Like the Great Salt Lake, the Middle East's Dead Sea is fed by a river called Jordan. But unlike Utah's much-abused inland sea, many fear the Dead Sea is in mortal danger of ecological collapse thanks to water diversions to thirsty populations and extractive industries in Jordan and Israel.

The water level is expected to drop another 100 meters in the future, wrecking lakeside infrastructure as sinkholes form under roads and buildings and drying up the Dead Sea's southern basin, said Israeli geologist Ittai Gavrieli Tuesday at a conference of the International Society on Salt Lake Research. About 200 scientists from 20 nations are at the triennial event, held this year at the University of Utah's Fort Douglas in conjunction with the Friends of the Great Salt Lake Issues Forum.

Salt lakes dot the arid American West, which boasts iconic names like California's Mono Lake and Salton Sea and Nevada's Pyramid Lake. In the last several years, Americans have shown a growing appreciation for these lakes, which provide crucial habitat for migratory birds, and a willingness to preserve them. But globally the prognosis is far from secure, said Bob Jellison, a society board member who gave Monday's keynote address. A limnologist with the Marine Science Institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Jellison has focused his research on Mono Lake.

Saline lakes constitute 17 percent of the world's total volume of inland water (45 percent if the Caspian Sea is considered), furnishing critical aquatic habitat, according to Jellison.

"In the developed world, we can afford to conserve salt lakes for their nonuse or 'existence values,' " Jellison said. The story is different in developing countries where it's hard to persuade a struggling economy to preserve a resource whose values are not easy to quantify. "A lot of people put their hope in nature tourism, but for that to work, you have to make sure the benefits accrue to those who are giving up their water to conserve these lakes."

At the shrinking Dead Sea, the ecologically preferred solution would be to return freshwater inflows to historic levels. Since that is not likely to happen, Israel and Jordan are considering other options, including a $10 billion pipeline to convey sea water from the Gulf of Aqaba on the Red Sea, 100 miles to the south. However, it is not known what would happen when low-salt sea water is introduced to the Dead Sea, home to some of the saltiest water on the planet. It could trigger microbial blooms that would discolor the surface.

"Do we want the Dead Sea to become the Red Sea?" Gavrieli said. "It's a no-win situation. None of the options is favorable."

bmaffly@sltrib.com

A glimpse at saline lakes

Public events at the conference of the International Society on Salt Lake Research include a slide show of the Great Salt Lake by Riverton photographer Michael Slade tonight at 7:30 p.m., and another slide show Friday at noon by wildlife photographer Rosalie Winard at the Post Theater at Fort Douglas, Salt Lake City.