Dynamics of hydrological and geomorphological processes inevaporite karst at the eastern Dead Sea – a multidisciplinary study

Abstract. Karst groundwater systems are characterised by the presence of multiple porosity types. Of these, subsurface conduits that facilitate concentrated, heterogeneous flow are challenging to resolve geologically and geophysically. This is especially the case in evaporite karst systems, such as those present on the shores of the Dead Sea, where rapid geomorphological changes are linked to a fall in base level by over 35 m since 1967. Here we combine field observations, remote sensing analysis, and multiple geophysical surveying methods (shear wave reflection seismics, electrical resistivity tomography [ERT], self-potential [SP] and ground penetrating radar [GPR]) to investigate the nature of subsurface groundwater flow and its interaction with hypersaline Dead Sea water on the rapidly retreating eastern shoreline, near Ghor Al-Haditha in Jordan. Remote-sensing data highlight links between the evolution of surface stream channels fed by groundwater springs and the development of surface subsidence patterns over a 25-year period. ERT and SP data from the head of one groundwater-fed channel adjacent the former lakeshore show anomalies that point to concentrated, multidirectional water flow in conduits located in the shallow subsurface (