The huge sea dried up almost completely in just a few decades. The team of the multimedia eco-project "LOWER. Living Asia" visited the Aral Sea on an expedition and brought a photo report about the sea, which has become a desert, especially for the site.
“Tablet” (as the locals call the all-wheel drive UAZ), every now and then dangerously tilting and creaking from the effort, drives and drives along the sand. If you break away from the feeling that you are about to be smeared across the seat and realize yourself as some kind of abstraction, and not like a sprat in a jar, then a very strange feeling comes over you. We are driving along the dry seabed. 60 years ago there was 25 meters of water directly above our heads.
This has never happened in the history of the Earth. In just a few decades, the huge lake (the fourth largest in the world) almost entirely turned into desert. In 1960, the area of the Aral water surface was 68,900 square meters. km. In 2009 (this was the absolute minimum) - 7,300.
Drying process Aral Sea/ Illustration by livingasia.online
Closed sea
It is interesting that the tragedy of the situation is most clearly felt in foreign, and not in Kazakh or Uzbek (the Aral Sea is located on the territory of these states) studies and publications. Here's an example headline: Aral Sea "one of the planet"s worst environmental disasters"("The Aral Sea is one of the largest environmental disasters planets").
Dry bottom of the Aral Sea / Photo livingasia.online
Perhaps the reason that little is said and written about the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan is a long period of secrecy. Before perestroika, only scientists, senior officials and local residents. Since the late 1970s, the drying sea has been studied by all the largest research institutes Kazakh and Uzbek SSR, Moscow and Leningrad. But the research results were published only in collections marked “secret”. They could only be read by those who had the appropriate access.
Or maybe it's all about mentality
"The people of Kazakhstan have always lived in tough natural conditions- climatic, environmental. It was quite difficult for the people to survive, and they got used to these difficulties. This is probably why he does not consider the tragedy of the Aral Sea as catastrophic as it is on international level perceived. The people are accustomed to difficulties and have learned to overcome them,” says Taisiya Ivanovna Budnikova, candidate geographical sciences, International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS). She has been studying the Aral Sea since 1977 and has written more than 100 articles about this problem. scientific works. Colleagues jokingly call her “Tais Aralskaya”.
Rescue plans
Taisiya Ivanovna says: “Then, at the end of the 70s, no one could believe that the sea would dry up. It seemed that this was just a fluctuation in the water level, soon everything would fall into place. At first, the sea was losing more than a few centimeters a year. From the beginning of the 80s x in the Eastern Aral Sea region, where the coast was always shallow, the sea receded several kilometers per year.
Photo livingasia.online
When it became clear that the sea would not return on its own, they began to figure out how to save the Aral Sea. The options were sometimes the most unexpected. Stop taking water from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya and irrigate the land using wind-powered water-lifting installations. Send water from the Caspian Sea to the Aral Sea. Or here’s another: the famous “gigantomaniacal” project to transfer Siberian rivers".
IFAS Director Bolat Bekniyaz was a junior researcher at the Institute in the 70s geological sciences them. Satpayeva. He was engaged in research, studying the route along which a canal was supposed to be launched from Siberia to Central Asia. The plans were the most ambitious. The canal was supposed to stretch over a distance of 2,550 km.
Photo livingasia.online
“The canal was supposed to go from under the Russian Kurgan to the region of Kazakhstan’s Kyzylorda,” says Bolat Bekniyaz. “Cross the Syr Darya River and reach the Amu Darya River. The purpose of the canal’s construction is to irrigate fields and provide water to Central Asian cities. The second, additional purpose is to recharge the Aral Sea. The project was supposed to be implemented already in 1986. And in 1986 it was closed - there was no funding.
Current situation
Until the mid-2000s, the situation with the sea was catastrophic. Then many scientists prophesied: soon the Aral Sea would dry out completely. In 2005, the Kokaral dam was built on Kazakh territory, between the Big and Small Aral. The construction made it possible to fill the Small Aral up to 42 meters.
The Great Aral Sea can no longer be saved. To restore the entire sea, it is required that 60-70 cubic kilometers of water enter it per year. Now the Syrdarya gives 6 cubic kilometers, the Amu Darya - zero, all the water is used for irrigation.
Photo livingasia.online
After the Small Sea was filled, life in the coastal villages changed dramatically. The fish has arrived. Fish is now at a premium - for one catch from a boat you can earn 100 or 200 thousand tenge.
Photo livingasia.online
New schools, medical posts and fish receiving factories appeared in the villages.
School in the Aral Sea region / Photo livingasia.online
Currently, 8.4 thousand tons of fish are caught in the Small Aral Sea per year (2015); before the disaster, annual catches reached 40 thousand tons.
What will happen to the Aral
The Kazakh side predicts a long but progressive restoration of the Aral Sea.
There are several options for the development of the event. Here are the most feasible ones.
The first is to raise the Kokaral dam by another 6-7 meters. This will raise the level of the Small Aral to 48 meters, and the volume of water will increase by a third.
Dam in the Aral Sea / Photo livingasia.online
The second option is to build another dam at sea, in the Sarashyganak area. This will make it possible to create another reservoir 50 meters deep in the Aralsk region.
Briefly about the Aral Sea
The Aral Sea is located on the territory of two countries - Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Sea levels have begun to decline since the 1960s. Until this time, the Aral Sea provided about 13% of the total fish catch in the USSR. In 1984, fishing at sea ceased completely.
The reason for the drying up of the Aral Sea is the transfer of most of the flow of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya to irrigate fields. In 1960, in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya basin there were 4.1 million hectares of irrigated land, in 1990 - 7.4 million hectares.
Due to the drying up of the Aral Sea in the region, the incidence of typhoid fever, cholelithiasis, chronic gastritis, esophageal cancer, and tuberculosis has sharply increased in the region.
Due to dust blowouts, the turbidity of the atmosphere in the Aral Sea region increased almost threefold. The air became twice as dry.
On former territory The Aral Sea contains about 10 billion tons of salt. If it is scattered on the ground in an even layer of 5 cm, it will cover an area of approximately 10 million hectares.
IN Central Asia, between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, is a salt lake that has no water flow on the surface or underwater. It is commonly called the Aral Sea. It has been shrinking for more than half a century, because in the second half of the 20th century the water intake of the feeding rivers increased.
Before Aral Lake became shallow, it was one of the five largest lakes in the world. Water began to be taken more actively into the USSR during the peak of agricultural activity, now the sea-lake is drying up, turning everything around it into a lifeless desert. A local environmental disaster occurred, the cause of which was again man. The Aral Sea today has lost more than a hundred kilometers from its former coastline. Previously, it was closely adjacent to the Uzbek Muynak.
Geographical information
The Aral Sea basin occupies less than 2 million square meters. km. Literally 100 years ago it could be compared with the Caspian Lake, only slightly inferior to it. From an area of 70 thousand square kilometers, the lake in 2009 reached 13,900 square kilometers. This is excessive big losses, which affect the flora and fauna of the unique geographical feature. In the gallery you can see photos of the Aral Sea in all its glory and compare your impressions with reality.
The salt lake occupies a vast depression, which varies in depth in different places. There is an island called Kokaral, which divided the once vast waters into two unequal parts. At the beginning of the study of the Aral Sea, its depth at the lowest point could be up to 70 m, and the water was clearly visible 25 meters down.
Concerning climatic conditions basin, then they are classified as arid. Summer lasts long, July is hot, temperatures often reach 30 degrees. In winter, negative temperatures down to -15⁰C can be recorded on the shores of the Aral Sea.
The Amudarya and Syr Darya fed the Aral Lake from two sides: from the south and from the northeast. These rivers begin their journey in high-altitude glacial terrain. That's where they get most water. IN summer period maximum flow. Naturally, not all water reaches the Aral Sea, this is due to natural losses. But this is not as scary as the result of human activity. Due to the fact that the waters of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya are used to irrigate agricultural crops, the Aral Lake gets practically nothing.
This once vast sea had more than 1,100 islands, each of which exceeded 1 hectare in area. When the lake began to shrink, these pieces of land began to break up into separate parts, and unconnected small reservoirs were formed. Water salinity ranged from 10% to 50%.
Living creatures in the Aral Sea
At the beginning of the study, scientists recorded about 20 species of fish, more than 150 species of invertebrates, an innumerable number of amoebas, worms, rotifers, various types of crustaceans and mollusks in the salt lake.
Since the second half of the 20th century, the fauna of the Aral Sea begins to decline sharply. At the same time, 12 species of fish and several species of invertebrates were introduced into the water column. How this happened - by accident or on purpose - has not yet been established.
Shrinking in size, the Aral Sea became increasingly salty. Over time, the conditions for the existence of any living organism became less and less suitable. Those of them that originated from freshwater animals died out first. With salinity increasing to 13% by 1976, brackish water inhabitants disappeared from the sea. Behind them, species of Caspian origin disappeared, and by the 1980s, only species that were not harmed by salinity fluctuations could be found in the Aral Sea. At this stage, measures were taken, and in the Small Aral zone there was a partial restoration of the fauna, pike perch and grass carp returned.
By 1990, salinity had reached its maximum level. Only hyperhaline species were able to survive here, that is, those who tolerate fluctuations in salt levels calmly. By the end of the 20th century, the salinity of the Aral Lake exceeded the level by 57%, and the number of fish species decreased to 6. The sea was mainly inhabited by gobies. In 2002, they also became extinct, and only 2 species remained. In 2004, there was nothing alive left in the Aral Sea.
From the history of the salt lake
The Aral Sea is constantly regressing, that is, changing the water level. It has been established that over 3000 years it has regressed five times, this was shown by analysis of sediments at the bottom. The Aral Lake is fed exclusively by two rivers, and their condition completely affects it. The last regression occurred in the 4th century AD. Residents of Khorezm then allowed the Amu Darya into the Caspian Sea, and the Aral began to quickly dry out, reaching almost modern indicators. Subsequently, the Amu Darya returned to its channel, and the population did not interfere with the natural course of events.
The first serious study took place in 1849. The famous Ukrainian Taras Shevchenko took part in the expedition, and the voyage was carried out under the leadership of Lieutenant A. Butakov. IN next year released the first map of this geographical feature. In 1853, steamships began to sail on the sea. Then it began to be used as a platform for military operations related to the annexation of the lands of Central Asia.
Before late XIX century, a number of expeditions were organized, which gave a broad idea of sea creatures, growing plants and climate changes. In the next century, fish began to be harvested from the sea on an industrial scale.
Catastrophe
The year 1960 is considered the beginning of the drying up of the Aral Sea. Before this, the salty closed lake was stable. The reason for the shallowing is the construction of a large irrigation canal, which was supplied with water from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya. Since 1974, the shallowing could not be called catastrophic, but its consequences have already become noticeable - salinity has increased, water levels have dropped. The environmental disaster was made public by M.S. Gorbachev. Because of the breakup Soviet Union future plans efforts to restore the Aral Sea collapsed. On the other hand, the plans included the transfer of Siberian rivers to Asia, an unpredictable procedure.
The “first bell” was the annexation of the islands of the Akpetka archipelago to the land. The island of Kokaral, dividing the Aral Sea into two parts, became a peninsula. From that moment on, drying went even faster. The water has left the ports. The Aral Sea today presents a pitiful picture, but all this could have been prevented back then.
The water level reached 40 meters already 25 years ago. The Big and Small Aral are the parts into which the lake was divided by the dry Berg Strait. The smaller part did not dry out as quickly as the larger part. 2009 was the peak of the environmental disaster.
The environmental disaster has affected the flora and fauna of the Aral Sea region. The climate changed to unfavorable, the amount of precipitation decreased. Agricultural work, which constantly took place along the shores of the lake, affected the deterioration of the water. Pesticides and fertilizers have been pouring into the Aral Sea for years, today it can be said that this is the largest uncontrolled invasion of the ecosphere. People got hurt - toxic substances poison the respiratory organs, stomach, eyes, liver and kidneys, too little fresh water.
Until now, a huge part of the waters of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya are used to irrigate cotton. Atmospheric precipitation and The groundwater, with the help of which rivers are restored, cannot compensate for the damage that people cause to them. Pesticides spread dust storms over a distance of more than half a kilometer.
Precautionary measures
Over the entire history of the drying up of the Aral Sea, man has not been able to improve the state of nature, but attempts to do so have been made several times. In 1992, in the Small Sea, the Berg Strait was blocked by a small dam, and the water level increased slightly. But the dam constantly collapsed during the flood period. It was restored annually. The measure taken helped restore part of the fauna in the Small Aral Sea. In 1999, the dam gave way under the pressure of a stormy wind, and it was never restored.
The government of Kazakhstan decided to build a new dam on the site of the old dam. The money was received from the World Bank. Hydraulic structure helped raise the water level to 43 meters. In 2004, the construction of the Kokaral dam helped prevent water from falling to dangerous level. Now fish and birds live here, and the place itself is under the protection of the Ramsar Convention.
While the Small Aral Sea is in satisfactory condition today, the Big Sea is becoming shallow very quickly. At the end of the 20th century, the waters became 57% saline. Gradually, many islands in this part of the sea were united. The same Kokaral platinum damaged most of the Aral Sea. In 2009, one part of it dried out completely. The dry summers took their toll, and the area of the basin shrank.
Reservoirs began to be created, which slightly alleviated the condition of the Greater Aral. When the Amu Darya floods, the Akpetka archipelago even appears slightly above the water level. At this time, photos of the Aral Sea can remind us a little of the wealth that humanity has lost due to its selfishness.
Consequences
The dried up Aral Sea is an illustration of a terrible apocalyptic tale. What exactly were the consequences after the Aral Sea dried up?
- the spring floods that supplied the lower reaches of the rivers with fresh water have disappeared;
- the number of fish species was reduced to 6;
- the fishing industry ceased to exist, people lost their jobs;
- shipping has stopped because water no longer reaches the ports;
- The groundwater level dropped, the area turned into a desert;
- 50% of birds and animals became extinct;
- the climate on the coastline has changed, humidity has dropped;
- diseases appeared among the population.
In addition, the consequences of the fact that one of the islands was used as a testing site during the Soviet Union emerged biological weapons. There are bacteria left there anthrax, typhoid, plague, botulism. In 2001, the island joined the mainland.
Photos of the Aral Sea clearly show that irrigation canals are robbing it of water. It is not possible to restore the object. The only way- elimination of irrigation canals, but the countries that are located on the shores of the drying lake will not agree to this. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan need water for their vast cotton fields.
It’s not just the Aral Sea that looks so deplorable. There are at least two other places in the world where the same thing happens. This is African Chad and the Salton Sea Island in California. Humanity must take a closer look at its activities.
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The tragedy of the Aral Sea is heard today. Its rapid disappearance from the world map is considered one of the major environmental disasters of our time. In place of the water surface now lies the Aralkum desert. Whether the drying out of the once huge lake-sea is a consequence of climate change or human activity remains a controversial issue. Most likely, a combination of a number of factors led to the current deplorable state. Now Aral Sea It can only boast of a sandy-salt plain, dry grass and lonely lakes of water. Its desert beauty fascinates and continues to attract travelers, lovers vivid impressions and antiquity.
The birth of the sea in place of the desert
Aral Sea arose on the site of a desert pit twenty-four thousand years ago. By the standards of history, it can be considered quite young.
Probably, the reason for its occurrence was a change in the course of the Amu Darya. The fast and deep river fed the Caspian Sea, however, due to soil erosion and landscape changes, it diverted, carrying its waters to the Aral Sea. Together with it, the Amu Darya filled the Syrykamysh depression, forming a large bitter-salty lake. It was located between the Aral and Caspian seas. When the depression overflowed, water poured out of it into the Caspian Sea, forming a natural outflow - the now dry Uzboy branch.
At the very beginning of its inception Aral Sea They also fed other rivers, such as Turgai, powerful tributaries of the Syr Darya: Zhanadarya and Kuandarya. The abundance of water resources turned the Aral into one of the largest lakes in the world, but not for long.
The Aral Sea in the works and maps of scientists of the ancient world
Famous historians and travelers Ancient Greece and Rome mentioned the Aral Sea more than once in their treatises. Some descriptions may be considered controversial and contradictory. An important fact one thing remains: in ancient times the Aral Sea was known and not only existed as an internal water resource, but was a significant center of the ancient world.
Great ancient historians, such as Hecataeus of Miletus, Herodotus, Aristotle, Erastothenes did not know about the Aral Sea. But they were well aware of the existence of the Caspian Sea. It was Herodotus in the 5th century BC. e. concluded, and quite rightly, that the Caspian or Hyrcanian Sea is cut off from big water an independent body of water, while on ancient maps it was depicted as connected with the world ocean.
The Aral was first mentioned by historians of the late Hellenistic period. In the famous "Geography" of Strabo (1st century AD) Aral Sea called Oxian or Oxian Lake. The name comes from the obsolete name of the Amu Darya river - Oxus. It is interesting that a century later, the second great geographer Claudius Ptolemy, describing the Caspian in detail, does not mention the Aral at all. Meanwhile, the map compiled by him very accurately conveys the outlines of these two seas as if they had merged into one. The scientist, following Herodotus, wrote about him as one.
Aral Sea in medieval view
The first accurate descriptions and maps of the Aral appear among Arab scientists starting in the 10th century. If ancient authors relied on the stories of traders and sailors, theoretical calculations and legends, then medieval historians from Arab countries based on their own observations.
The tenth century traveler and scholar Al-Istakhri was the first to describe in detail Aral Sea and made a map of it. He calls it the Khorezm Sea. It was here, between the water surface of a salt lake and the sands of the Karakum, that the ancient Khorezm civilization grew.
It is interesting that the Aral Sea as an independent sea does not appear on European medieval maps until the 16th century. According to tradition, originating from the “Geography” of Claudius Ptolemy, it continued to be depicted for a long time as merging with the Caspian Sea.
In 1562, the famous “Jenkinson's Map of Russia” was published, compiled by an English merchant during his trip to Central Asia. It shows a certain lake China (Kitaia), which originates from the Syrdarya River and flows into the Ob. Most likely this is what it is Aral Sea. Despite obvious inaccuracies, mixed up names and the absence of many objects that the traveler was unaware of, Jenkinson's map for a long time was considered the most detailed guide to the region.
Mysteries of the Aral Sea
The absence of a large natural body of water on maps for many centuries still causes some bewilderment among scientists. As a rule, this is explained by the imperfection of knowledge of that time, however, other versions also appear. One of possible reasons- the confluence of the Aral Sea with the Caspian Sea, as indicated by Herodotus. Perhaps at some period the high water of these two seas reached such proportions that the space between them was flooded. Another reason is the drying up of the sea, which has already taken place in its history.
Due to permanent processes soil degradation and changes in surface topography, the connection with the rivers was severed. The riverbeds deviated, dried up, and were lost in the Karakum sands. As studies show at least twice in twenty-four thousand years of its existence Aral Sea dried out almost to the point of complete disappearance.
Today, on the exposed surface, archaeological excavations. The Kedderi Mausoleum and the remains of settlements of the Khorezm culture of the 11th-14th centuries indicate that the sea dried up during this period. Subsequently, the water level recovered, and the buildings were at a depth of 20 meters.
The rapid disappearance of the reservoir in the last 50 years may be either a consequence of man-made factors or a result of a changing climate and a natural cyclical phenomenon.
Why you should go to the Aral
Despite the sand and wind, bad ecology and the remains of a dying, salty lake, the Aral beckons travelers. Fans of wild recreation and harsh nature will love the snow-white Aralkum. The atmosphere of the desert is mesmerizing and seems to transport you millions of years ago. The earth before the beginning of time, and here it stops. People come here for the beauty of nature in order to come into contact with tragedy and think about what unreasonable human intervention leads to.
Among the popular sites is the ship graveyard in the former port city Muynak. Dozens of forgotten fishing schooners and cargo trawlers lie among the sands and salt marshes, gradually rusting and crumbling. The sea has long retreated, the city is dying and only the remains of ships appear black against the white background of the desert. It may seem like this is just a fantastic set for a film, but no - it’s harsh reality modern Aral, very impressive.
For history buffs, a trip to the excavation site for the remains of the mausoleum and medieval settlements Khorezm. You should definitely include a visit to Nukus in your program. In the city itself there is a museum with a huge collection of decorative and applied art from Central Asia. In the village of Khodjeyli near Nukus there is a architectural ensemble caravanserai White Khanaka, remains ancient fortress, medieval mausoleums of the rulers of Khorezm.
One of the border objects separating Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan is the endorheic salty Aral Sea. In its heyday, this lake-sea was considered the fourth largest in the world in terms of the volume of water it contained; its depth reached 68 meters.
In the 20th century, when the Republic of Uzbekistan was part of the Soviet Union, the waters and bottom of the sea were explored by specialists. As a result radiocarbon dating it was established that this reservoir was formed in prehistoric era, approximately 20-24 thousand years ago.
At that time the landscape was constantly changing earth's surface. Full-flowing rivers changed their courses, islands and entire continents appeared and disappeared. Main role in the formation of this water body the rivers played different time filling the sea called the Aral Sea.
Stone basin containing big lake V primitive times, filled the waters of the Syrdarya. Then it really was no more than an ordinary lake. But after one of the shifts tectonic plates The Amu Darya River changed its original course, ceasing to feed the Caspian Sea.
Great waters and periods of drought in the history of the sea
Thanks to the powerful support of this river, the large lake replenished its water balance, becoming a real sea. Its level rose to 53 meters. Significant changes in the water landscape of the area and increased depth became the causes of climate humidification.
Through the Sarakamyshen depression it connects with the Caspian Sea, and its level rises to 60 meters. These favorable changes occurred in the 4th-8th millennium BC. At the turn of the 3rd millennium BC, aridization processes took place in the Aral Sea region.
The bottom got closer again water surface, and the waters dropped to 27 meters above sea level. The depression connecting two seas – the Caspian and Aral – is drying up.
The level of the Aral Sea fluctuates between 27-55 meters, alternating periods of revival and decline. The great medieval regression (drying out) came 400-800 years ago, when the bottom was hidden under 31 meters of water
Chronicle history of the sea
First documentary evidence, confirming the existence of a large salt lake, can be found in Arab chronicles. These chronicles were kept by the great Khorezm scientist Al-Biruni. He wrote that the Khorezmians already knew about the existence of a deep sea from 1292 BC.
V.V. Bartholdi mentions that during the conquest of Khorezm (712-800), the city stood on east coast Aral Sea, about which detailed evidence has been preserved. Ancient writings holy book The Avesta brought to this day a description of the Vaksh River (present-day Amu Darya), which flows into Lake Varakhskoe.
IN mid-19th century, a geological expedition of scientists (V. Obruchev, P. Lessor, A. Konshin) is conducting work in the coastal region. The shore deposits discovered by geologists gave the right to assert that the sea occupied the area of the Sarakamyshin depression and the Khiva oasis. And during the migration of rivers and drying out, the mineralization of water sharply increased and salts fell to the bottom.
Facts of the recent history of the sea
The above documentary evidence is collected in the book “Essays on the history of research of the Aral Sea”, written by a member of the Russian Geographical Society L. Berg. It is interesting to note that, according to L. Berg, neither ancient Greek nor ancient Roman historical or archaeological works contain any information about such an object.
During periods of regression, when the seabed was partially exposed, islands became isolated. In 1963, along one of the islands, Revival Island, a border was drawn between the territories occupied by present-day Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan: 78.97% of Revival Island is occupied by Uzbekistan, and 21.03% by Kazakhstan.
In 2008, Uzbekistan began geological exploration work on Vozrozhdeniya Island in order to discover oil and gas layers. Thus, Vozrozhdeniya Island may turn out to be a “stumbling block” in economic policy two countries.
It is planned to complete the main part in 2016 geological exploration work. And already at the end of 2016, the LUKOIL corporation and Uzbekistan will drill two appraisal wells on Vozrozhdenie Island, taking into account seismic data.
Ecological situation in the Aral Sea region
What is the Small and Large Aral Sea? The answer can be obtained by studying the drying up of the Aral Sea. At the end of the 20th century this body of water Another regression has occurred - drying out. It splits into two independent objects - the Southern Aral and the Small Aral Sea.
Why did the Aral Sea disappear?
The water surface has decreased to ¼ of its original value, and maximum depth approached the mark of 31 meters, which became evidence of a significant (up to 10% of the initial volume) reduction of water in the already disintegrated sea.
Fishing, which once flourished on the lake-sea, has abandoned due to the strong mineralization of the water. southern reservoir- the large Aral Sea. The Small Aral Sea has retained some fishing enterprises, but fish stocks there have also decreased significantly. The reasons why the sea bottom was exposed and individual islands appeared were:
- Natural alternation of periods of regression (drying out); during one of them, in the middle of the 1st millennium, there was a “city of the dead” at the bottom of the Aral Sea, as evidenced by the fact that there is a mausoleum here, next to which several burials were discovered.
- Drainage and collector waters and domestic waste from the surrounding fields and vegetable gardens, containing pesticides and toxic chemicals, enter the rivers and settle to the bottom of the sea.
- The Central Asian rivers Amudarya and Syrdarya, partially flowing through the territory of the state of Uzbekistan, have reduced the recharge of the Aral Sea by 12 times due to the diversion of their waters for irrigation needs.
- Global climate change: Greenhouse effect, destruction and melting of mountain glaciers, and this is where Central Asian rivers originate.
The climate in the Aral Sea region has become harsher: cooling begins already in August, the summer air has become very dry and hot. Steppe winds blowing across the bottom of the sea carry toxic chemicals and pesticides across the entire Eurasian continent.
Aral is navigable
Back in the XYIII-XIX centuries, the depth of the sea was passable for a military flotilla, which included steamships and sailing ships. And scientific and research vessels penetrated the secrets that were hidden by the depths of the sea. In the last century, the depths of the Aral Sea abounded in fish and were suitable for navigation.
Until the next period of drying out at the end of the 70s of the 20th century, when the sea bottom began to sharply approach the surface, ports were located on the seashores:
- Aralsk – former center fishing industry in the Aral Sea; is now located here administrative center one of the districts of the Kyzylorda region of Kazakhstan. It was here that the start was given for the revival of fishing. The dam, built on the outskirts of the city, increased to 45 meters the depth of one of the parts into which the Small Aral Sea broke up, which has already made it possible to engage in fish farming. By 2016, fishing for flounder and freshwater fish has been established here: pike perch, catfish, Aral barbel, and asp. More than 15 thousand tons of fish were caught in the Small Aral Sea in 2016.
- Muynak – located on the territory of the state of Uzbekistan, former port and the sea are separated by 100-150 kilometers of steppe, in the place of which there was the bottom of the sea.
- Kazakhdarya is a former port located on the territory of the state of Uzbekistan.
New land
The exposed bottom became islands. The largest islands stand out:
- Renaissance Island, South part which is located on the territory of the state of Uzbekistan, and the northern part belongs to Kazakhstan; as of 2016, Vozrozhdeniya Island is a peninsula on which a large number of biological waste;
- Barsakelmes Island; belongs to Kazakhstan, located 180 km from Aralsk; as of 2016, the Barsakalme Nature Reserve is located on this island in the Aral Sea;
- Kokaral Island is located in the north of the former Aral Sea on the territory of Kazakhstan; Currently (as of 2016) it is a land isthmus connecting a large sea that has split into two parts.
Currently (as of 2016) all former islands connected to the mainland.
Location of the Aral Sea on the map
Travelers and tourists visiting Uzbekistan are interested in the question: where is the mysterious Aral Sea, the depth of which in many places is zero? What do the Small and Large Aral Seas look like in 2016?
Caspian and Aral Sea on the map
The problems of the Aral Sea and the dynamics of its drying out are clearly visible on satellite map. On an ultra-precise map depicting the territory occupied by Uzbekistan, one can trace a trend that could mean the death and disappearance of the sea. And the effects of a changing climate on the entire continent, which could result from the disappearing Aral Sea, will be catastrophic.
The problem of reviving a drying water body has become international. The real way to save the Aral Sea could be a project to divert Siberian rivers. In any case, the World Bank, when 2016 began, allocated $38 million to the countries of the Central Asian region to solve the Aral Sea problem and mitigate climate impacts in the region caused by disastrous processes in the Aral Sea.
Video: Documentary film about the Aral Sea
"I wanted to know more about this natural disaster, that’s why I decided to dedicate this post to the once fourth largest lake in the world...
You probably noticed that I called the Aral Sea a lake? And I was not mistaken, it really is drainless salt lake, and it is traditionally attributed to the sea because large sizes, like the “neighboring” Caspian Lake. By the way, they are both remnants of the ancient, now non-existent Tethys Ocean.
And a little geography for those who don't know where is the Aral Sea located, let me explain: it is located in Central Asia, on the border of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
The drying process of the Aral Sea began back in the 1980s. The beginning of its end is considered to be the 1960s, when in the then Central Asian Soviet republics– Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan began active development Agriculture, including cotton growing, for which they began to actively divert water from the Syrdarya and Amu Darya rivers feeding the lake through canals for irrigation.
As a result of the constant increase in the volume of water drained from rivers, by 2009 the Aral Sea had moved tens of kilometers away from the cities that formerly stood on its shores, and split into two isolated reservoirs.
The first is the Northern or Small Aral Sea (located on the territory of Kazakhstan), and the second is the Southern or Greater Aral Sea (Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan).
Problems of the Aral Sea
The drying out of the sea affected the entire region of its former waters as a whole: ports were closed, fishing in industrial volumes, since the salinity of the water increased almost 10 times, and many species of flora and fauna could not survive in the dramatically changed conditions. The climate of the Aral Sea has also changed - winters have become colder and longer, and summers have become even drier and hotter.
In addition, winds carry it from drained areas great amount dust containing and sea salt, and pesticides and many more chemicals. This is one of the main reasons high mortality among residents of the region, especially among children.
What to do? How to save the Aral Sea?
Many experts have thought about ways to solve the problem of shallowing the Aral Sea, but other than “crazy” Soviet project at the turn of several Siberian rivers, there were no other options. But since this turn will entail very serious environmental consequences for many regions of our Siberia, there is no chance of its implementation.
The only real steps to save the Aral Sea and the economy of the region as a whole are now being taken only by the authorities of Kazakhstan. True, they decided to save only the Small Aral, that is, northern part sea, entirely within the territory of their country.
In 2005, the construction of the 17-kilometer Kokaral dam, 6 m high and about 300 meters wide, was completed, separating the Northern Aral Sea from the rest of the sea.
Because of this, the flow of the Syrdarya River now accumulates only in this reservoir, due to which the water level is gradually increasing. This made it possible not only to reduce the salinity of the water, but also to breed commercial fish varieties in the Northern Aral Sea. And in the future, this should help in restoring the flora and fauna of the Aral Sea region.
Also, in the near future, the Kazakh authorities want to build a dam with a hydroelectric complex and a shipping canal here in the Small Aral, thanks to which it is planned to connect the former port of Aralsk with the lost big water.
Well, the Great Aral Sea, located on the territory of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, was less fortunate. No one is working to save it, and most likely in the next decade it will disappear from the maps altogether.
