RECENT CHANGES IN THE CLIMATE AT THE DEAD SEA - A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Abstract

In the last decade pan evaporation measured at the Southern Dead Sea has significantly increased. Wind, temperature and humidity measurements at the Dead Sea starting in the 1930s as well as 3-D model simulations all seem to indicate a statistically significant change in the local climate of the Dead Sea region. The potential contribution to this climatic change through the weakening of the local land-sea breeze circulation caused by the reduction in the Dead Sea surface area in 1979–1981, is examined. It is suggested that since the breeze tempers the Dead Sea climate, its weakening has caused the air temperature to increase, the relative humidity to decrease and thus increased the pan evaporation. The climatic changes as implied by the MM4 Mesoscale PSU/NCAR model simulations, seem to fit the observed changes and to suggest a local tendency to the more arid climate that now prevails to the south of the study region.