The Dead Sea is not completely dead.
The Dead Sea is not completely dead. The most saline lake on Earth (more than 10 times saltier than sea water) is a harsh environment where only salt-loving microbes from the Archaea domain, known as extreme halophiles, are able to survive. Geologists are interested in the evolution of this lake and have been investigating its subsurface to reconstruct its biological and geological history. The salty sediments of the Dead Sea are still full of mysteries, in particular regarding the life forms harbored there, commonly called the deep subsurface biosphere.
There is a vast microbial biomass below Earth’s surface, which survives without oxygen, light, or fresh food delivery. This subsurface biosphere has been the subject of numerous scientific studies. Its importance in global biogeochemical cycles is largely acknowledged, and constant efforts are being carried out to estimate the limits of life development in these extreme environments, as they present an immense potential for medical and biotechnology research. Given its exceptional salinity, the Dead Sea subsurface is an environment where life is pushed to its limits and, as such, constitutes a prime choice to investigate how life forms can adapt and thrive.
Read more at Geological Society of America
Photo: Aerial photograph of the Dead Sea western shore. Parallel paleo shorelines show the intense water level drop (currently about 1 m per year). Salt (halite) actively precipitating from the water column gives this light blue color to the lake. Photography courtesy of the International Continental scientific Drilling Program.
