Article Title: Reclaiming the Aral Sea
Author: Philip Micklin and Nikolay V. Aladin
The Aral Sea, in Central Asia, gets the majority of its water mainly from the Amu and Syr rivers. Over thousands of years, the Amu's course has drifted away from the sea, causing it to shrink. But the lake always recovered as the Amu shifted back again. Today, heavy irrigation for crops siphons the majority of the two rivers, cutting flow into their deltas and the sea. By the late 1980s, the sea's level had dropped so much that two distinct bodies of water were formed: the Small Aral (North) and the Large Aral (South). By 2007, the Large Aral had split into a deep western basin, a shallow eastern basin and a small, isolated gulf. Its volume had dropped from 708 to 75 cubic kilometers and its salinity had risen from 14 to more than 100 grams per liter. Some of the consequences of this desiccation are the loss of fish species. Fish species dropped from 32 to 6 because of increasing salinity and loss of spawning and feeding grounds. Also, reduced river flows ended the spring floods that provided wetlands with freshwater and rich sediment. In addition, fisheries were closed down; more than 60,000 jobs were lost. Only half the number of native mammal and bird species are left in the area. The climate has also changed; today summers are hotter, winters are colder, humidity is lower, and there's less rainfall.
Health problems were also caused by this desiccation; the local population suffers from respiratory illnesses, throat cancer, and digestive disorders caused by breathing and ingesting air and water full of salt.
The loss of fish reduced diet variety, causing malnutrition and anemia. The life span is also decreasing while illnesses are increasing. Returning the Aral Sea to its original state is impossible; the only way to do it would be to reduce irrigation. Switching to less water-intensive crops and improving large irrigation canals would help; many of the canals run through sand, allowing enormous amounts of water to seep away. In 2005, a dam built allowed the Small Aral's area to expand and the water level to rise. Salinity levels dropped and fish populations and wetlands are returning. However, the Large Aral faces a difficult future; it continues to shrink rapidly.
I was not surprised that this catastrophe was caused by humans and I say that because environmental problems are often the consequences of human actions. Most people don't know the effect their actions can have on the environment. This story teaches a lesson: humans have the ability to destroy the environment quickly but repairing it is a long, tedious journey. I hope we humans will learn our lesson so we can protect and preserve our environment instead of damaging it. But we can achieve anything if we work together; so I believe that all problems can be solved if we all collaborated.
Author: Philip Micklin and Nikolay V. Aladin
- The Aral Sea gets it water mainly from the Amu and Syr rivers.
- Over thousands of years, the Amu's course has drifted away from the sea, causing it to shrink. But the lake always recovered as the Amu shifted back again.
- Today, heavy irrigation for crops siphons the majority of the two rivers, cutting flow into their deltas and the sea.
- Evaporation exceeds rainfall, snowmelt and groundwater supply, reducing water volume and raising salinity.
- By the late 1980s, the sea's level had dropped so much that two distinct bodies of water were formed: the Small Aral (North) and the Large Aral (South).
- By 2007, the Large Aral had split into a deep western basin, a shallow eastern basin and a small, isolated gulf. Its volume had dropped from 708 cubic kilometers to 75 and its salinity had risen from 14 to more than 100 grams per liter.
- Reduced river flows ended the spring floods that provided wetlands with freshwater and rich sediment.
- Fish species dropped from 32 to 6 because of increasing salinity and loss of spawning and feeding grounds
- Fisheries were closed down; more than 60,000 jobs were lost.
- Half the number of native mammal and bird species are left in the area.
- The climate has changed up to 100 kilometers from the original shoreline; today summers are hotter, winters are colder, humidity is lower, and there's less rainfall.
- The exposed and dried seabed is laced with salt and contaminated with pesticides and other agricultural chemicals deposited by runoff from farming.
- The local population suffer from respiratory illnesses, throat cancer, and digestive disorders caused by breathing and ingesting air and water full of salt.
- The loss of fish reduced diet variety, causing malnutrition and anemia.
- Returning the Aral Sea to its original state is impossible; the only way to do it would be to reduce irrigation. Switching to less water-intensive crops and improving large irrigation canals would help; many of the canals run through sand, allowing enormous amounts of water to seep away.
- A dam built in 2005 allowed the Small Aral's area to expand and the water level to rise. Salinity levels dropped and fish populations and wetlands are returning.
- However, the Large Aral faces a difficult future; it continues to shrink rapidly.
The Aral Sea, in Central Asia, gets the majority of its water mainly from the Amu and Syr rivers. Over thousands of years, the Amu's course has drifted away from the sea, causing it to shrink. But the lake always recovered as the Amu shifted back again. Today, heavy irrigation for crops siphons the majority of the two rivers, cutting flow into their deltas and the sea. By the late 1980s, the sea's level had dropped so much that two distinct bodies of water were formed: the Small Aral (North) and the Large Aral (South). By 2007, the Large Aral had split into a deep western basin, a shallow eastern basin and a small, isolated gulf. Its volume had dropped from 708 to 75 cubic kilometers and its salinity had risen from 14 to more than 100 grams per liter. Some of the consequences of this desiccation are the loss of fish species. Fish species dropped from 32 to 6 because of increasing salinity and loss of spawning and feeding grounds. Also, reduced river flows ended the spring floods that provided wetlands with freshwater and rich sediment. In addition, fisheries were closed down; more than 60,000 jobs were lost. Only half the number of native mammal and bird species are left in the area. The climate has also changed; today summers are hotter, winters are colder, humidity is lower, and there's less rainfall.
Health problems were also caused by this desiccation; the local population suffers from respiratory illnesses, throat cancer, and digestive disorders caused by breathing and ingesting air and water full of salt.
The loss of fish reduced diet variety, causing malnutrition and anemia. The life span is also decreasing while illnesses are increasing. Returning the Aral Sea to its original state is impossible; the only way to do it would be to reduce irrigation. Switching to less water-intensive crops and improving large irrigation canals would help; many of the canals run through sand, allowing enormous amounts of water to seep away. In 2005, a dam built allowed the Small Aral's area to expand and the water level to rise. Salinity levels dropped and fish populations and wetlands are returning. However, the Large Aral faces a difficult future; it continues to shrink rapidly.
I was not surprised that this catastrophe was caused by humans and I say that because environmental problems are often the consequences of human actions. Most people don't know the effect their actions can have on the environment. This story teaches a lesson: humans have the ability to destroy the environment quickly but repairing it is a long, tedious journey. I hope we humans will learn our lesson so we can protect and preserve our environment instead of damaging it. But we can achieve anything if we work together; so I believe that all problems can be solved if we all collaborated.