The Dead Sea's shoreline is already the lowest dry land on Earth. Every year it drops further, as the river that fed it is diverted upstream. The map shows the sea it used to be, the half that is left, and the ground caving in where the water was.
How fast the Dead Sea's surface is falling now,
up from 0.7 m a year in the 1970s–80s · Israeli Environment Ministry
The world's lowest exposed places sit in deserts and rift valleys. The Dead Sea is lower than the next one by almost three times.
METRES BELOW SEA LEVEL. ONE HUE, LIGHT → DARK WITH DEPTH. FLOOR VALUE DERIVED (SEE NOTES).
The water has gone from about 1,050 km² in 1930 to roughly 605 km² today. Most of the loss is the shallow southern basin, which dried out entirely.
1930 & TODAY: WIKIPEDIA SURVEY COMPILATION · 1950 & 2006: ISRAELI MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT (2006).
In the 1970s the surface fell about 0.7 m a year. Today it falls about 1.2 m, a total of roughly 30 m since 1970.
METRES OF VERTICAL DROP PER YEAR.
Most of the Jordan River is now diverted upstream for farms and cities. Less than a tenth of its long-term flow still reaches the sea, while the desert sun keeps evaporating it.
SHARE OF LONG-TERM AVERAGE JORDAN RIVER INFLOW. “< 10%” DRAWN AT 9.5% FOR ILLUSTRATION.
As the shoreline drops, fresh groundwater moves in and dissolves salt layers buried under the old shore. The ground above them collapses, and it has swallowed roads, date groves and a beach resort.
The gap between the dashed 1930 shore and today's water is land that was underwater within living memory. That strip is where the sinkholes are.
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