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Science 5 October 1979:
Vol. 206. no. 4414, pp. 55 - 57
DOI: 10.1126/science.206.4414.55
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Articles

The Dead Sea: Deepening of the Mixolimnion Signifies the Overture to Overturn of the Water Column

I. STEINHORN 1, G. ASSAF 1, J. R. GAT 1, A. NISHRY 1, A. NISSENBAUM 1, M. STILLER 1, M. BEYTH 2, D. NEEV 2, R. GARBER 3, G. M. FRIEDMAN 3, and W. WEISS 4

1 Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
2 Israel Geological Survey, Jerusalem
3 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12181
4 University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

Throttling of freshwater inputs into the meromictic Dead Sea weakened the long-term stability of the water column. Between 1975 and 1978 successive deepenings of the pycnocline from 70 meters to beyond 200 meters were recorded. Complete overturn finally took place during the winter of 1978-1979. This unique process was accompanied by changes in the geochemistry of several components.

Submitted on March 1, 1979
Revised on May 21, 1979


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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I. Gavrieli and M. Stein (2006)
Geological Society of America Special Papers 401, 183-194
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The Science and Politics of the Dead Sea: Red Sea Canal or Pipeline.
B. N. Asmar (2003)
The Journal of Environment Development 12, 325-339
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