Changes in the thermo-haline structure of the Dead Sea: 1979-1984

From 1979 to 1984, the overall water balance of the Dead Sea was characterized by a water deficit. However, an excess of freshwater inflow during the 1979/80 rainy season resulted in a 3-year-long meromictic phase. This was followed by three consecutive overturns of the water column in December 1982, 1983 and 1984. The buildup and dissipation of the seasonal thermocline and halocline is followed throughout this period which covers a wide range of water balance situations. The gravitational stabilities of the summer pycnoclines, measured in terms of N² ∼ 3×10^-2 s^-2, are at least one order of magnitude greater than the values reported in freshwater lakes and oceans. The contributions of temperature and salinity to N² and to the integrated stability W are examined separately, and their interdependence is pointed out. Two irreversible effects in the evolution of the properties of the water masses are identified: (1) a monotonic increase in the density of the deep waters; and (2) a monotonic shift of the NaCl saturation curve towards higher salinities.