The complex of Jordanian salt evaporation ponds at the southern end of the Dead Sea has expanded significantly over the past dozen years. The western margin of the salt ponds marks the Jordan-Israel border. In August 1989, when the crew of Space Shuttle mission STS28 photographed the region, the northern extension did not exist and the large polygonal ponds in the northwestern and northeastern se ... read more >>

The number of casualties from Israel's three- week-long offensive against militants in the Gaza Strip was "extremely shocking," the United Nations humanitarian chief John Holmes said Thursday as he began a five-day fact-finding mission in the battered salient. Holmes said the most immediate concerns were to provide clean water, electricity, sanitation and shelter for those who lost their homes in ... read more >>

In name only, the Dead Sea may not sound like the most charming place in the world to visit. Despite its gloomy moniker, however, the salty body of water is known for its ability to bolster the mind, body and soul. Only one of the many fascinating aspects of the Dead Sea is the fact that, since its surface is 1,300 feet (396 m) below sea level, its shore is the lowest dry point on Earth [source: ... read more >>

This is an interesting paper on using optimization to study the collective management of water resources.

Abstract: Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) recommends, among other things, that the management of water resources systems be carried out at the lowest appropriate level in order to increase the transparency, acceptability and efficiency of the decision-making process. Empowerin ... read more >>

Iran expects to have five large dams completed by its year end, in late March, out of the total of 94 major projects under construction.

The country has had lower rainfall in many areas and is pushing ahead with its dam building programme despite limited materials supplies over the past year. Limited funding was also an issue and the Government has increased credits to the water sector, said t ... read more >>

Peak oil may be the least of our problems, scientists warned today. Growing industrial demand for water in developing countries such as China, rapidly expanding urban populations and the efficiency with which we use water have increased the risk of "peak water" – a resource that most of us presume will be infinite – entering a terminal decline.

Of course, we already knew one of the big eco-bum ... read more >>

A new US report concludes that Florida and Louisiana are the states most vulnerable to sea-level rise, followed by North Carolina and Texas.

The new report focuses on the coastal states from North Carolina to New York where the rates of sea-level rise are moderately high. The region has extensive coastal development, a high population and is likely to be at increased risk. ... read more >>

In a world running out of clean, accessible water, the question of who decides its allocation is crucial. Is access to water a human right or just a need? Is water a common good like air or a commodity like Coca-Cola? Who is being given the right or the power to turn on or off the tap - the people, governments or the invisible hand of the market? Who sets the price of water for a poor district in ... read more >>

Jan 20 - A leading member of the U.N. Climate Panel David Vaughan is recording what he says are worrying signs of glacier melt adding to world sea levels.

Vaughan, a glaciologist with the British Antarctic Survey, made his remarks to Reuters in an open speedboat crossing a bay on the Antarctic Peninsula which had been blanketed by ice for thousands of years but is now open water.

The bay is ... read more >>

A swelling global population, changing diets and mankind's expanding “water footprint” could be bringing an end to the era of cheap water.

The warnings, in an annual report by the Pacific Institute in California, come as ecologists have begun adopting the term “peak ecological water” — the point where, like the concept of “peak oil”, the world has to confront a natural limit on something once ... read more >>