Dead Sea, Israel, Jordan, West Bank

The water surface level of the Dead Sea is the lowest natural land or water surface on Earth at more than 400 meters below sea level. That level continues to lower as water from Dead Sea tributaries is diverted for irrigation. In the southern part of the sea, the salt and potash industries use water from the sea in evaporation ponds. Water is not quickly replenished in this closed basin, so the level continues to drop.

The sea is made up of a northern basin and a southern basin. Both basins were once connected by a strait (see the 1973 image), but the strait is now dry.

(Black stripes run through some of the Landsat 7 images because its Scan Line Corrector failed in May 2003.)

Imagery

Jan. 1, 1973, Landsat 1 (path/row 187/38) — Dead Sea

Aug. 30, 1990, Landsat 4 (path/row 174/38) — Dead Sea

Feb. 15, 2000, Landsat 7 (path/row 174/38) — Dead Sea

Oct. 28, 2000, Landsat 7 (path/row 174/38) — Dead Sea

Nov. 11, 2005, Landsat 7 (path/row 174/38) — Dead Sea

June 18, 2013, Landsat 8 (path/row 174/38) — Dead Sea

June 13, 2017, Landsat 8 (path/row 174/38) — Dead Sea

June 5, 2020, Landsat 8 (path/row 174/38) — Dead Sea

June 11, 2022, Landsat 8 (path/row 174/38) — Dead Sea

June 14, 2023, Landsat 8 (path/row 174/38) — Dead Sea

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