2006-10-21 08:56:58 · 22 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
No. Hence the name Dead Sea.
2006-10-21 08:57:50 · answer #1 · answered by Izzy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The sea is called "dead" because its high salinity means no fish or macroscopic aquatic organisms can live in it, though minuscule quantities of bacteria and microbial fungi are present.
In times of flood the salt content of the Dead Sea can drop from its usual 35% salinity to 30% or lower. In the wakes of rainy winters the Dead Sea temporarily comes to life. In 1980, after one such rainy winter, the normally dark blue Dead Sea turned red. Researchers from Hebrew University found the Dead Sea to be teeming with a type of algae called Dunaliella. The Dunaliella in turn nourished carotenoid-containing (red-pigmented) halobacteria whose presence is responsible for the color change. Since 1980 the Dead Sea basin has been dry and the algae and the bacteria have not returned in measurable numbers.
Many animal species make their homes in the mountains surrounding the Dead Sea. A hiker can see camels, ibexes, hares, hyraxes, jackals, foxes, and even leopards. Hundreds of bird species inhabit the zone as well. Both Jordan and Israel have established nature reserves around the Dead Sea.
2006-10-21 09:00:48 · answer #2 · answered by t_roy_e 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is called the dead sea because literally nothing lives in it It's called the Dead Sea because nothing lives in it. It is some of the saltiest water anywhere in the world, almost six times as salty as the ocean! The Dead Sea is completely landlocked and it gets saltier with increasing depth. The surface, fed by the River Jordan, is the least saline. Down to about 130 feet (40 meters), the seawater comprises about 300 grams of salt per kilogram of seawater. That's about ten times the salinity of the oceans. Below 300 feet, though, the sea has 332 grams of salt per kilogram of seawater and is saturated. Salt precipitates out and piles up on the bottom of the sea.
There's no seaweed or plants of any kind in or around the water. There are no fish or any kind of swimming, squirming creatures living in or near the water. As a matter of fact, what you'll see on the shores of the Sea is white, crystals of salt covering EVERYTHING. And this is no ordinary table salt, either. The salts found in the Dead Sea are mineral salts, just like you find in the oceans of the world, only in extreme concentrations. The water in the Dead Sea is deadly to living things. Fish accidentally swimming into the waters from one of the several freshwater streams that feed the Sea are killed instantly, their bodies quickly coated with a preserving layer of salt crystals and then tossed onto shore by the wind and waves. Brutal!
The guy to the left is actually floating in the Dead Sea. "But, hey, I thought you said the Dead Sea was DEADLY!" Not to us. Humans are remarkably adaptable. We can swim in the Dead Sea, just like we can swim in the ocean. Well, people don't really "swim" in the Dead Sea - they just "hang out". That's what's so cool about the Dead Sea. Because of the extremely high concentration of dissolved mineral salts in the water its density is way more than that of plain old fresh water. What this means is our bodies are more buoyant in the Dead Sea - so you bob like a cork. In fact, people are so buoyant in this water, it makes it kinda tough to actually swim. Most people like to just kick back in the water and read. It almost looks as though this guy is sitting on an air mattress that has sunk below the surface, but he's not. He's really just floating, without having to hold is feet in that position! If you think this is easy, try floating like this in a freshwater swimming pool.
What Caused the Dead Sea to Form?
2006-10-21 08:58:49 · answer #3 · answered by julie l 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Do you know they once found a Sainsburys shopping trolley in the dead sea, makes you wonder how it got there.
2006-10-21 09:34:49 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some microorganisms do live in it, but no creatures or plants of any real consequence live in that salty sea.
2006-10-21 09:07:03 · answer #5 · answered by monkeymanelvis 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes ! My ex mother-in Law floated on it for a while. She is still around. But probably contributed to the demise of any other life form.
2006-10-21 09:13:32 · answer #6 · answered by peter h 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Only some very hardy bacteria..but nothing larger than that.
It tastes awful too ( I got a mouthful when I floated in it for a photo)
2006-10-21 09:01:06 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, the salt content is so high that any living creature would just float on the surface.
2006-10-21 10:24:48 · answer #8 · answered by darksam3 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dead things stay there but not live.
2006-10-21 08:58:52 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
NO! God said that in that sea nothing should live ... and that is it.
The sea is called "dead" because its high salinity means no fish or macroscopic aquatic organisms can live in it, though minuscule quantities of bacteria and microbial fungi are present.
so other than that nothing
2006-10-21 08:58:44 · answer #10 · answered by sorayaengland 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋