Talk:Dead Sea

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[edit] Volume

The volume is incorrect. 147 km³ is not the same as 91 mi³ (143 km³ is about 35 mi³). Which figure is correct? 143 km³ or 91 mi³? This page says the volume is 128 billion m³ (which is 128 km³) with a surface level of -409 meters.

Neonstz 16:59, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Density

can anyone put (a rough idea) of the density of water at the dead sea. in gm/cc or kg per meter cube as you wish i think it would be useful to put a rough figure even if it is not exact.

nids 22:25, 24 July 2006 (UTC)


[edit] Which is the lower point?

This article claims the Dead Sea is the lowest point on the surface of the Earth, but the Bentley Subglacial Trench article makes the same claim. I think the claim here should be removed, unless there is some technicality at work, in which case that technicality needs to be mentioned. Danorris 00:20, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

I'd never heard of the Bentley Subglacial Trench before you asked this question, but the trench must be under ice. The Dead Sea is always given as the lowest spot on the Earth's (exposed) surface. The Trench can be mentioned as an aside at the end of a paragraph. Dinopup 01:37, 8 August 2005 (UTC)
I think the Bentley Subglacial Trench article is simply wrong. The trench is not the "lowest point on the surface of the earth" -- that would be the Mariana Trench. It's certainly not the lowest exposed point, either, as it is covered with ice. I think the description of the Dead Sea as "lowest exposed point" is accurate and sufficient, and am changing it. -Dcfleck 18:56, 16 October 2005 (UTC)

I think that the dead sea is the 3rd lowest point after reading your guyz talk. This is really confusing for me cause I am doing a report on Jordan and a lot of resorces say differant things about the Dead Sea.Cortneyrocks123

[edit] Claims about health benefits

Quite a bit of the claims about theraputic effects of the Dead Sea in this article seem like they've been copied directly out of some sort of Dead Sea health spa brochure. Particularly the claims about lowered UV content in the sunlight seems pretty suspect (frankly: unscientific nonsense). If nobody steps forward to provide credible references I will edit most of that stuff out. There's also a lot of redundant (sometimes contradictory) content about the chemical makeup of the water which needs to be addressed. --Bk0 16:54, 14 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Agreed; I've removed this worst offending paragaph - MPF 11:10, 20 December 2005 (UTC):
Sunlight at the Dead Sea is high in therapeutic UVA rays and low in burning UVB, so extended exposure is safe and low-risk. The filtering effect comes from a thick atmosphere: the Dead Sea is over 400 m below sea level and the ozone layer above it is minimally depleted. The Dead Sea is the only place on Earth where you can sunbathe for extended periods with little or no sunburn because harmful ultraviolet rays are filtered through three natural layers: an extra atmospheric layer, an evaporation layer that exists above the Dead Sea, and a rather thick ozone layer-even though CFCs are gradually eating it away elsewhere. The light at the Dead Sea is said to be especially good for people suffering from psoriasis.
I'm also removing the following 2 sentances:
The water of the Dead Sea contains 21 minerals including magnesium, calcium, bromine and potassium. Twelve of these are found in no other sea or ocean, and some are recognized for imparting a relaxed feeling, nourishing the skin, activating the circulatory system and for easing rheumatic discomfort and metabolic disorders.
If somebody can provide a verifiable source for them, please feel free to provide it an replace the lines. --Dcfleck 14:46, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] the Sea of Lot

The Arabic name for the Dead Sea translates directly as The Dead Sea. The arabic written in the opening portion (البحر الميت) is translated as The Dead Sea. I'm not sure if I've ever heard it referred to as the Sea of Lot (which would be written as بحر لوط), but I don't dispute that could also be referenced to in that way. Soviak

That's interesting that the Arabic says "Dead Sea." The Sea of Lot bit came from a book I read about the Dead Sea by Barbara Krieger. This website refers to the DS as "Bahr Lut." Could you add "Bahr Lut"? http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?pp/matpc:@field(NUMBER+@band(matpc+07359)) So does this one. http://www.o-allah.com/php/travel6.php Dinopup 00:19, 23 Mar 2005 (UTC)

I'm a translator by occupation but not a native speaker. I'm also new to editing content on Wikipedia and want to provide something useful in an area I have some expertise at. The DS is called "Al Bahr Al Mayyit" in arabic in news broadcasts, on the arabic Wikipedia, and on this website http://lexicorient.com/e.o/dead_sea.htm . It's the way i've found it most commonly used. I've ran through my dictionaries and the most reliable one says that "Bahr Lut" is used as well. How about the following as a proposed way of wording it:

In Arabic the Dead Sea, "Al Bahr Al Mayyit", is also called "Bahr Lut" meaning "the Sea of Lot." In past times Arabs called it the "Sea of Zoar," after a nearby town. To the Greeks, the Dead Sea was "Lake Asphaltites." (see below)

Kudos and Wikilove on the flora/fauna edit. I would have just posted this change in the first place on my own, but I'm still lacking confidence. Soviak


Are you sure it's Bahr al-mayyit? I've never heard death as "mayyit" (but then, I'm just an arabic student, not a translator), but only as mawt. Are they both used, or is mayyit coloquial (it seems to just be a different form w/ w->y as often happens). - Yom 21:17, 17 May 2006 (UTC)

It's not coloquial. Mawt is the noun while mayyit is the adjective. - Cybjorg 14:42, 18 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Ummm

So is the NaCl conc. 8% or 12-18%?!

Authoritative mineral concentrations are difficult to come by. I got my numbers from a commercial Dead Sea salt supplier's product analysis (adjusted to percentage minus water of crystallization), that's the origin of the 8% NaCl. I don't know where the figures in the next paragraph come from. --Bk0 23:59, 13 Apr 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Oren Shatz's links

Anon, what is the problem with Oren Shatz's external link? I found some of the photos on that site fascinating (and relevant). --Yath 22:13, 13 Apr 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Saving the Red Sea

The last section of the article is titled "Saving the Red Sea", but the threat is not well explained. It is touched upon early in the article in this sentence:

"Beginning in the 1960s water inflow to the Dead Sea from the Jordan River was reduced as a result of large-scale irrigation and generally low rainfall."
That raises my Q: is the Jordan R the only 1 flow into Dead Sea? It isn't clr from the article (as far as I could tell). Trekphiler 23:57, 5 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Faith & Sodom

The article puts it & Gomorrah on the shore of the Dead Sea; I've seen a doc that suggests they are both under it now... Can anybody cite a source? Trekphiler 23:59, 5 January 2006 (UTC)

Try searching the Jordan River then, it might not work though

[edit] Structures south of Dead Seas

What are those aquatic structures south of the Dead Sea, extending 13 x 30 km² in size, around 31.13° N 35.45° E? --Abdull 12:03, 14 February 2006 (UTC)

I'm not exactly sure, but given that the Dead Sea is slowly shrinking, perhaps they are a series of dams or lochs designed to control the amount of water. - Cybjorg 12:20, 14 February 2006 (UTC)
They look like evaporation basins, possibly for salt harvesting. --Dcfleck 12:55, 14 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] "elevation"

The article states that the Dead Sea has "an elevation of 394 m (1291 ft) below sea level". Wikipedia definition for Elevation: "The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point." So wouldn't the depth of the valley/whatever be 394m, not its elevation. The elevation would be -394m (negative 394 meters' elevation), right? --HJV 16:05, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

Technically, yes. It is a bit confusing, but the phrase does state that it is "below sea level". However, I would prefer it your way. - Cybjorg 05:10, 17 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Salinity %?

This state of Utah site claims water cannot go beyond 27%, but the article here says the Dead Sea is 31.5% salinity?

http://geology.utah.gov/online/PI-39/pi39pg9.htm

Who is incorrect?


Both are correct. You have to consider that the composition of Dead Sea water is different from common seawater.
The chemical composition of its mineral content is 53% MgCl2, 37% KCl, and very little NaCl (only 8%).
The solubility of NaCl at 25°C is 35.9g/100ml of water (representing therefore 26.4% of the weight of a saturated solution).
Compare that to the solubility of MgCl2 of 54.2 g/100ml of water [at 20°C], which corresponds to 35.1% of mineral weight in a saturated solution.
--HYC 11:42, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Geography.

Are there any cities around the Dead Sea? I really want to know that the name of cities around by Dead Sea from both sides(Israel, Palestine, Jordan).. I think that there is no city name next to Dead Sea. Do you know the city's name next to Dead Sea? Is dead sea nearby mountain from Israel, Palestine Sides? Daniel5127, 02:04, 30 April 2006(UTC)

[edit] Jordan River

Wasn't the Jordan River diverted for agriculture and not flowing into the Dead Sea?

Ascend 17:19, 3 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Salinity: Dead Sea vs. Don Juan Pond

The beginning of the article states that the Dead Sea has the highest Salinity of any body of water, but at the bottom it states that West Antarctica's Don Juan Pond has a greater salinity. Which is it? Bored 3779 18:17, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Don Juan pond is just a small pond, I suppose anyone could create artificially a saturated pond with higher salinity. I don't know, does a small pond count as a "body of water"?--Doron 23:16, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Salinity

Wikipedia Articles state that the Dead Sea is the most saline body of water...however the Red Sea (in it's wikipedia article) has "Salinity ranges between 36 and 38 ‰" Compared to the Dead Sea's "salinity of about 30%" These two seem incompable, so someone should look into this...

Well, Bakerbri (pls sign your msgs), the difference is in the '%' and '‰'. The first is percent, or hundredths, and the second is per-thousands (note the extra zero under the slash mark.) So, the Red Sea at 36 to 38 ‰ is equal to 3.6 to 3.8% (percent), not unusual for ocean water, and much less saline than Dead Sea. Hope this helps. PBarak 00:20, 29 January 2007 (UTC)
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