The Dead Sea is greatly effected by anthropogenic influence. The dramatic decrease in runoff (esp. from the Jordan River) and the use of Dead Sea water in Dead Sea Works Ltd. lead to a rapid drop in sea level (about 1 m/year) as well as a drastic inter-annual change in the thermohaline structure and water chemical composition. The aim of this project is to monitor these changes in order to:
- have a better understanding of the processes taking place in the Dead Sea,
- optimize the use of natural resources,
- estimate future changes to hydrologic state of the Dead Sea.
The work is carried out in collaboration with The Geological Survey of Israel.
The Israel Marine Data Center (ISRAMAR) was established in 2001 at the IOLR as the national repository for oceanographic data. ISRAMAR acquires, archives, and distributes data and information on Israel's marine environment and is a member of the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) network. ISRAMAR activity deals with different types of marine data (historical, near real-time, forecast).