The Dead Sea, the popular briny waterbody located between Israel and Jordan, has undergone major changes over the years. These transformations however seem to be on the worst side.
Essentially the Dead Sea, is a landlocked Salt Lake perched between the two Middle Eastern countries in southwestern Asia. It has the lowest elevation and is the lowest body of water on the surface of Earth.
In 1930, the legendary sea known in Arabic as al-Baḥr al-Mayyit, was much larger, then covering about 410 square miles or around 1,050 square kilometres.
But today, 95 years later, the Dead Sea is reported to have shrunk down to just 234 square miles, that is 605 square kilometres and keeps contracting.
This indicates an almost 50 percent major drop in size of the salty water body.
Death of the dead sea
According to experts the rapid shrinking is happening due to the fact that of late, less water has been flowing into the sea.
While the issue of climate change also plays a major role, it seems the real culprit is human activities, this is because people have been diverting the flow of water from discharging into the sea.
Reports say, more water has been taken out for irrigation farming and other commercial uses.
While the Jordan River is the only major river that flows directly into the Dead Sea, there are several smaller streams and wadis that contribute to it during seasons of heavy rainfall.
One important change happened in 1979, when the dead sea split into two parts, or basins, reportedly due to falling water levers, creating a ridge between.
The northern part still has natural water, but the southern part became so dry that it had to be turned into a series of saltwater evaporation pools.
These pools are used to collect minerals like salt and potash.
This, according to observers, simply shows how human activity and environmental changes have deeply affected one of the world’s most unique bodies of water.
As of 2025, the lake’s surface was recorded at 439.78 metres below sea level, making its shores the lowest land-based elevation on Earth.
At a depth of 304 meters, the Dead Sea is the deepest hypersaline lake in the world.
And with the salinity of 34.2 percent, as measured in 2011, the Dead Sea is one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water, which is described to be nearly 10 times as salty as the ocean.
It also has a density of 1.24 kilograms per litre, which makes its waters very heavy and therefore swimming on the Dead Sea is similar to walking or sleeping on water.
This salinity is a harsh environment in which all life including plants and animals cannot flourish, hence its name.