NCA - The Shrinking Aral Sea Lesson

The Shrinking Aral Sea

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan share Central Asia's shrinking the Aral Sea. In 1960, the Aral Sea covered about 26,254 square miles. By 2009, the sea covered less than ten percent of the same area. The entire eastern portion of the sea has become a sand desert, complete with the deteriorating hulls of abandoned fishing vessels. The loss of water is equivalent to the complete draining of both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario in North America.

Deserts of Central Asia

The Aral Sea is decreasing in volume because of water being diverted from the two rivers to be used for irrigation of desert lands to grow enormous crops of grains and cotton.

Images of the Aral Sea in 1989 and 2008: These satellite images compare the Aral Sea between 1989 and 2008. The eastern region was completely dry by 2009, whereas the northern portion was responding favorably to Kazakhstan's conservation efforts.

The Water Sources 

The two main water sources for the Aral Sea are the Syr Darya River and the Amu Darya River. At about 1,500 miles long, the Amu Darya in Central Asia's longest river. Its source is the high mountain streams and lakes of the Pamir Mountains. Its mouth was originally on the southern side of the Aral Sea. This changed when the river was diverted for the irrigation of cotton and other crops. Similarly, the Syr Darya River, which flowed into the northern part of the sea, was also diverted. As a result, the moderating effect that this large body of water had on its surrounding area is no longer as prominent as it once was. The climate around the Aral Sea has changed gradually and is getting warmer in the summer and colder in the winter.

The deterioration of the Aral Sea and the destruction of habitat for waterfowl and other organisms is one of the world's worst environmental catastrophes. The sea has historically been an important environmental location for wildlife. It is located in a major flyway for migratory waterfowl in Central Asia and served as an important habitat. The remaining western portion of the sea has a rising salt content that is contributing to the decline of the fish population. The decline of the Aral Sea has destroyed habitats and the local economy. The fishing industry, which employed more than sixty thousand people, has been devastated.

Two Countries, One Problem, and Very Different Responses

In the northern portion of the Aral Sea, called the Little Aral Sea, there has been some success in abating the deterioration of this once-thriving environmental habitat. Kazakhstan's government, which controls the Little Aral Sea, undertook efforts to stop the devastation. A major dam was constructed to partition off the Little Aral Sea, causing water from the Syr Darya River to increase the water level of the Little Aral Sea and reduce the salt content. Canals, dikes, and irrigation processes were updated to reduce the loss of water and increase the amount that flowed into the northern section of the Aral Sea. Kazakhstan's development efforts caused the water level to rise; thus, reinvigorating the once-struggling fishing industry.

Ship orphaned in the dry seabed of the former eastern region of the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan. The eastern half of the sea is completely dry.

A major part of the southern portion of the once-thriving Aral Sea is in Uzbekistan, which has not contributed the economic attention necessary to halt the sea's continued deterioration. The demise of the Aral Sea was caused in part by the diversion of water from its northern inlet, the Syr Darya River. At the other end of the Syr Darya River, an additional factor increased the lack of water flow: the Soviet Union placed a dam on the river and allowed the overflow from the dam to flow into low-lying dry pans, creating artificial lakes. As a result, Aydar Lake was created and became the second-largest lake in Uzbekistan. Various species of fish were introduced, and the lake became a major source for commercial fishing. Hundreds of tons of fish are harvested annually. Just as fishing was declining in the Aral Sea, the fishing industry was growing at Aydar Lake.

The eastern side of the Aral Sea was completely dry by 2009 and the remaining western portion of the Uzbekistan side of the Aral Sea will continue to shrink if measures are not taken to address the loss of water from the Amu Darya River. Uzbekistan has responded to the situation by contracting out to various multinational oil companies from Korea, China, and Russia to explore for oil beneath the dry seabed.

Complete the review below.

 

Map Activity IconMap Activity: Northern Central Asia

Identify the following key places on a map:

Countries:

Please note and study the various ways that the countries can be grouped.

  • Northern Asia: Russia
  • Landlocked Countries of Central Asia: Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan

 Other Physical Locations to locate:

Bodies of Water:

  • Aral Sea
  • Aydar Lake
  • Black Sea
  • North Sea
  • Caspian Sea

 Cities:

  • Moscow
  • Samarkand

Mountains: 

  • Caucuses
  • Hindu Kush
  • Pamirs
  • Tian Shan
  • Ural Mountains

Rivers:

  • Amu Darya
  • Syr Darya
  • Volga

 Be sure to track the flow of the rivers through major cities. List the cities through which the rivers flow.

 

RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.