent seismic networks for studying the mechanisms of earthquakes in the Dead Sea basin. The observed seismicity in the Dead Sea basin is divided into nine regions according to the spatial distribution of the earthquakes and the known tectonic features. The large number of recording stations and the adequate station distribution allowed the reliable determinations of 494 earthquake focal mechanisms. For each region, based on the inversion of the observed polarities of the earthquakes, we determine the focal mechanisms and the associated stress tensor. For 159 earthquakes, out of the 494 focal mechanisms, we could determine compatible fault planes. On the eastern side, the focal mechanisms are mainly strike-slip mechanism with nodal planes in the N-S and E-W directions. The azimuths of the stress axes are well constrained presenting minimal variability in the inversion of the data, which is in agreement with the Eastern Boundary fault on the east side of the Dead Sea basin and what we had expected from the regional geodynamics. However, larger variabilities of the azimuthal and dip angles are observed on the western side of the basin. Due to the wider range of azimuths of the fault planes, we observe the switching of σ₁ and σ₂ or the switching of σ₂ and σ₃ as major horizontal stress directions. This observed switching of stress axes allows having dip-slip and normal mechanisms in a region that is dominated by strike-slip motion.     

Effect of the Dead Sea–Red Sea canal modelling on the prediction of the Dead Sea conditions

A project to link the Dead Sea to the Red Sea via a canal is undergoing extensive study. In previous works, a generalized mathematical model describing the state of the Dead Sea and a simulation model to implement it have been developed. The model is extended to include the proposed canal project and investigates two alternative modelling canal scenarios: (1) introducing the canal water inflow into the bottom layer or (2) the top layer of the sea. The predicted general effects of the canal are the restoration of the water level of the sea to pre‐1970s level; an increase in the total evaporation rate and a decrease in the top layer salinity. Implementing scenario 1, the model predicts that: the water level of the Dead Sea will exceed the desired level design value and therefore shorter filling time can be used; seasonal stratification will persist; total evaporation rate will increase Modestly; there will a small decrease in the salinity of the top layer but a substantial decrease in the salinity of the bottom layer, which will hurt industries severely; there will be a continuation of seasonal crystallization of aragonite and gypsum. Implementing scenario 2 the model predicts that: the water level of the Dead Sea will be maintained at the desired level design value; stratification will be re‐established, with the formation of a permanent two‐layer system; there will be a substantial increase in the total evaporation rate; the salinity of the top layer will decrease significantly but there will be continuous slower salinity increase in the bottom layer; the crystallization of aragonite will cease, but seasonal gypsum crystallization can be expected to continue as soon as the filling period ends and the canal shifts into normal operation. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Cenozoic uplift along the northern Dead Sea transform in Lebanon and Syria

Evidence of long-term, late Cenozoic uplift, as well as strike-slip faulting, is revealed by topographic and geological features along the northern 500 km of the Dead Sea fault system (DSFS)—the transform boundary between the Arabian and African plates in the eastern Mediterranean region. Macro-geomorphic features are studied using a new, high-resolution (20 m pixel) digital elevation model (DEM) produced by radar interferometry (InSAR). This DEM provides a spatially continuous view of topography at an unprecedented resolution along this continental transform from 32.5° to 38° N. This section of the left-lateral transform can be subdivided into a 200 km long Lebanese restraining bend (mostly in Lebanon), and the section to the north (northwest Syria). Spatial variations in Cenozoic bedrock uplift are inferred through mapping of topographic residuals from the DEM. Additionally, high altitude, low-relief surfaces are mapped and classified in the Mount Lebanon and Anti Lebanon ranges that also provide references for assessing net uplift. These results demonstrate an asymmetric distribution of post-Miocene uplift between the Mt. Lebanon and Anti Lebanon ranges. Antecedent drainages also imply that a major episode of uplift in the Palmyride fold belt post-dates the uplift of the Anti Lebanon region. North of the restraining bend, the Late Miocene surface is preserved beneath spatially extensive lava flows. Hilltop remnants of this paleosurface demonstrate Pliocene-Quaternary uplift and tilting of the Syrian Coastal Range, adjacent to the DSFS north of the restraining bend. This late Cenozoic uplift is contemporaneous with strike-slip along the DSFS. Geometrical relationships between folds and strike-slip features suggest that regional strain partitioning may accommodate a convergent component of motion between the Arabian and African plates. This interpretation is consistent with regional plate tectonic models that predict 10–25° of obliquity between the relative plate motion and the strike of the DSFS north of the restraining bend. We suggest that this convergent component of plate motion is responsible for uplift along and adjacent to the DSFS in the Syrian Coastal Range, as well as within the Lebanese restraining bend.     

Changes in the Dead Sea Level and their Impacts on the Surrounding Groundwater Bodies

In this paper the reaction of the salt‐/freshwater interface due to the changes in the Dead Sea level are elaborated at in details by using the inflows into the Dead Sea, the outflows due to evaporation losses and artificial discharges, and the hydrographic registrations of the Dead Sea level. The analyses show that the interface seaward migration resulted in a groundwater discharge of around 423 Mio m³ per meter drop in the level of the Dead Sea in the period 1994–1998 and of around 525 Mio m³/m in the period 1930–1937. The additional amount of groundwater joining the Dead Sea due to the interface seaward migration was 51 Mio m³ per one square kilometer of shrinkage in the area of the Dead Sea in the period 1930–1937 and 91 Mio m³/km² in the period 1994–1998. The riparian states of the Dead Sea are nowadays loosing 370 Mio m³/a of freshwater to the Dead Sea through the interface readjustment mechanisms as a result of their over exploitation of waters which formerly fed the Dead Sea.     

Geochemical studies on the Feshcha Springs,Dead Sea basin

The Feshcha springs issue in a 4 km long strip on the Dead Sea shores. They constitute two separate groups: a) T-N waters, similar in their salt composition, temperature and radon content to the many other members of the Rift Valley “Tiberias-Noit water association”. The hydrologic, radon, tritium and carbon-14 indicate they are mixtures of recent meteoric waters with ancient (trapped) T-N waters of an age of at least 18000 years. b) Z-Y waters which, like other members of the Dead Sea basin “Zohar-Yesha water group”, originate by a mixing of T-N waters with Dead Sea waters. This is seen in the chemical compositions and is confirmed by the oxygen-18 and deuterium data.     

基于镭同位素分布的黄海和东海垂直混合速率计算

在黄海和东海采样测定了水体中的镭同位素分布,用平流扩散模型描述镭同位素分布,最小二乘方法计算了垂直涡动扩散系数和上升流或下降流流速.结果给出北黄海中部、南黄海中部、浙江沿岸和台湾北部海域存在上升流,流速分别为0.46×10-3cm·s-1、0.17×10-3~1.39×10-3cm·s-1、2.02×10-3~3.04×10-3 cm·s-1和1.06×10-3~2.51×10-3 cm·s-1.北黄海中部和东海东北部存在下降流.流速分别为-2.30×10-3 cm·s-1和-0.61×10-3~-2.10×10-3 cm·s-1.计算同时给出的垂直涡动扩散系数为5.84~48.2 cm2·s-1,平均值为22.3 cm2·s-1.北黄海和浙江沿岸上升流流速与文献的结果一致;北黄海中部存在下降流与文献的结论一致.本研究结果与文献结果一致是对所建立的方法的肯定,也是对文献研究结果的支持.     

The stable isotope composition of Dead Sea waters

Dead Sea waters are moderately enriched in¹⁸O; the degree of enrichment constitutes a balance between the dilution by freshwater influx and the isotope fractionation which accompanies evaporative water loss and vapour exchange with the atmospheric moisture. Modelling of the seasonal cycle and long-term trends of δ¹⁸O, in response to the changes in the environmental parameters, shows that the major control is exercised by the salinity of the surface waters, through its effect on the vapour pressure gradient between the lake's surface and the atmosphere; the (steady state) isotopic composition of the more saline brines tends towards less enriched¹⁸O values. This fact can explain the relatively high δ¹⁸O levels encountered in the Lisan formation, which was deposited from Lake Lisan, —the less saline Pleistocene precursor of the Dead Sea.     

Long‐term prediction of the water level and salinity in the Dead Sea

The long‐term water level variations of the Dead Sea (DS) were assessed using a previously developed simulation model. The model establishes the condition of the DS by evaluating a series of ordinary differential equations describing mass balances on the water and major chemical species. The DS was modelled as a two‐layer system. The model was modified using up‐to‐date inflow data and recent hypsometric graphs to derive the volume–area–level relationships. Three scenarios were studied: continuation of current conditions; a cessation in industrial activity when the DS water level drops to a certain level; and a simplified weather change scenario. The model predicted that the DS will not dry up, but its level will continue to drop with a decelerating rate with no equilibrium level in 500 years. Changing climate would accelerate the level drop. In the 500 year period, after an initial increase, the DS salinity drops. The opposite behaviour is noted in the evaporation rate, which increases after an initial decrease. Ceasing industrial pumping would eventually restore the DS to its normal level, but with changed conditions. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The water balance of the Dead Sea: an integrated approach

The Dead Sea is the lowest spot on Earth. It is a closed saline lake located in the middle of the Jordan Rift Valley between Lake Tiberias and the Red Sea. Its major tributaries are the Jordan River itself and the Dead Sea side wadis. The Dead Sea has a unique ecosystem and its water has curative, industrial and recreational significance. The level of the Dead Sea has been continuously falling since the early 1930s at an average rate of 0·7 m per year. The water level, as of February 1998, is about 410·9 m below mean sea level. In this paper, a water balance model is developed for the Dead Sea by considering different hydrological components of this water balance, including precipitation, runoff, evaporation and groundwater flow. This model is calibrated based on historical levels of the Dead Sea. Different scenarios are investigated, including the proposed Dead Sea–Red Sea Canal. This project is supposed to halt the shrinking of the Dead Sea and restore it to pre‐1950 levels in the next century. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Detailed seismicity analysis revealing the dynamics of the southern Dead Sea area

Within the framework of the international DESIRE (DEad Sea Integrated REsearch) project, a dense temporary local seismological network was operated in the southern Dead Sea area. During 18 recording months, 648 events were detected. Based on an already published tomography study clustering, focal mechanisms, statistics and the distribution of the microseismicity in relation to the velocity models from the tomography are analysed. The determined b value of 0.74 leads to a relatively high risk of large earthquakes compared to the moderate microseismic activity. The distribution of the seismicity indicates an asymmetric basin with a vertical strike-slip fault forming the eastern boundary of the basin, and an inclined western boundary, made up of strike-slip and normal faults. Furthermore, significant differences between the area north and south of the Bokek fault were observed. South of the Bokek fault, the western boundary is inactive while the entire seismicity occurs on the eastern boundary and below the basin-fill sediments. The largest events occurred here, and their focal mechanisms represent the northwards transform motion of the Arabian plate along the Dead Sea Transform. The vertical extension of the spatial and temporal cluster from February 2007 is interpreted as being related to the locking of the region around the Bokek fault. North of the Bokek fault similar seismic activity occurs on both boundaries most notably within the basin-fill sediments, displaying mainly small events with strike-slip mechanism and normal faulting in EW direction. Therefore, we suggest that the Bokek fault forms the border between the single transform fault and the pull-apart basin with two active border faults.     

Dead Sea Basin Imaged by Ambient Seismic Noise Tomography

In the framework of the Dead Sea Integrated Research project (DESIRE), 59 seismological stations were deployed in the region of the Dead Sea Basin. Twenty of these stations recorded data of sufficiently high quality between May and September 2007 to be used for ambient seismic noise analysis. Empirical Green’s functions are extracted from cross-correlations of long term recordings. These functions are dominated by Rayleigh waves, whose group velocities can be measured in the frequency range from 0.1 to 0.5 Hz. Analysis of positive and negative correlation lags of the Green’s functions makes it possible to identify the direction of the source of the incoming energy. Signals with frequencies higher than 0.2 Hz originate from the Mediterranean Sea, while low frequencies arrive from the direction of the Red Sea. Travel times of the extracted Rayleigh waves were measured between station pairs for different frequencies, and tomographically inverted to provide independent velocity models. Four such 2D models were computed for a set of frequencies, all corresponding to different sampling depths, and thus together giving an indication of the velocity variations in 3D extending to a depth of 10 km. The results show low velocities in the Dead Sea Basin, consistent with previous studies suggesting up to 8 km of recent sedimentary infill in the Basin. The complex structure of the western margin of the Basin is also observed, with sedimentary infill present to depths not exceeding 5 km west of the southern part of the Dead Sea. The high velocities associated with the Lisan salt diapir are also observed down to a depth of ~5 km. The reliability of the results is confirmed by checkerboard recovery tests.