Land sinking as Dead Sea shrinks (food crops)

[ensho]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/02/20102362552838501.html


The Dead Sea in Jordan is shrinking at an alarming rate - a development that has led to the creation of some 3,000 sinkholes along the sea's coasts.

The sea has shrunk by a third since the 1960s when its major water source - the River Jordan - was diverted for upstream projects in Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

But for many people, the projects have backfired and the farmers who work near the sea say the once verdant and fertile land has become increasingly barren.
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there is a very interesting video. sink holes are man made. people up stream keeping the water from going to down stream people. S.Florida is going through the same thing but not on as large a scale as the Dead Sea Area. and the sink holes are not as deep as the D.S.

regardless, the sinks will continue to appear. they say maybe 2000 new ones this yr. at the D.S. egads!

[ensho]

1. kicking back to pg. 1 because these happenings are POLITICAL

and as there is less and less water the surrounding countries are getting seriously angry.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. In danger of going the way of the Aral Sea

http://earthshots.usgs.gov/Aral/Aral

[Uncle Joe]

5. Here's a close up shot of what used to be the Aral Sea.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aral_sea

Thanks to ensho for the thread.

[bikebloke]

3. I used to work on moshav at the south end of the Dead Sea.

The crops were irrigated with saline ground water fed through drippers and plastic sheeting to keep the moisture in the sand. Nutrients were fed with the water. About a year or two ago I saw a video about the Dead Sea. The shore had retreated in the distance. I wondered about water situation.

Though even with rosey-specs of hind sight, it still appears as everyone referred to it as "the fucking moshav".

[ensho]

4. interesting. thanks for the on site comments

nt