The adjustment of the meandering pattern of the lower Jordan River to change in water discharge

Abstract The annual discharge of the Lower Jordan River has decreased from about 1250 × 106 m3 y−1 to about 300 × 106 m3 y−1 due to water exploitation. The decrease in water discharge was not followed by a similar decrease in the suspended sediment. Evidence from air photographs and maps from 1920s to early 1970s show that the river is adjusting itself by shortening its course. The shortening is not distributed uniformly along the valley length. Local effects obscure the effect of decreasing discharge. Since the early 1970s the channel is becoming longer again due to a change in the dominant flow.