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As noted, the Dead Sea and its infrastructures are expected to continue changing due to further water loss or to the results of the “Two Seas Conduit”. Thus the crystallization of the policy for the future of the Dead Sea requires an examination of these long-range changes. Implications of the “Two Seas Conduit” must determine the future character of the lake, whether it may lose its uniqueness, and what environmental effects are to be expected.
Certain aspects were earlier examined in the framework of the Mediterranean-Dead Sea Company. These and other studies point to expected trends, but without either quantification or development of models to anticipate long-range changes under different conditions. The Geological Survey is preparing a limnological model for the Dead Sea that would allow the prediction of the physical behavior of the water column and the development of the layering with time under different flow conditions. Since the development of the layering is a function of interdependent variables, including chemistry, climate, rate of evaporation, hydrology around the lake, and others, the basic model must have input from these variables and must follow their changes over time. The model can predict different scenarios that can be examined and the optimal conditions for its operation can be chosen. Thus, for example, the model must respond to the development of the lake under different rates of seawater flow, as well to differences in its level of concentration.
The model will enable the planners to determine optimal flow and to dictate the character of the canal or water pipes. In the future, the model will constitute a working tool for the proper operation of the two-seas canal/pipeline, and will enable the operator to foresee the long-range behavior of the sea and to determine the policy of flow, volume, anticipated deposition of salts, and more.
For the full text of the report on "The Impact of the Proposed 'Peace Conduit' on the Dead Sea", click below : More Information
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