Aral sea

Aral Sea is a large endorheic lake situated in Central Asia, between the Southern part of Kazakhstan and Northern Uzbekistan. Up until the 1960s, it was the fourth largest lake in the world. However, the Aral Sea has been shrinking since then due to the rivers that fed it being diverted by Soviet irrigation projects. By 2007, 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 smaller intermittent lakes between the two.

Geography

The Aral Sea is located in the lowlands of Turan occupying an area of around 68,000 square kilometres. It is endorheic (it has no outflow), and the basin is bounded by the Tien Shan mountains to the east and the Kyzylkum Desert to the south.

History

The Aral Sea has a rich history dating back to ancient times. It was a major body of water providing fishing and transportation benefits to the communities that lived around it. The sea was known for its abundance of fish and other marine life. However, in the 1960s, the Soviet government decided to divert the two major rivers feeding the sea, the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, for cotton cultivation. This led to a significant decrease in the size of the sea.

Environmental Impact

The shrinking of the Aral Sea has been called one of the planet's worst environmental disasters. The region's once-prosperous fishing industry has been virtually destroyed, bringing unemployment and economic hardship. The sea's shrinkage has also caused local climate change, with summers becoming hotter and drier, and winters colder and longer.

Restoration Efforts

Efforts have been made to prevent the sea from disappearing completely. In 2005, the Kok-Aral Dam project was completed to restore water in the North Aral Sea. This has resulted in a small increase in sea level; however, the South Aral Sea has continued to shrink and become more saline.

See Also

• Amu Darya
• Syr Darya
• Kok-Aral Dam
• Tien Shan
• Kyzylkum Desert