It seems like water is a common theme in my travels lately.  Jordan is actually the third poorest country on earth in terms of water resources.  Jordan is confronting its worst drought in decades and the situation is only expected to worsen with climate change.  Most of the country receives less than 100 mm of rainfall per year (Ithaca gets 2500 mm of precipitation). The rate of water extraction from the Azraq Aquifer in northeastern Jordan, the primary source of water for Amman, is approximately double the sustainable amount per year, and Jordan is expected to "run out" of water within the next 10 years.

The water situation is exacerbated by the burgeoning refugee population.  Basically, the total population is increasing while water resources are rapidly diminishing.  On Fridays in Amman, huge government water trucks fill the tanks seen on every rooftop in the capital.  This is the main source of water for families for the week to come until the trucks return again.

One possible solution is the Red Sea Dead Sea Canal project.  The idea is to pump water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea and along the way desalinate some of the water for drinking purposes.  What's left, which would be saltier, would go to he Dead Sea which is currently sinking by a meter per year.  However the project is fraught with major obstacles: huge expense, environmental concerns and a large carbon footprint (it takes a lot of energy to desalinate water).  In addition Jordan needs to negotiate the plan with Israel which also has a boundary on these two seas.  Access to water is becoming an achilles heel for Jordan as it tries to thread a political needle with its warring neighbors.  

​For those of us living in Ithaca it is hard to conceive of a future when water could run out.  But water scarcity impacts every aspect of Jordanian life. Below is an excellent (and short) BBC video on this issue.

The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth's surface, almost 1500 feet below "sea level."  It is also the saltiest body of water on Earth, almost 10 times the salt concentration of the oceans.  The high salt content makes it very hard for normal sea organisms to survive - which is why is called the Dead Sea.  The high salinity also make the water especially buoyant. In fact, while it is very easy to float on your back, it is actually very hard to swim.  This didn't really make sense to me until I tried it out.  Basically you bob like a cork and it is hard to generate much forward motion.  Your are much more likely to just flip onto your back if you thrash about too much.  In this video you don't get to see me bobbing like a cork but you can see a simple experiment I did with an egg to demonstrate this point.

Most of Jordan is desert.  The Wadi Rum area is actually quite famous and has been used as the setting for many movies, including Star Wars and Martian. This was really the first time I have traveled in a desert area and I thoroughly enjoyed the stark scenery.

There are also a lot of interesting mathematical patterns in the desert.  The ripples in the sand, the patterns of dried hard pan and shapes of the shifting dunes all have relatively simple mathematical models.

I was very fortunate to be able to spend time with some Bedouins who shared some basic understanding of life in the desert.  One thing I learned is that you will be more comfortable if you are well covered, although it seems counterintuitive.  Basically you don't want anything exposed to the sun.  You might think that wearing long pants, sleeves and head covering would be stifling, but because the desert is so dry your perspiration evaporates immediately.  If you do it right you can be quite comfortable.  Of course you want to stay hydrated and be in shade whenever you can.  Bedouins drink a lot of tea and often travel at night if there is a moon, and stay under a tent during the day.  The tents can be surprisingly comfortable and cool.  Bedouins are also known for their friendliness and hospitality to strangers.