The Dead Sea, a coveted salt lake prominent for its high salinity, might not be around for much longer. Recent reports say the Dead Sea is “dying,” and its banks are collapsing.

According to Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Dead Sea water level is declining by about four feet per year. The central part of the lake is now around 950 feet deep — about 15% shallower and a third of the surface area compared to its shape half a century ago.

For thousands of years, the Dead Sea has been a unique travel destination that has attracted visitors from all around the world because of its natural wonders, from wellness to religious relevance.

Real Research, an online survey app, attempted to gather public opinions and call for society’s awareness regarding the Dead Sea’s declining sea level on the survey it recently launched– a survey on the Dead Sea’s declining sea level and receding shoreline.

The survey report further highlights the following:

  • 56.14% are highly familiar with the Dead Sea
  • 59.54% find building a canal from the Red Sea would be the most effective solution to the Dead Sea’s declining sea level
  • 39.59% advised Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry not to renew the agreement with the Israeli company

94.31% Are Familiar With the Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is ancient, and the history of its salty, therapeutic waters goes back to the Bible. In detail, 56.14% are highly familiar with the salt lake, 25.38% are moderately familiar, and 12.79% are slightly familiar. The rest (5.68%) are unfamiliar with the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea Is “Dying”

The lake’s water level drops four feet yearly.

About 6 in 10 of the survey respondents (60.24%) are fully aware of the Dead Sea’s declining sea level. While 28.97% know a few details about the salt lake’s current condition, others (10.79%) are unaware.

Causes-of-Dead-Seas-water-depletion
Figure 1: Causes of Dead Sea’s water depletion

Regarding the main cause of the Dead Sea’s water depletion, survey respondents blame the increased heat due to climate change (30.5%). Others believe the “drying up” is due to the decreasing inflow of freshwater (14.58%), the hot and arid climate of the Middle East (14.16%), and the diversion of Dead Sea’s waterways to other water sources (12.88%).

Read Also: Over 70% Are Aware of Global Policies to Reduce Climate Change

Solutions to the “Drying” Dead Sea

The World Bank, the Israeli government, and a Middle East ecological peace organization have advanced proposals to rehabilitate the lake. From their recommendations, respondents (59.54%) find building a canal from the Red Sea would be the most effective solution to the Dead Sea’s declining sea level.

The rest agree with boosting Jordan’s river flow (27.71%) and requiring mining companies to pay for the lake’s rehabilitation (6.51%).

Israels-Environmental-Protection-Ministrys-terms-on-the-Dead-Sea
Figure 2: Respondents’ opinions on Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry’s terms on the Dead Sea

Israeli company’s concession rights of extracting the Dead Sea water and minerals will expire in 2030, seeking a new agreement in the coming years.

The majority of the survey respondents (39.59%) advised Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry not to renew the agreement with the Israeli company.

Meanwhile, 34.88% proposed to just call for new terms of the agreement, and the rest (25.53%) wanted to retain the same terms (25.53%).

Read Also: 80% Heard of Extreme Heat Warnings Issued Caused by European Heat Waves

Will the Israeli-Jordanian Agreement Be Successful?

At the UN Climate Change Conference, COP27, a joint Israeli-Jordanian agreement was signed to address the Dead Sea’s declining sea level, to which most respondents are optimistic about its success.

35.25% believe it is somewhat probable for the agreement to successfully solve the Dead Sea’s declining sea level. 35.13% see it as highly probable to be a success, while the rest (21.32%) see it as improbable.

The Future of the Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is a spectacular natural wonder perfect for wellness and religious tourism, making it a unique travel destination worldwide. Due to the Dead Sea’s declining sea level and receding shoreline, 36.87% think the condition will extremely affect its tourism industry. Others (23.11%) think its impact on tourism can be moderate, and the rest (3.84%) believe it won’t have an effect.

Number-of-years-the-Dead-Sea-can-survive
Figure 3: Number of years the Dead Sea can survive

Some experts believe the Dead Sea will be gone by 2050, while others say it will never fully disappear but survive at a fraction of its current size.

Survey respondents, on the other hand, tried to measure the years they believed the Dead Sea could survive. Responses are the following:

5-9 years (30.56%), 10-14 years (23.89%), 15-19 years (18.68%), 20-29 years (12.86%), and 30-39 years (4.79%).

Methodology

Survey TitleSurvey on the Dead Sea’s Declining Sea Level and Receding Shoreline
DurationDecember 17 – December 24, 2022
Number of Participants20,000
DemographicsMales and females, aged 21 to 99
Participating Countries Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, China (Hong Kong) China (Macao), China (Taiwan), Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greanada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Maldives, Maluritania, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar [Burma], Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.