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The Dead Sea is the lowest place on land on Earth, more than 400 metres below sea level. It is also shrinking. Every year its water level drops by about one metre, and the shore moves further away from the hotels and beaches that were once right next to the water.

The main reason is simple. In the past, the Jordan River brought large amounts of fresh water into the sea. Today most of that water is used for farming and drinking long before it reaches the Dead Sea. At the same time, the hot sun makes the water evaporate — it turns into gas and disappears into the air. Water leaves, but very little comes in.

As the sea gets smaller, a strange danger has appeared on its shores: sinkholes. A sinkhole is a hole that opens suddenly in the ground, sometimes without any warning. Under the ground near the Dead Sea there are thick layers of salt. When fresh water from the rain and from underground springs flows through them, it dissolves the salt, just as sugar disappears in a cup of tea. An empty space forms under the surface, and one day the ground above it collapses.

Today there are thousands of sinkholes along the shore. Some are as small as a table; others are wide and deep enough to swallow a car. Roads have been damaged, a famous beach at Ein Gedi had to close, and farmers have lost parts of their fields. Unlike ordinary holes, which you can see from far away, sinkholes are often hidden until the moment they open. That is why signs along the shore warn visitors to stay on the marked paths.

Scientists are trying to predict where the next sinkhole will appear. They use special cameras on small planes to measure tiny changes in the ground. It is not a perfect method, but it has already saved lives.

The Dead Sea is the lowest place on land on Earth, more than 400 metres below sea level. It is also shrinking. Every year its water level drops by about one metre, and the shore moves further away from the hotels and beaches that were once right next to the water.

The main reason is simple. In the past, the Jordan River brought large amounts of fresh water into the sea. Today most of that water is used for farming and drinking long before it reaches the Dead Sea. At the same time, the hot sun makes the water evaporate — it turns into gas and disappears into the air. Water leaves, but very little comes in.

As the sea gets smaller, a strange danger has appeared on its shores: sinkholes. A sinkhole is a hole that opens suddenly in the ground, sometimes without any warning. Under the ground near the Dead Sea there are thick layers of salt. When fresh water from the rain and from underground springs flows through them, it dissolves the salt, just as sugar disappears in a cup of tea. An empty space forms under the surface, and one day the ground above it collapses.

Today there are thousands of sinkholes along the shore. Some are as small as a table; others are wide and deep enough to swallow a car. Roads have been damaged, a famous beach at Ein Gedi had to close, and farmers have lost parts of their fields. Unlike ordinary holes, which you can see from far away, sinkholes are often hidden until the moment they open. That is why signs along the shore warn visitors to stay on the marked paths.

Scientists are trying to predict where the next sinkhole will appear. They use special cameras on small planes to measure tiny changes in the ground. It is not a perfect method, but it has already saved lives.

The Dead Sea is the lowest place on land on Earth, more than 400 metres below sea level. It is also shrinking. Every year its water level drops by about one metre, and the shore moves further away from the hotels and beaches that were once right next to the water.

The main reason is simple. In the past, the Jordan River brought large amounts of fresh water into the sea. Today most of that water is used for farming and drinking long before it reaches the Dead Sea. At the same time, the hot sun makes the water evaporate — it turns into gas and disappears into the air. Water leaves, but very little comes in.

As the sea gets smaller, a strange danger has appeared on its shores: sinkholes. A sinkhole is a hole that opens suddenly in the ground, sometimes without any warning. Under the ground near the Dead Sea there are thick layers of salt. When fresh water from the rain and from underground springs flows through them, it dissolves the salt, just as sugar disappears in a cup of tea. An empty space forms under the surface, and one day the ground above it collapses.

Today there are thousands of sinkholes along the shore. Some are as small as a table; others are wide and deep enough to swallow a car. Roads have been damaged, a famous beach at Ein Gedi had to close, and farmers have lost parts of their fields. Unlike ordinary holes, which you can see from far away, sinkholes are often hidden until the moment they open. That is why signs along the shore warn visitors to stay on the marked paths.

Scientists are trying to predict where the next sinkhole will appear. They use special cameras on small planes to measure tiny changes in the ground. It is not a perfect method, but it has already saved lives.