What caused the Aral Sea to dry up?
Beginning about 1960, the Aral Sea’s water level was systematically and drastically reduced, because of the diversion of water from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers for purposes of agricultural irrigation. The Aral Sea began to quickly shrink because of the evaporation of its now unreplenished waters.
What is destroying the Aral Sea?
In October 1990 Western scientists confirmed the virtual disappearance of the Aral Sea in Soviet Central Asia, formerly the fourth largest inland sea in the world. The loss of sea water was the result of 60 years of intensive agriculture and pollution by the Soviet authorities.
What happened to the Sea in Uzbekistan?
The South Aral Sea, half of which lies in Uzbekistan, was abandoned to its fate. Most of Uzbekistan’s part of the Aral Sea is completely shriveled up. Only excess water from the North Aral Sea is periodically allowed to flow into the largely dried-up South Aral Sea through a sluice in the dyke.
Why is Aral Sea not a lake?
Sandwiched between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the Aral Sea is actually a lake, albeit a salty, terminal one. It is salty because evaporation of water from the lake surface is greater than the amount of water being replenishing through rivers flowing in. It is terminal because there is no outflowing river.
Can the sea dry up?
The oceans aren’t going to dry up. Eventually, only the Mariana Trench—the deepest point in Earth’s oceans—has any water.
Are lakes drying up?
According to the World Preservation Foundation one third of the world’s major rivers and lakes are drying up, and the groundwater wells for 3 billion people are being affected.
What was the consequence of the Aral Sea?
The change in water quality in the Aral Sea basin reduced the number of fish in the river and in the sea, and destroyed most of fauna (2,3). International experts confirm that most water sources in Karakalpakstan are polluted, and that the pollution is mainly caused by the agro-industry and mining industries.
How has human activity been impacting the Aral Sea?
Climate change mainly affects the Aral Sea by changing the upstream runoff and the evapotranspiration of the basin. Human activities mainly include the water withdrawal for agriculture, industry and municipal in the basin, of which agriculture is the largest water-consuming sector.
Is Caspian Sea salt water?
Due to the current inflow of fresh water in the north, the Caspian Sea water is almost fresh in its northern portions, getting more brackish toward the south. It is most saline on the Iranian shore, where the catchment basin contributes little flow.
Will Aral Sea come back?
During the past three decades, restoration of the Aral Sea ecosystem has focused mainly on afforestation of the drained seabed to mitigate the sandstorms that cause erosion and further degrade the fragile soils. The Aral Sea assessment and action plan will be completed by late July 2021.
What’s the population of the city of Aralsk?
Aralsk city was formerly a fishing port and harbor on the coast of Aral Sea. Aralsk city was an important supplier of fish and other products of the sea to the neighboring regions. The climate of the area is of sharp continental type, droughty, with little precipitation (about 120 mm a year). Aralsk population is about 30,000 (2009).
Which is the largest project in the Aral Sea?
The largest project in this phase is the North Aral Sea Project, a direct effort to recover the northern region of the Aral Sea. The North Aral Sea Project’s main initiative is the construction of a dam across the Berg Strait, a deep channel which connects the North Aral Sea to the South Aral Sea.
Is the Aral Sea still the same as it was in 2001?
The North Aral Sea (sometimes called the Small Aral Sea) had separated from the South (Large) Aral Sea. The South Aral Sea had split into eastern and western lobes that remained tenuously connected at both ends. By 2001, the southern connection had been severed, and the shallower eastern part retreated rapidly over the next several years.
What are the names of the four lakes in the Aral Sea?
By 1997, it had declined to 10% of its original size, splitting into four lakes: the North Aral Sea, the eastern and western basins of the once far larger South Aral Sea, and the smaller intermediate Barsakelmes Lake.