Having been fortunate to participate in the previous Electromagnetic Induction Workshop (EMIW) in Japan in 2024, I was pleased to take part in the 27th EMIW in St. John's, Canada, in 2026. This year, I presented new insights into the long-standing problem of sinkhole development along the Dead Sea margin by applying transdimensional Bayesian inversion to transient electromagnetic (TEM) data.
I presented a poster and a lightning oral presentation associated with my poster:
Sinkhole Development at the Dead Sea: A Validation Study Using Transdimensional Bayesian Inversion of TEM Data
The study focuses on Ghor Al-Haditha (GAH), along the eastern shoreline of the Dead Sea, Jordan, where numerous sinkholes have developed within evaporite-karst uvalas. Their formation is linked to the continuing decline of the Dead Sea level, saltwater intrusion, groundwater circulation, and subsurface salt dissolution.
The study applies transdimensional Bayesian inversion to assess the complex salt-clay structure and quantify model uncertainty. The results provide a new probabilistic perspective on the Dead Sea sinkhole problem and demonstrate the value of Bayesian inversion where conventional models are affected by conductive shielding and model equivalence.
The workshop provided an excellent opportunity to discuss these findings with the international electromagnetic-induction community. Researchers from Italy, Spain, and New Zealand working on similar sinkhole problems, mainly in carbonate-karst environments, showed particular interest in the unique salt-karst setting of the Dead Sea. These discussions provided valuable feedback on the geological and environmental implications of the study. I gratefully acknowledge GSGS for supporting my participation in the workshop.
Jafar Aburajab
PhD Student
Institute of Geophysics and Meteorology
Presentation title (Oral): Sinkhole Development at the Dead Sea: A Validation Study Using Transdimensional Bayesian Inversion of TEM Data