Oceanography expert Professor Michael Krom has been selected to take part in a major study to find a solution to the disappearing waters of the Dead Sea.

Experts have warned that the Dead Sea could disappear by the year 2050 if its level continues to drop at the current rate. Professor Krom, 58, will advise on the pros and cons of the Two Seas Canal Scheme, which proposes building a 250-km canal from the Red Sea to top up the Dead Sea waters. The study, funded by the World Bank, is being supported by Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.

“It is potentially a very exciting project,” Professor Krom, a researcher at the Earth and Environment Institute at Leeds University, tells People. “The cost of the scheme could be between £3 billion and £10 billion. I have never done anything that costs as much as that. At this point we are asking the questions, not generating the answers. We probably expect to have some answers in about 18 months.”

The Dead Sea’s water level has fallen by around 20 metres in the past 40 years. “Since the mid-60s, Israel and Jordan have diverted most of the water that once flowed from the River Jordan into the Dead Sea to use for drinking, industry and agriculture.” He says: “By piping two billion cubic metres of seawater a year from the Red Sea, it is hoped that the Dead Sea can be restored to its former level, or at least any further decline halted.”

Professor Krom worked for seven years in Israel, where he became one of the country’s leading authorities on sustainable mariculture or acquatic farming. His other work includes understanding the chemistry of the eastern Mediterranean and a study of climatic change in the Nile valley. He is a member of Leeds Masorti community.