title: New perspectives on interdisciplinary earth science at the Dead Sea: The DESERVE project.
abstract: The Dead Sea region has faced substantial environmental challenges in recent decades, including water resource scarcity, ~1m annual decreases in the water level, sinkhole development, ascending-brine freshwater pollution, and seismic disturbance risks. Natural processes are significantly affected by human interference as well as by climate change and tectonic developments over the long term. To get a deep understanding of processes and their interactions, innovative scientific approaches that integrate disciplinary research and education are required. The research project DESERVE (Helmholtz Virtual Institute Dead Sea Research Venue) addresses these challenges in an interdisciplinary approach that includes geophysics, hydrology, and meteorology. The project is implemented by a consortium of scientific institutions in neighboring countries of the Dead Sea (Israel, Jordan, Palestine Territories) and participating German Helmholtz Centres (KIT, GFZ, UFZ). A new monitoring network of meteorological, hydrological, and seismic/geodynamic stations has been established, and extensive field research and numerical simulations have been undertaken. For the first time, innovative measurement and modeling techniques have been applied to the extreme conditions of the Dead Sea and its surroundings. The preliminary results show the potential of these methods. First time ever performed eddy covariance measurements give insight into the governing factors of Dead Sea evaporation. High-resolution bathymetric investigations reveal a strong correlation between submarine springs and neo-tectonic patterns. Based on detailed studies of stratigraphy and borehole information, the extension of the subsurface drainage basin of the Dead Sea is now reliably estimated. Originality has been achieved in monitoring flash floods in an arid basin at its outlet and simultaneously in tributaries, supplemented by spatio-temporal rainfall data. Low-altitude, high resolution photogrammetry, allied to satellite image analysis and to geophysical surveys (e.g. shear-wave reflections) has enabled a more detailed characterization of sinkhole morphology and temporal development and the possible subsurface controls thereon. All the above listed efforts and scientific results take place with the interdisciplinary education of young scientists. They are invited to attend joint thematic workshops and winter schools as well as to participate in field experiments.
authors.affiliation: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann von Helmholtz Platz 1, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany. Electronic address: Christoph.Kottmeier@kit.edu.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kottmeier
authors.affiliation: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Amotz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agnon
authors.affiliation: GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany.
authors.forename: Djamil
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Al-Halbouni
authors.affiliation: Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.
authors.forename: Pinhas
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Alpert
authors.affiliation: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann von Helmholtz Platz 1, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Corsmeier
authors.affiliation: GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany.
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dahm
authors.affiliation: Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eshel
authors.affiliation: Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 06120 Halle, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Geyer
authors.affiliation: GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haas
authors.affiliation: GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany.
authors.forename: Eoghan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Holohan
authors.affiliation: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann von Helmholtz Platz 1, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kalthoff
authors.affiliation: Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kishcha
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG), Stilleweg 2, 30655 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Krawczyk
authors.affiliation: Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lati
authors.affiliation: Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Jonathan B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Laronne
authors.affiliation: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann von Helmholtz Platz 1, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Friederike
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lott
authors.affiliation: Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 06120 Halle, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulf
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Mallast
authors.affiliation: Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 06120 Halle, Germany.
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Merz
authors.affiliation: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann von Helmholtz Platz 1, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jutta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Metzger
authors.affiliation: An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.
authors.forename: Ayman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mohsen
authors.affiliation: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Efrat
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Morin
authors.affiliation: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann von Helmholtz Platz 1, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nied
authors.affiliation: Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 06120 Halle, Germany.
authors.forename: Tino
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rödiger
authors.affiliation: The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
authors.forename: Elias
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Salameh
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR), Amman, Jordan.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sawarieh
authors.affiliation: Al Balqa Applied University, As Salt, Jordan.
authors.forename: Benbella
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shannak
authors.affiliation: Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 06120 Halle, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Siebert
authors.affiliation: GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany; University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weber
keywords: Climate; Education; Flash floods; Seismicity; Sinkholes; Water balance