The Dead Sea (Dipak Kafle)

The Dead Sea

Dipak Kafle

Faculty, Department of Science and Technology

Introduction

There are numerous wonders of science in nature. Among them, one is the Dead Sea. In this article we get some interesting information about the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea is a salt lake located in the Judean desert of southern Israel, bordered by Jordan to the East. The Dead Sea is located at the lowest point on earth, it is one of the four saltiest bodies of water in the world. Its special conditions are an outcome of its extreme geomorphological structure with a harsh desert climate. Its geography has altered slightly throughout the years, and it is currently 50 kilometers (31 miles) long and 15 kilometers (9 miles) wide at its widest point. It is about 380 meters deep and contains about 40 billion gallons of water.  At 430 meters below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth.

Because water is no longer being pumped into the Dead Sea from former sources like the Jordan River. 

 Why is the Dead Sea called the Dead Sea?

Due to the extreme salt density of its water, the Dead Sea is a harsh environment in which plants and animals cannot live. The earliest known name is recorded in the Hebrew Bible, where it is referred to as “the Salt Sea”.

Though early translations into foreign languages continued to use the original name of “Salt Sea”, by the Roman era, visitors to Judea began calling it “The Dead Sea”, as they noticed that the waters were devoid of all life forms, whether plants or animals. 

Aquatic organisms like fish and plants simply cannot thrive in the extremely saline environment of the Dead Sea, and it was named for the lack of animal and plant life. There are, however, minuscule quantities of bacteria and microbial fungi in the water. Due to its desert climate, the surrounding area is also barren, with a scarcity of plants and animals in the nearby region. 

Why do you float in the Dead Sea?

 Salty Dead Sea is due to the gradual evaporation of water over the years, due to the desert climate. Its salt content is derived from the erosion of rocks on land, with their salt ions driven by rivers into the landlocked lake. Its extremely low elevation means that water cannot escape the Dead Sea once it enters, and exposed to the intense heat, the water evaporates more quickly, leading to an intense salinity.

One of the main must-do activities on all tourists’ lists is floating in the Dead Sea.  Because of the high concentration of salt, the water is much denser than plain fresh water, meaning that our body weight is lighter – which causes us to float!

 

Dead Sea Salt Benefits

•  The high concentration of antiseptic minerals in the mud and salt of the Dead Sea makes it especially beneficial for skin diseases. Dead Sea treatments are not only limited to the treatment of skin conditions. Other medical conditions such as arthritis and asthma have been known to benefit from the air and water of the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is a wonderful place we can visit to explore the beauty of nature and to get benefit of it.