# data[].attributes.headline
The Jordan River Watershed by Lillie Thompson

# data[].attributes.subject
The Jordan River Watershed by Lillie Thompson

# data[].attributes.body
Located in Southwest Asia, the Jordan River flows through 5 countries and has been a fairly famous river worldwide thanks to its many events from political turmoil to religious ceremonies.

# data[].attributes.body
Up until the last 2000s, the Jordan River was the largest water source for Israel. This used to be the case for Jordan as well, however once Israel began diverting water to aid with desert droughts in their land, Jordan did not receive as much water downstream as needed to meet demands. In their 1944 peace treaty, Israel agreed to send 50,000,000 cubic meters of water per year directly to Jordan.

# data[].attributes.body
Stretching 223 miles long, the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea at the Lower Jordan Basin.

The Hasbani River in Lebanon, the Baniyas River in Syria, and the Dan River from Israel serve as the main headwaters forming the upper Jordan River. These three rivers join together in the Hula Valley, located in northeastern Israel.

# data[].attributes.body
On the eastern slopes, precipitation rates approximate to 1,000mm per year, while in the west range from only 100-200mm per year. Due to climate change, the rate of precipitation fluctuates from year to year.

# data[].attributes.body
The Jordan River is 223 miles long by water, however due to its windy course, on land it stretches across just 124 miles.

The river flows south through Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Jordan.

The Jordan River acts as a natural border separating Jordan and Israel.

The width of the river range from 6-15 miles along the 223 miles it travels

# data[].attributes.body
Due to upstream irrigation and pollution, the river's drainage into the Dead Sea has dropped from a previous 1.3 billion cubic meters per year to just approximately 100 million cubic meters per year. This high level of decline is causing a sea level regression of 1.2 meters per year.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
People swimming in a valley near the end of the Jordan River watershed (via ThinkGlobalHealth) https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/holy-river-risk

# data[].attributes.body
An estimated 700,000 Jordanians, 30,000 Israelis, and 60,000 Palestinians rely on the Jordan River for agricultural use. Farmers need the water to grow crops, and communities use the river water for day-to-day living such as cooking, drinking, and cleaning. Tourists and community members also use the river for recreational use such as swimming.

# data[].attributes.body
Concerns are growing regarding abundance as refugees traveling between Israel, Palestine, Syria, and Jordan also rely on the river water, increasing the demand and usage of freshwater in the system. Dams and other irrigation methods upstream are also heavily impacting the river, as the flow is altered, causing droughts downstream as well as water quality issues as freshwater is diverted while polluted water is sent further downstream.

# data[].attributes.body
It is estimated that 75% of the Jordan River is used for agricultural use, with the majority of this usage being in Jordan and Israel.

The Jordan River valley is largely responsible for the production of many citrus crops such as various fruits and vegetables.

# data[].attributes.body
At some point in history, the Jordan River was used for transportation, fishing, and recreational use such as swimming. More recently, due to political conflict and pollution, the Jordan River no longer serves these activities.

# data[].attributes.body
The Jordan River is essential to the religious background of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Believed to be the baptism place of Jesus Christ, the Jordan River is visited by thousands of people yearly who are looking to partake in religious rituals and even their own baptisms along the river banks.

# data[].attributes.body
In 1948, the state of Israel gained independence from the Arab countries it was fighting against, which included Lebanon and Syria. Following the war, all of the countries which the Jordan River flowed through announced plans to create water diversion systems for their own benefits, which would significantly impact the other countries. The other countries feared that allowing Israel access to change the course and intensity of the river would mean they would have to recognize it as its own country, causing rising tensions as they all fought over greater control.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
"Good Water Neighbors" project - (via EcoPeace / Friends of the Earth Middle East)

# data[].attributes.body
The country of Jordan faced a huge disadvantage being the most downstream country. By the time the water, if any, reached their banks, it was either too polluted to be used, or so minimal it couldn't sustain the population. With this in mine, Jordan began to break away from the other Arab countries and agreed to work together with Israel on water development projects that would benefit each of them. The two countries signed a peace agreement in 1994 which outlined various water-sharing guidelines, water quality protection rules, and looked ahead to the future of restoring plant life along the banks of the river.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
"Good Water Neighbors" project - EcoPeace / Friends of the Earth Middle East

# data[].attributes.body
There are many concerns about the water quality of the Jordan River. Agricultural runoff into the river is carried all the way through the watershed and is deposited out into the Dead Sea. This runoff is also causing the river to have much higher levels of salt, which is poor quality for the plants that usually grow along the river banks.

The river is also plagued with sewage runoff and improperly disposed garbage.

# data[].attributes.body
The ecosystem in the Jordan River has been drastically changed over time, mostly in part to human activity. In 1964, both Jordan and Israel constructed water diversion systems that pulled water to other sources rather than distributing into the Jordan River like normal. The loss of freshwater distribution has caused the once abundant and healthy vegetation along the river banks to die out.

Additionally, Jordan, Israel, and Syria have begun dispersing sewage water into the river, along with high amounts of agricultural runoff such as animal feces, which has created heavy amounts of pollution in the water, impacting plant and animal life.

# data[].attributes.body
As the countries attempt to take control of the river, their redirection of water is affecting the current species that exist in the Jordan River. Fish species such as grass carp, sea millet, and many others are being introduced to the river from outlying sources. These new fish are preying on the native fish and are a major threat to the endangerment of many of them.

# data[].attributes.body
Excess warming of the land and river due to climate change is causing river water levels to lower, and droughts to become more frequent.

These regions are experiencing extremely elevated air temperatures, while at the same time the Dead Sea is experiencing a ride in the surface temperature of the sea. Warming of the sea can cause dangerous weather events such as cyclones, intense thunderstorms, and excessive flooding, all of which can cause damage to the region.

River flow is also impacted by climate change in this region. Warmer weather leads to a lesser rate of precipitation, meaning that snowmelt and rain runoff levels are lowered each year, causing the flow of the Jordan River to slow down.

# data[].attributes.headline
Cultural System Services Impacted by Climate Change

# data[].attributes.subject
Cultural System Services Impacted by Climate Change

# data[].attributes.body
As the Jordan River slows down and outputs only a slow stream of water, recreational systems are impacted as less and less tourists visit the site of Jesus' baptism. Towns in Jordan rely on the economic abundance that tourists bring when they travel from around the world in search of being more spiritually connected to their religion. Not only does the pollution of the water make it undesirable by many, climate change is hurting the economy of Jordan as tourists don't want to visit a dried up river.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Jordan River: rich in holiness, poor in water

# data[].attributes.body
The country of Jordan has little to none of its own fossil fuels to produce energy. Due to this, Jordan imports the majority of it's oil in order to produce electricity and meet energy demands. In order to boost the economy and offset the prices of importing oil, the country of Jordan has begun to look elsewhere for energy. Being cost effective, sustainable, and renewable, small hydropower is the direction they are choosing to go with to produce their own energy. Hydropower is also non-pollutant, which helps offset the effects of pollution from agriculture run off or oil spills.

# data[].attributes.body
Long term system management across the entire Jordan River is something that has been an issue for as long as it has existed. Currently, due to political issues, pollution, influx of refugees, and climate change, there is virtually no agreement among all 5 countries on how to take care of and distribute the water. All 5 countries which the river flows through seem to all be asking who really "owns" the rights to the water as it enters their boundaries.

# data[].attributes.body
Although the Jordan River runs firs through Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria, Jordanians are suffering more than all of them combined when it comes to water quality and availability.

Education and punishment are two things that can go a long way to solve the water quality problem. If the people of all 5 countries were to be properly educated on how their pollutants affect water quality, it could help limit the amount of sewage and garbage that is disposed into the system. Additionally, providing education and resources for farmers or businesses near runoff spots could help reduce the agricultural runoff.

There should also be a punishment of some sort for countries or towns that are found to be creating excess pollution. Since the water is shared among all the countries, and many rely heavily on it, one solution might be to implement a limit to how much water per year each country can divert for their own resources.

All of these solutions are much easier said then done, since international relations among the countries are not in the best shape, however with time and effort I do believe it's possible.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
PDF copy of the Treaty of Peace between Israel and Jordan (via Peacemaker) 

# data[].attributes.body
The political issues in this region go back very far in history. As mentioned before, Israel fought the Arab nations in a war and managed to win their freedom, but this didn't stop the losing countries to treat Israel like an outcast and try to prevent the country from fair access to the Jordan River.

Over time, the political unrest as caused many issues with the water supply and quality. With aid from outside nations, I believe it's time for these 5 countries to establish a treaty to put the best interest of their people and the environment at the top of their priority list.

Israel and Jordan made strides in this area by signing the Treaty of Peace between their nations in 1994, outlining their hopes and goals for a unified front in the face of political and ecological barriers.

# data[].attributes.body
With the agreement of all 5 countries to come together and solve issues of political nature as well as water quality issues, there is hope that the wildlife of the ecosystem can once again thrive. People in this region rely on the river to supply clean water for growing crops, but also once relied on the river for fish to eat.

By agreeing to terms to benefit the quality of the river, leaders of these countries can make strides towards working to keep invasive species out of the Jordan River, such as by closely monitoring how water is being diverted and setting regulations for how much water can be diverted.

# data[].attributes.body
In my loop diagram, you can see a lot of issues arise from political disagreements over water diversion, climate change, etc. Many other thing suffer because of this such as tourism since the 5 countries won't work together to prevent water pollution.

# data[].attributes.body
Jaber, J.O. Prospects and Challenges of Small Hydropower Development in Jordan, Jordan Journal of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Apr. 2012, https://jjmie.hu.edu.jo/files/v6n2/v6n2.pdf#page=8. Accessed 2024.

“Jordan and Israel: Tensions and Water Cooperation in the Middle-East.” Climate Diplomacy, 2023, climate-diplomacy.org/case-studies/jordan-and-israel-tensions-and-water-cooperation-middle-east.

“Jordan River.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, inc., 24 Apr. 2024, www.britannica.com/place/Jordan-River.

“Jordan River.” New World Encyclopedia , www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Jordan_River. Accessed 11 June 2024.

Mahmoud, Mohammod. “The Looming Climate and Water Crisis in the Middle East and North Africa - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.” Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, 19 Apr. 2024, carnegieendowment.org/research/2024/04/the-looming-climate-and-water-crisis-in-the-middle-east-and-north-africa.

Olson, K. (2024) The Need for International Cooperation between Israel and Other Middle East Nations to Protect the Jordan River Landscape. Open Journal of Soil Science, 14, 283-307. doi: 10.4236/ojss.2024.145016.

Robbin, Zoe, et al. “A Holy River at Risk: Think Global Health.” Think Global Health, 19 Dec. 2022, www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/holy-river-risk#:~:text=However%2C%20Palestine%20is%20notably%20absent,agriculture%20in%20the%20Jordan%20Valley.

Treaty of Peace between Israel and Jordan, peacemaker.un.org/sites/peacemaker.un.org/files/IL%20JO_941026_PeaceTreatyIsraelJordan.pdf. Accessed 12 June 2024.