Springs of Life in the Dead Sea Scientists discover dense and
diverse microbial communities in and around fresh water springs
on the Dead Sea floor The deepest point on the surface of the
earth is the Dead Sea in Israel. Now a joint Israeli – German
team of scientists found several systems of freshwater springs
on the Dead Sea floor. Their presence has been speculated for
decades as concentric ripples on the water surface are visible
near the shore, but only with divers it was possible to detect
this complex system of springs reaching 30 m depth. To locate
and study these springs was quite a task for the scientific
diving team, as the high salt concentration makes the diving
dangerous and difficult. The divers located the springs and took
water and sediment samples in which they detected novel
microorganisms. Until the 1950s the Dead Sea was getting its
main water supply from the river Jordan. When this source was
cut off to supply drinking water, the sea level of the Dead Sea
started to drop at an alarming r