In the 1960s, the former soviet union began diverting water from the syr darya and the amu darya rivers to irrigate cotton. Due to its location in the center of a vast mainland far from oceans, the aral sea maintains a continental climate. By 1991 almost all river water was being diverted for irrigation and the sea had lost half its area. Demands on the watershed for irrigation and other purposes have overdrawn water resources.
Due to such malpractices the aral sea shrunk in size from being the worlds 4th largest sea to a dry barren sea basin. In the 20th century, and especially since 1960, the intensity of water use increased under the pressures. This case study benefited from research by tim eestermans, lola gulomova. Lake chad in africa is another example of a massive lake that has nearly. The aral sea western washington university mafiadoc. The aral sea is situated in central asia, between the southern part of kazakhstan and northern uzbekistan. The aral sea was once the fourth largest inland body of water on earth with a surface. In pdf format most of the images in this web paper can be enlarged for greater detail.
This timelapse movie shows its location and makes it appear as if it is shrinking as quickly as a puddle after a summer rain. The aral sea was, until comparatively recently, the fourth largest inland body of water in the world. Between 1960 and january 2006, the level of the small aral fell by m and the large aral fell by 23 m table 1. In the early 1960s, the soviet central government decided to make the ussr selfsufficient in cotton and rice. The region surrounding the aral sea has the lowest life expectancy in all of uzbekistan. Pdf the aral sea in 1960 was a huge brackish water lake 4th in the world in surface. The case would be suitable for introductory environmental, biology, geography and geology classes, and courses dealing with land use, water resources, agriculture, birds or fish, ecosystems, and government policy.
Water and environmental management in the aral sea. The aral sea is a classic and prominent case of pollution and environment. Total water resources of the aral sea basin are 5 km 3. While two rivers empty into the lakethe amu darya and the syr daryathe amu darya is the largest and most fickle source of water. The study, based on numerical simulations and field data and, focuses on two. The original extent of the sea was roughly 428 km northsouth by 284 km eastwest at its widest points 266 by 176 miles. It is the 4th largest inland sea in the world, annual temperatures are around 40c and it is fed by two rivers which rise in the mountains to the south. These two rivers are the primary source of fresh water for the aral sea.
Academy of sciences in novosibirsk, russia, makes a convincing case the. Even before the 1960s, the aral sea was relatively shallow with a maximum depth of 68 m. But even though they have caused an ecological disaster, actions are now being taken to replenish the sea of its thirst and recover it back to its natural beauty. Jun 03, 2015 the aral is an inland saltwater sea with no outlet.
The kok aral dam is kilometres 8 miles long and has capacity for over 29 cubic kilometres of water to be stored in the north aral sea, whilst allowing excess to overflow. The fresh water from these two rivers held the aral s water and salt levels in perfect balance. The north aral sea projects 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. Case study highlighting impacts from sustainable land management investments in the central asian republics and with a particular focus on kyrgyzstan december 7, 2006.
The aral sea area is characterised by a desertcontinental climate with a wide range of temperatures, cold winters, sparse rainfall and hot summers. Dialogue on water and climate as it is known, global climatic change is expected to impact on sustainable perspective development of the aral sea basin. Massive consumptive withdrawals of water from the amu darya and syr darya rivers are depriving the aral sea of its natural intake of water. The disappearance of the aral sea is best seen as a. Water diversions, agricultural practices, and industrial waste have resulted in a disappearing sea. Nov 15, 2017 the aral sea in central asia is drying up.
Bakhvalov a 1997 the aral sea case study, leadership for environment and. The aral sea is pretty much gone smart news smithsonian. In less than four decades, the aral sea shrank to a surface area less than half its size in. Feb 10, 2010 description and case study of the aral sea disaster for a2 geography slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. The aral sea transboundary river basin food and agriculture. A2 discuss, with reference to a case study, how shared freshwater resources have given rise to international conflict image from. Pdf a new equation of state for the aral sea is proposed. Ecological policy, assessment and prediction, latest report, tashkent institute of engineers for irrigation and agricultural mechanization uzbekistan, 2004.
The aral sea environmental health crisis journal of rural and. World bank document sustainable sanitation and water. Though it was once the fourth largest freshwater lake in the world, it has shrunk dramatically since 1960. Fossil records indicate that the aral sea has had repeated major surface level fluctuations during the past 10,000 years smith 1994, 146. Overuse of water for irrigation an old concern revisited. The aral sea is the largest inland body of salty reservoirs in the world. The case of the aral sea can be understood as a creeping environmental problem, where changes accumulate over time, degradation is generally imperceptible and the full scale of the impact is not recognized until a crisis occurs. Case study of the aral sea water and environmental management project. By studying the changes in the aral sea they will understand that.
This impact is mainly directed to the volume of available water resources in the region. This activity asks students to locate the aral sea and then to explore the causes and effects of water scarcity as well as discussing and evaluating the potential solutions. The aral sea basin is considered a disaster zone by many. This case examines the salton seas problems and uncertain future.
Case study of the aral sea water and environmental management. Uzbekistan and kazakhstan were part of the former soviet union during the 1960s, the time when they began to divert the rivers flow of water. The aral sea was once the fourth largest lake on earth. The aral sea is located in the central asian republics of uzbekistan and kazakhstan, with the southern section located in the autonomous republic of karapakalstan. The aral sea the comparison of these two satellite images, taken more than 20 years apart, clearly shows the evaporation of the aral sea. The aral sea central asia this case study will help your students understand the interrelationships between lakes and rivers. Study of the groundwater role in water resources of the aral sea region. Salton, a sea of controversy national center for case study. Aral sea in 2000 aral sea in 2009 black line signifies 1960 water levels the shrinking sea. Diversion of the amu darya and syr darya rivers for agriculture is an example of. The aral sea is a lake located east of the caspian sea between. The soviet government decided in the 1960s to divert those rivers this is so that they could irrigate the desert region surrounding the sea in order to benefit the agricultural industry in the. The aral sea management experience and lessons learned.
Situated in the centre of the central asian deserts at an altitude of 53 metres above the sea level, the aral sea functions as a gigantic evaporator. A case study of qingtu lake in the shiyang river basin. Up until the third quarter of the 20th century it was the world. The aral sea used to be the fourth largest fresh water lake in the world, but now its mostly disappeared and the remaining water has turned salty. The aral separated into two water bodies in 198789. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. North aral is a tiny lake, compared to the rest of the aral sea. May 03, 2018 the aral sea lies on the border of kazakhstan and uzbekistan in central asia. Sea case is thus a striking example of the systematic couplings in. The aral sea is a lake located east of the caspian sea between uzbekistan and kazakhstan in central asia. The aral sea is the region occupied by the terminal lake in central asia and has been continuously undergone filling and impacts of human activities that have affected the natural water in various ways.
Efforts to resolve the aral sea crisis aquapedia case study. Water use in the aral sea basin water usage, primarily for drinking and irrigation, started more than 6,000 years ago. May 30, 2014 the aral sea was, until comparatively recently, the fourth largest inland body of water in the world. The aral sea is located in the northern part of uzbekistan and the southern part of kazakhstan, and primarily fed by the amudarya river from the south and the syrdarya river from the north.
The aral sea basin has three distinct ecological zones. Request pdf the aral sea disaster the aral sea is a huge terminal lake. The two rivers that feed it are the amu darya and syr darya rivers, respectively reaching the sea. Jul 30, 2017 after learning about the aral sea as a case study of this, i think youll have a solid understanding of what this means. Water and environmental management in the aral sea basin. However, the south part of the aral sea which is enourmously larger is still in a dire condition and drying up quickly. People and place hemispheres humanenvironmental interactions. The aral sea september 7, 2010 the size of the aral sea has long hinged on the amu darya, which flows from the high pamir mountains in central asia, across the desert, and into the southern sea. Activities explaining what water scarcity is and why it occured at the aral sea. The aral sea going, going, gone a comparison of the aral sea in 1989 left and 2014 right. Now that the dam separates it from the aral sea proper, it is being filled up by the syrdarya river. The disappearance of the aral sea is best seen as a case study of other ways in which humans are. Aral sea wetland restoration strategy commissie mer.