Several large springs along the Dead Sea shores drain the Eastern Mountain Aquifer, with the major ones being Einot Zuqim, Einot Kane, and Einot Samar. Over the past 50 years, the Dead Sea level has consistently declined, currently at a rate of 1.1 m/year. The shoreline consists of alluvial fans with high hydraulic conductivity and lacustrine deposits (clay and marl) with lower conductivity. As the lake level drops, the coastal geological environment undergoes continuous changes.
For two decades, systematic monitoring has been conducted: the Hydrological Service measures spring discharge, while the Geological Survey of Israel monitors groundwater levels in multiple piezometers. This makes the Dead Sea a rare case where a hydrological system responding to a declining base level is directly observed.
Observations reveal that as the base level declines, the regional flow field changes. Instead of a simple seaward flow, groundwater is increasingly routed through alluvial fans, which act as drainage pathways. This shift is reflected in fewer monitored discharge points, the merging of multiple outflows into main channels, and groundwater level stabilization or even rise in some piezometers, particularly at Einot Kane and Zuqim. Conversely, at Einot Samar, the connection to the lake persists, causing discharge points to migrate southward toward the Dragot alluvial fan, where gravel layers remain in contact with the lake. Continuous hydraulic head monitoring also reveals distinct groundwater response rates between alluvial fans and the lower-conductivity areas between them.
This ongoing monitoring provides insights into hydrological system changes on much larger temporal and spatial scales, such as past oceanic shifts in geological history.