Aral Sea. tragic story

The tragedy of the Aral Sea is well known today. Its rapid disappearance from the world map is considered one of the largest environmental disasters of our time. In place of the water surface, the Aralkum desert now spreads. Whether the shrinking of the once vast lake-sea is a consequence of climate change or human activity remains a moot point. Most likely, a combination of a number of factors has led to the current deplorable state. Now Aral Sea can only boast of a sandy-saline plain, dry grass and lonely lakes of water. Its desert beauty fascinates and continues to attract travelers, lovers of vivid impressions and antiquity.

The birth of the sea in the 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 change in the channel of the Amu Darya served as the reason for its occurrence. The fast and full-flowing river fed the Caspian, however, due to soil erosion and landscape changes, it deviated, carrying its waters to the Aral. 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, forming a natural outflow - the now dried-up branch of Uzboy.

At the very beginning of its inception Aral Sea fed by other rivers, such as Turgay, 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.

Aral in the works and maps of scientists of the ancient world

Famous historians and travelers of ancient Greece and Rome in their treatises have repeatedly mentioned the Aral Sea. Some descriptions can be considered controversial and contradictory. One important fact remains: in ancient times, the Aral Sea was known and not only existed as an inland water resource, but was a significant center of the ancient world.

Great ancient historians such as Hecateus of Miletus, Herodotus, Aristotle, Erastofen 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 an independent body of water cut off from high water, while on ancient maps it was depicted as connected with the oceans.

The Aral was first mentioned by historians of the late Hellenistic period. In the famous "Geography" of Strabo (I century AD) Aral Sea called Oxian or Oxian Lake. The name comes from the obsolete name of the Amudarya River - Oxus. Interestingly, a century later, the second great scientist-geographer Claudius Ptolemy, describing the Caspian Sea in detail, does not mention the Aral Sea 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 Sea appear among Arab scientists since the 10th century. If ancient authors relied on the stories of merchants and navigators, theoretical calculations and legends, then medieval historians from the Arab countries relied on their own observations.

The tenth-century traveler and scholar Al-Istakhri was the first to describe in detail Aral Sea and mapped it out. He has it called the Khorezm Sea. It was here, between the water surface of the salt lake and the sands of the Karakum, that the ancient Khorezm civilization grew up.

Interestingly, the Aral Sea as an independent sea does not appear on European medieval maps until the 16th century. According to the tradition originating from the “Geography” of Claudius Ptolemy, it continued to be depicted as merging with the Caspian for a long time.

In 1562, the world saw the famous Jenkinson's Map of Russia, compiled by an English merchant during his travels in Central Asia. It shows a certain Lake China (Kitaia), which originates from the Syr Darya River and flows into the Ob. Most likely, this is Aral Sea. Despite obvious inaccuracies, confused names and the absence of many objects that the traveler was unaware of, Jenkinson's map has long been considered the most detailed guide to this region.

Mysteries of the Aral Sea

The absence of a large natural reservoir on the maps for many centuries still causes some bewilderment of scientists. As a rule, this is explained by the imperfection of knowledge of that time, however, other versions appear. One of the possible reasons is the confluence of the Aral Sea with the Caspian Sea, as it was 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 the constant processes of soil degradation and changes in the surface topography, the connection with the rivers was interrupted. The channels deviated, dried up, and were lost in the sands of the Karakum. As studies show at least twice in the twenty-four thousand years of its existence Aral Sea dwindled to almost complete extinction.

Today, archaeological excavations are underway on the surface. The mausoleum of Kedderi and the remains of settlements of the Khorezm culture of the 11th-14th centuries testify 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 can be both a consequence of technogenic factors, and the result of a changing climate and a natural cyclical phenomenon.

Why go to the Aral

Despite the sand and wind, poor ecology and the remains of a dying lake salted through and through, the Aral attracts travelers. Fans of wild recreation and harsh nature will like the snow-white Aralkum. The atmosphere of the desert is mesmerizing and seems to take you back millions of years. The earth before the beginning of time, and here it stops. People come here for the beauties of nature in order to get in touch with the tragedy and think about what unreasonable human intervention leads to.

Among the popular objects is the ship cemetery in the former port city of Muynak. Dozens of forgotten fishing schooners and cargo trawlers lie among the sands and salt marshes, gradually rusting and crumbling. The sea has long receded, the city is dying, and only the remains of ships blacken against the white background of the desert. It may seem that this is just a fantastic scenery for the film, but no - this is the harsh reality of the modern Aral, very impressive.

For lovers of history, a trip to the site of excavations of the remains of the mausoleum and medieval settlements of Khorezm will be interesting. You should definitely include a visit to Nukus in the program. In the city itself there is a museum with a huge collection of decorative and applied arts of Central Asia. In the village of Khodjeyli near Nukus, the architectural ensemble of the Belaya Khanaka caravanserai, the remains of an ancient fortress, and the medieval mausoleums of the rulers of Khorezm have been preserved.

In the old days, the Aral Sea was the 4th largest in the world. And at the moment it is called the lake-sea. It is located both in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The sea is endorheic, with salt water. In 1960, this sea occupied an area equal to 66.1 thousand square kilometers. Not particularly deep, the average depth is 10-15 meters, and the largest is 54.5 meters. But by 1990, the sea occupied an area almost half that - 36.5 thousand square kilometers. However, this is not yet a chapel. Just 5 years later, in 1995, the following data were released: the sea surface area was reduced by half, and the sea lost three-quarters of its water volume. At the moment, desertification prevails over more than 33,000 square kilometers of the former seabed. The coastline has decreased by 100-150 kilometers. The water itself also underwent a change: salinity increased by 2.5 times. As a result, the huge sea turned into two lake-seas: the Small Aral and the Big Aral.

The consequences of such a catastrophe have long gone beyond the region. More than 100 thousand tons of salt, as well as fine dust, mixed with various poisons and chemicals, are carried every year from places where the waters of the sea used to be, and now the land. Naturally, such a combination has a very detrimental effect on all living organisms. Any sailor will be surprised at the pictures that the once former is now opening. There are a lot of ghost ships that have found an eternal home on land.

All these facts indicate that by 2015 the sea simply will not become such a pace. In place of the sea, the Aral-Kum desert is formed. Accordingly, it will become a continuation of the Kyzylkum and Karakum deserts. After the disappearance of the sea for decades, the wind will carry various toxic poisons that poison the air around the world. With the disappearance of the Aral Sea, the climate in the adjacent territory will also change. The climate is already changing: summer in the Aral Sea region is drier and shorter every year, and winter, accordingly, is noticeably colder and longer. But climate change is just the beginning. After all, the population of the Aral Sea region is suffering. They are acutely aware of the lack of water. Thus, residents receive only 15-20 liters per day instead of the average norm of 125 liters.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has distributed the latest results of observations from the Envisat satellite, which indicate a significant decrease in the area of the Eastern part of the Large Aral Sea, a REGNUM News correspondent reports in Tashkent.

According to ESA experts, images taken from 2006 to 2009 show that the eastern part of the Aral Sea has lost 80% of its water surface. In many respects, this drying process, which began half a century ago, is associated with the turn of the rivers that fed it. In the last twenty years, the sea has actually divided into two reservoirs, the Small Aral from the north side (located on the territory of Kazakhstan) and the Big Aral from the south (located on the territory of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan). Since 2000, the Big Aral, in turn, has been divided into two parts - eastern and western.

According to ESA experts, the Big Aral may completely disappear as early as 2020. Earlier, REGNUM News reported that the President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov at a meeting of the heads of founding states of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea on April 28 in Alma-Ata (Kazakhstan) said that it is hardly practically possible to save the Aral Sea in the full sense of the word. In his opinion, it is necessary to carry out a program of measures thought out in all respects to create normal conditions necessary for a healthy lifestyle for the population living here. The President of Uzbekistan proposed a number of measures to overcome the consequences of the drying up of the Aral Sea and the ecological improvement of the Aral Sea basin. Such measures, according to Karimov, are: the creation of local reservoirs on the already dried-up bottom of the Aral Sea, the flooding of delta reservoirs in order to reduce dust and salt storms, and the restoration of biodiversity and the delta ecosystem. Karimov considers it necessary to carry out forest plantations on the dried bottom of the Aral Sea, fix moving sands, reduce the removal of poisonous aerosols from the dried bottom, provide drinking water and equip communal and medical institutions with water disinfection devices, re-equip water intake facilities with chlorination plants and much more.

The head of Uzbekistan also proposes to systematically study the impact of the growing environmental crisis in the Aral Sea region on the state of health and the gene pool of the population, to prevent and prevent the wide spread of various dangerous diseases specific to this region, to deploy specialized networks of preventive and medical institutions for the population, to implement programs of measures to advancing development of social infrastructure. Karimov stressed that over the past 10 years alone, more than one billion dollars have been spent on the implementation of these projects and programs, including about $265 million through foreign loans, technical assistance and grants.

Speaking about the Aral Sea tragedy and measures to overcome it, we are all, of course, aware that the solution of this problem is most directly related to the problems of rational and reasonable use of water and energy resources, the most careful approach to preserving such a fragile environmental and water balances in the region, the President stressed. I think that in the current very serious, increasingly deteriorating environmental situation in the Aral Sea zone and in the whole region, there is obviously no need to prove or convince someone of taking the most drastic measures to prevent possible negative consequences of the drying up of the Aral Sea, the President of Uzbekistan concluded.

Almost whole inflow of water into the Aral Sea provided by the Amudarya and Syrdarya rivers. For thousands of years, it happened that the channel of the Amu Darya went away from the Aral Sea (toward the Caspian Sea), causing a decrease in the size of the Aral Sea. However, with the return of the Aral River, it was invariably restored to its former borders. Today, the intensive irrigation of cotton and rice fields consumes a significant part of the flow of these two rivers, which drastically reduces the flow of water into their deltas and, accordingly, into the sea itself. Precipitation in the form of rain and snow, as well as underground sources, give the Aral Sea much less water than it is lost during evaporation, as a result of which the water volume of the lake-sea decreases, and the salinity level increases

In the Soviet Union, the deteriorating state of the Aral Sea was hidden for decades, until 1985, when M.S. Gorbachev made this ecological catastrophe public. In the late 1980s the water level dropped so much that the whole sea was divided into two parts: the northern Small Aral and the southern Big Aral. By 2007, deep western and shallow eastern reservoirs, as well as the remains of a small separate bay, were clearly identified in the southern part. The volume of the Big Aral has decreased from 708 to only 75 km3, and the salinity of the water has increased from 14 to more than 100 g/l. With the collapse in 1991, the Aral Sea was divided between the newly formed states: Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Thus, the grandiose Soviet plan to divert the waters of distant Siberian rivers here was put to an end, and competition for possession of the melting water resources unfolded. It remains only to be glad that it was not possible to complete the project for the transfer of the rivers of Siberia, because it is not known what disasters would follow this

Collector-drainage waters coming from the fields into the bed of the Syrdarya and Amudarya caused deposits of pesticides and various other agricultural pesticides, appearing in some places on 54 thousand km? former seabed covered with salt. Dust storms carry salt, dust and pesticides to a distance of up to 500 km. Sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride and sodium sulfate are airborne and destroy or slow down the development of natural vegetation and crops. The local population suffers from a high prevalence of respiratory diseases, anemia, cancer of the larynx and esophagus, as well as digestive disorders. Diseases of the liver and kidneys, eye diseases have become more frequent.

The drying up of the Aral Sea had the most severe consequences. Due to a sharp decrease in river flow, spring floods stopped, supplying the floodplains of the lower reaches of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya with fresh water and fertile sediments. The number of fish species living here has decreased from 32 to 6 - the result of an increase in the level of salinity of the water, the loss of spawning grounds and food sites (which have survived mainly only in river deltas). If in 1960 the fish catch reached 40 thousand tons, then by the mid-1980s. local commercial fishing simply ceased to exist, and more than 60 thousand related jobs were lost. The Black Sea flounder, adapted to life in salty sea water and brought here back in the 1970s, remained the most common inhabitant. However, by 2003, it also disappeared in the Great Aral, unable to withstand water salinity of more than 70 g / l - 2-4 times more than in its usual marine environment.
Aral Sea

Navigation in the Aral Sea has ceased. the water receded for many kilometers from the main local ports: the city of Aralsk in the north and the city of Muynak in the south. And keeping ever longer canals to ports navigable proved too costly. With the lowering of the water level in both parts of the Aral, the groundwater level also dropped, which accelerated the process of desertification of the area. By the mid 1990s. instead of the lush greenery of trees, shrubs and grasses, on the former seashores, only rare bunches of halophytes and xerophytes were visible - plants adapted to saline soils and dry habitats. At the same time, only half of the local species of mammals and birds have been preserved. Within 100 km of the original coastline, the climate has changed: it has become hotter in summer and colder in winter, the level of air humidity has decreased (respectively, the amount of precipitation has decreased), the length of the growing season has decreased, and droughts have become more frequent.

Despite its vast drainage basin, the Aral Sea receives almost no water due to irrigation canals, which, as the photo below shows, take water from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya for hundreds of kilometers of their flow through the territory of several states. Among other consequences - the disappearance of many species of animals and plants

However, if we turn to the history of the Aral, the sea has already dried up, while again returning to its former shores. So, what was the Aral Sea like for the last few centuries and how did its size change?

In the historical era, there were significant fluctuations in the level of the Aral Sea. So, on the retreating bottom, the remains of trees that grew in this place were found. In the middle of the Cenozoic era (21 million years ago), the Aral was connected to the Caspian. Until 1573, the Amu Darya flowed into the Caspian Sea along the Uzboy branch, and the Turgai River into the Aral. The map compiled by the Greek scientist Claudius Ptolemy (1800 years ago) shows the Aral and Caspian Seas, the Zarafshan and Amu Darya rivers flow into the Caspian. At the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th centuries, the islands of Barsakelmes, Kaskakulan, Kozzetpes, Uyaly, Biyiktau, and Vozrozhdeniye were formed due to lowering of the sea level. The rivers Zhanadarya since 1819, Kuandarya since 1823 ceased to flow into the Aral. From the beginning of systematic observations (XIX century) and until the middle of the XX century, the level of the Aral practically did not change. In the 1950s, the Aral Sea was the fourth largest lake in the world, occupying about 68 thousand square kilometers; its length was 426 km, width - 284 km, maximum depth - 68 m.

In the 1930s, large-scale construction of irrigation canals began in Central Asia, which was especially intensified in the early 1960s. Since the 1960s, the sea has become shallow due to the fact that the water of the rivers that flowed into it was diverted in increasing volumes for irrigation. From 1960 to 1990, the area of irrigated land in Central Asia increased from 4.5 million to 7 million hectares. The needs of the national economy of the region for water have increased from 60 to 120 km? per year, of which 90% is for irrigation. Beginning in 1961, the sea level decreased at an increasing rate from 20 to 80–90 cm/yr. Until the 1970s, 34 species of fish lived in the Aral Sea, of which more than 20 were of commercial importance. In 1946, 23 thousand tons of fish were caught in the Aral Sea, in the 1980s this figure reached 60 thousand tons. In the Kazakh part of the Aral Sea there were 5 fish factories, 1 fish cannery, 45 fish receiving points, in the Uzbek part (Republic of Karakalpakstan) - 5 fish factories, 1 fish canning factory, more than 20 fish receiving points.

In 1989, the sea broke up into two isolated reservoirs - the North (Small) and South (Big) Aral Sea. In 2003, the surface area of the Aral Sea is about a quarter of the original, and the volume of water is about 10%. By the early 2000s, the absolute sea level had dropped to 31 m, which is 22 m lower than the initial level observed in the late 1950s. Fishing was preserved only in the Small Aral, and in the Big Aral, due to its high salinity, all the fish died. In 2001, the South Aral Sea split into western and eastern parts. In 2008, exploration work was carried out in the Uzbek part of the sea (search for oil and gas fields). The contractor is the PetroAlliance company, the customer is the government of Uzbekistan. In the summer of 2009, the eastern part of the South (Big) Aral Sea dried up.

The receding sea left behind 54,000 km2 of dry seabed covered with salt and, in some places, also with deposits of pesticides and various other agricultural pesticides, once washed away by runoff from local fields. Currently, strong storms carry salt, dust and pesticides to a distance of up to 500 km. North and northeast winds have an adverse effect on the south of the Amudarya Delta, the most densely populated, economically and ecologically most important part of the entire region. Airborne sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride, and sodium sulfate destroy or slow down the development of natural vegetation and crops—in a bitter irony, it is the irrigation of these crop fields that has brought the Aral Sea to its current deplorable state.

Another, very unusual problem is connected with the Renaissance Island. When it was far away at sea, the Soviet Union used it as a testing ground for bacteriological weapons. The causative agents of anthrax, tularemia, brucellosis, plague, typhoid, smallpox, as well as botulinum toxin were tested here on horses, monkeys, sheep, donkeys and other laboratory animals. In 2001, as a result of water withdrawal, Vozrozhdeniye Island joined the mainland from the south side. Doctors fear that dangerous microorganisms have retained their viability, and infected rodents may become their distributors in other regions. In addition, dangerous substances can fall into the hands of terrorists. Waste and pesticides, once thrown into the water of the harbor of Aralsk, are now in full view. Severe storms carry toxic substances, as well as huge amounts of sand and salt, throughout the region, destroying crops and causing damage to people's health. You can read more about Renaissance Island in the article: The most terrible islands in the world

Restoration of the entire Aral Sea impossible. This would require four times the annual inflow of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya compared to the current average of 13 km3. The only possible remedy would be to reduce the irrigation of the fields, which consumes 92% of the water intake. However, four of the five former Soviet republics in the Aral Sea basin (with the exception of Kazakhstan) intend to increase their farmland irrigation, mainly to feed their growing population. In this situation, switching to less moisture-loving crops, such as replacing cotton with winter wheat, would help, but the two main water-consuming countries in the region - Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan - intend to continue to grow cotton for sale abroad. It would also be possible to significantly improve the existing irrigation canals: many of them are ordinary trenches, through the walls of which a huge amount of water seeps and goes into the sand. The modernization of the entire irrigation system would help save about 12 km3 of water annually, but would cost $16 billion.

Within the framework of the project “Regulation of the bed of the Syrdarya River and the North Aral Sea” (RSRSAM), in 2003-2005, Kazakhstan built the Kokaral dam with a hydraulic gate (which allows excess water to pass to regulate the level of the reservoir), which separated the Small Aral from the the rest of the (Greater Aral). Due to this, the flow of the Syrdarya accumulates in the Small Aral, the water level here has risen to 42 m abs., salinity has decreased, which makes it possible to breed some commercial fish varieties here. In 2007, the catch of fish in the Small Aral was 1910 tons, of which 640 tons fell to the share of flounder, the rest - freshwater species (carp, asp, pike perch, bream, catfish). It is assumed that by 2012 the catch of fish in the Small Aral will reach 10 thousand tons (in the 1980s, about 60 thousand tons were caught in the entire Aral Sea). The length of the Kokaral dam is 17 km, height 6 m, width 300 m. The cost of the first phase of the PRRSAM project amounted to $85.79 million ($65.5 million falls on a World Bank loan, the rest of the funds were allocated from the republican budget of Kazakhstan). It is assumed that an area of 870 square km will be covered with water, and this will allow the restoration of the flora and fauna of the Aral Sea region. In Aralsk, the Kambala Balyk fish processing plant (capacity 300 tons per year) is currently operating, located on the site of a former bakery. In 2008, it is planned to open two fish processing plants in the Aral region: Atameken Holding (design capacity 8,000 tons per year) in Aralsk and Kambash Balyk (250 tons per year) in Kamyshlybash.

Fishing is also developing in the delta of the Syr Darya. A new hydraulic structure with a capacity of more than 300 cubic meters of water per second (Aklak hydroelectric complex) was built on the channel of the Syrdarya - Karaozek, thanks to which it became possible to water lake systems that contain more than one and a half billion cubic meters of water. In 2008, the total area of lakes is more than 50 thousand hectares (it is expected to increase to 80 thousand hectares), the number of lakes in the region has increased from 130 to 213. As part of the implementation of the second phase of the RRSSAM project in 2010-2015, it is planned to build a dam with a hydroelectric complex in the northern parts of the Small Aral, separate the Saryshyganak Bay and fill it with water through a specially dug channel from the mouth of the Syr Darya, bringing the water level in it to 46 m abs. It is planned to build a navigable channel from the bay to the port of Aralsk (the width of the channel along the bottom will be 100 m, length 23 km). To provide a transport link between Aralsk and the complex of facilities in the Saryshyganak Bay, the project provides for the construction of a category V highway with a length of about 50 km and a width of 8 m parallel to the former coastline of the Aral Sea.

The sad fate of the Aral begins to be repeated by other large water bodies of the world - primarily Lake Chad in Central Africa and Lake Salton Sea in the south of the US state of California. Dead tilapia fish litter the shores, and because of the immoderate water intake for irrigating the fields, the water in it is becoming saltier. Various plans are being considered to desalinate this lake. As a result of the rapid development of irrigation since the 1960s. Lake Chad in Africa has shrunk to 1/10 of its previous size. Farmers, shepherds and locals from the four countries surrounding the lake often fight fiercely among themselves for the last of the water (bottom right, blue), and the lake is today only 1.5 m deep. restoration of the Aral Sea can benefit everyone.

The drying process of the Aral Sea
(Interactive map from www.wikimedia.org)

Not so long ago, the Aral Sea was the fourth largest lake in the world, famous for its richest natural resources, and the Aral Sea zone was considered a prosperous and biologically rich natural environment. The unique isolation and diversity of the Aral Sea did not leave anyone indifferent. And it is not surprising that the lake received such a name. After all, the word "aral" in translation from the Turkic language means "island". Probably, our ancestors considered the Aral as a saving island of life and well-being among the hot desert sands of the Karakum and Kyzyl Kum.

Information on the Aral Sea . Aral is a drainless salt lake-sea in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. By 1990, the area was 36.5 thousand square meters. km (including the so-called Big Sea 33.5 thousand sq. km); until 1960, the area was 66.1 thousand square meters. km. The prevailing depths are 10-15 m, the largest is 54.5 m. Over 300 islands (the largest are Barsakelmes and Vozrozhdeniye). However, due to the unreasonable activity of the "ruler of nature" - man, especially in recent decades, the situation has changed dramatically. Already by 1995, the sea had lost three-quarters of its water volume, and its surface area had shrunk by more than half. Now more than 33 thousand square kilometers of the seabed have been exposed and subjected to desertification. The coastline receded by 100-150 kilometers. The salinity of the water has increased 2.5 times. And the sea itself was divided into two parts - the Big Aral and the Small Aral. In a word, the Aral is drying up, the Aral is dying.

The consequences of the Aral Sea catastrophe have long gone beyond the region. Every year, over 100,000 tons of salt and fine dust with impurities of various chemicals and poisons are carried from the dried up water area of the sea, like from a volcano crater, adversely affecting all living things. The effect of pollution is enhanced by the fact that the Aral Sea is located on the path of a powerful jet stream of air from west to east, which contributes to the removal of aerosols into the high layers of the atmosphere. Traces of salt flows can be traced throughout Europe and even in the Arctic Ocean.

An analysis of the dynamics of the shrinking of the Aral Sea and desertification of adjacent regions leads to a sad forecast of the complete disappearance of the sea by 2010-2015. As a result, a new Aral-Kum desert is formed, which will become a continuation of the Karakum and Kyzylkum deserts. An increasing amount of salt and various highly toxic poisons will spread throughout the globe for many decades, poisoning the air and destroying the planet's ozone layer. The disappearance of the Aral also threatens with a sharp change in the climatic conditions of the territories adjacent to it and the entire region as a whole. Here, already now, a strong tightening of the already sharply continental climate is noticeable. Summer in the Aral Sea region has become drier and shorter, and winter is colder and longer. And the first to suffer from such a situation, of course, is the population of the Aral Sea region. First of all, it is in dire need of water. So, with an average rate of 125 liters per day, local residents receive only 15-20 liters. But not only the need for water has fallen on the multimillion-strong region. Today, he suffers from poverty, hunger, as well as various epidemics and diseases.

Aral has always been one of the richest suppliers of seafood. Now the salinity level of the water is so high that most of the fish species have died. In the tissues of those fish that are caught today, prohibitively high levels of pesticides are often found. Which, of course, negatively affects the health of the Aral Sea residents, not to mention the fact that the fishing and processing industries are dying out and people are left without work.

There are many different opinions regarding the reason for the disappearance of the Aral Sea. Someone is talking about the destruction of the bottom layer of the Aral Sea and its flow into the Caspian Sea and adjacent lakes. Someone argues that the disappearance of the Aral Sea is a natural process associated with a general change in the climate of the planet. Some see the reason in the degradation of the surface of mountain glaciers, their dusting and mineralization of sediments that feed the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers. However, the most common is still the original version - the wrong distribution of water resources that feed the Aral Sea. The Amudarya and Syrdarya rivers flowing into the Aral Sea were previously the main arteries feeding the reservoir. Once they delivered 60 cubic kilometers of water per year to the closed sea. Now - about 4-5.

As you know, both rivers originate in the mountains and pass through the territories of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Since the 1960s, the main part of the water resources of these rivers began to go to irrigate agricultural land and water supply in the Central Asian region. As a result, the channels of the flowing rivers often simply do not reach the dying sea, being lost in the sands. At the same time, only 50-60% of the withdrawn water reaches the irrigated fields. In addition, due to the incorrect and uneconomical distribution of the water of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, somewhere, entire areas of irrigated lands are swamped, making them unsuitable, and somewhere, on the contrary, a catastrophic shortage of water is created. Of the 50-60 million hectares of land suitable for agriculture, only about 10 million hectares are irrigated.

The states of Central Asia and the international community are taking measures to solve the problems of the Aral Sea region. However, unfortunately, for the most part they are not aimed at combating the root cause of the ecological catastrophe, but are dictated, first of all, by the desire to eliminate its consequences. The main forces and funds allocated by states and international humanitarian organizations are spent on maintaining the living standards of the population and the infrastructure of the region. Almost forgotten about the restoration of the sea.

It should also be emphasized that today the world capital is concerned not so much with the fate of the Aral Sea itself, but with the natural reserves of the region. The predicted gas reserves here are 100 billion cubic meters, and oil - 1-1.5 billion tons. The search for oil and gas by the Japanese corporation JNOC and the British-Dutch company Shell is already underway in the Aral basin. Many local officials also see the salvation of the region in attracting world investments, realizing the huge benefit for themselves. However, this is unlikely to solve the problem of the Aral Sea. Most likely, the development of deposits will only worsen the ecological situation in the region.

Roman Streshnev, Red Star, 09/12/2001

The area of the Aral has halved

Pictures of the Aral Sea, taken recently by the European Space Agency, confirm the sad fate of the once one of the largest lakes in the world. In the photographs you can see how the Aral looked like in 1985, and how - in this. An earlier picture belongs to the US agency NASA. The latest imagery was taken by the Meris spectrometer aboard the Envisat satellite in June 2003. Meris is able to observe almost anywhere on Earth.

For 18 years, the area of the Aral Sea has almost halved. During this time, the salt desert that formed in the 1990s has spread over thousands of square kilometers. The exposed saline bottom contains toxic substances that have been entering the sea for many years with industrial drains and household waste.

According to the latest data, the salinity of the sea has increased five times. This, in turn, led to the extinction of the fish.

The drying up of the Aral affected not only the coastal areas, where the fishing huts were left empty far from the current shores. Previously, a continental climate reigned in the Aral Sea region. The Aral Sea acted as a kind of regulator, softening the winds in winter and reducing the heat in the summer months.

Indicators	1960	1990	2003	2004	2007	2008	2009	2010
Comparative table of declining indicators by years
Water level, m	53,40	38,24	31,0
Volume, km 3	1083	323	112,8		75
Surface area, thousand km 2	68,90	36,8	18,24	17,2	14, 183	10,579	11,8	13,9
Mineralization, ‰	9,90	29	78,0	91	100
Runoff, km 3 /year	63	12,5	3,2

In the last 10 years, the climate has become more severe in the region. Summers have become drier and shorter, winters longer and colder. Pasture productivity has halved. People, tired of fighting diseases and poverty, began to leave their homes.

The culprit is melioration

The Aral Sea is the border between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The rivers that feed it - the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya - originate far in the Pamir mountains and go a long way before flowing into the Aral.

Until 1960, the Aral Sea was the fourth largest closed water basin in the world. The main reason for the death of the Aral Sea is the deliberate withdrawal of water resources from the tributaries of the Aral Sea for irrigation of cotton plantations.

In addition, over the years, the population of the region has increased by two and a half times, and the total volume of water intake from the rivers feeding the Aral has increased by about the same amount.

Aral Sea. Map 1960

In 1962, the level of the Aral Sea fluctuated around 53 meters. Over the next 40 years, it decreased by 18 meters, and the volume of water in the sea decreased five times.

At one time, to solve the problem of the Aral Sea, the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea was created, which includes the Aral Sea states. However, there is no consensus among its members, and its work is ineffective.

Despite the fact that measures have been taken to reduce water withdrawal, the Aral Sea continues to dry up. According to experts, in order to maintain the stability of the Aral Sea, it is necessary to increase the inflow of water by 2.5 times.

History of the disaster

The Aral Sea is one of the largest inland closed brackish water bodies of the globe. Located in the center of the Central Asian deserts, at an altitude of 53 m above sea level, the Aral Sea served as a giant evaporator. About 60 cubic km of water evaporated from it and entered the atmosphere. Until 1960, the Aral Sea was the fourth largest lake in the world by area. In the last 30 years alone, the area of irrigated land has doubled, and the use of limited water resources - 2.5 times. The beginning of active irrigated agriculture in the region can be traced back to the 6th-7th centuries. BC. and coincides with the highest flowering of the most ancient civilization, where irrigation was the main decisive factor in the historical and socio-economic development. With the development of agriculture, the natural periods of sea fluctuations begin to be noticeably affected by the anthropogenic factor, which changes the flow of the Syrdarya and Amudarya rivers. This is especially noticeable at the present time. Despite the fact that there has been an intensive melting of glaciers, which should have led to an increase in the level of the Aral Sea over the past 25 years, there is a catastrophic decrease in the world's largest inland water body.

In the last three decades, the intensification of irrigated agriculture, which in Central Asia and Kazakhstan is concentrated on the lands of the foothill areas of the plain and along the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, has led to an ever-increasing irretrievable withdrawal of water from these water arteries that feed the Aral Sea.

The main reason for the difficult environmental situation in the Aral Sea region was large-scale anthropogenic interference. The widespread expansion of areas for irrigation in the valleys of the Syrdarya and Amudarya rivers was accompanied not only by the withdrawal of water, the violation of the hydrological regime of the rivers, the salinization of fertile lands, but also the introduction of a huge amount of chemicals into the environment. The drying up of the Aral Sea caused a number of negative consequences. First of all, deltaic lakes and reed marshes disappeared, and the drying up of the territory led to the formation of huge saline wastelands, which became suppliers of salts and dust to the atmosphere. Most of the territory of the region is used as natural fodder land. Pastures are subject to significant pressures and processes of anthropogenic desertification, which leads to their degradation, reduction of vegetation cover, formation of intertwined sands.

“I wanted to know more about this natural disaster, so 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 a drainless salt lake, and by tradition it is attributed to the sea because of its large size, like the “neighboring” Caspian Lake. By the way, they are both remnants of the ancient, now defunct, Tethys Ocean.

And a little geography for those who don't know where is the Aral Sea, I explain: it is located in Central Asia, on the border of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

The drying process of the Aral began 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, the active development of agriculture, including cotton growing, began, for which water was actively diverted from the Syrdarya and Amudarya rivers feeding the lake through canals for irrigation.

As a result of the constant increase in the volume of water diversion from the rivers, by 2009 the Aral Sea left the cities that in the past stood on its shores for tens of kilometers, and split into two isolated reservoirs.

The first is the North or Small Aral Sea (located on the territory of Kazakhstan), and the second is the South or Big Aral Sea (Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan).

Problems of the Aral Sea

The drying up of the sea affected the entire region of its former water area as a whole: ports were closed, commercial fishing stopped, as 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 - winter has become colder and longer, and summer - even drier and hotter.

In addition, the winds carry a huge amount of dust from the drained territories, containing sea salt, pesticides and many more chemicals. This is one of the main causes of high mortality among the inhabitants of the region, especially among children.

What to do? How to save the Aral Sea?

Many experts thought about ways to solve the problem of the shallowing of the Aral Sea, but apart from the "crazy" Soviet project to turn 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 are no chances for 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, the northern part of the sea, which is completely located on the territory of their country.

In 2005, the construction of the 17-kilometer Kokaral dam, 6 meters high and about 300 meters wide, was completed, which fenced off the Northern Aral 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 rising. This made it possible not only to reduce the salinity of the water, but also to breed commercial varieties of fish in the Northern Aral. And in the future, this should also help in restoring the flora and fauna of the Aral Sea region.

Also, in the near future, the Kazakh authorities want to build here in the Small Aral a dam with a hydroelectric complex and a navigable canal, thanks to which it is planned to connect the former port of Aralsk with the departed large water.

Well, the Great Aral Sea, located on the territory of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, was less fortunate. No one is involved in its rescue, and most likely in the next decade it will disappear altogether from the maps.

The Aral Sea is a lake located on the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. According to research scientists Aral Sea originated 25 thousand years ago. This has been proven by radiocarbon studies of bottom remains.

Now there is not much left of it, it is divided into 2 parts. Most of it belongs to Uzbekistan and is intensively used for irrigation of cotton irrigation, which leads to its destruction. This phenomenon, for all its harmfulness, does not worry Uzbekistan very much.

The fact is that on the dried bottom, oil exploration began, which is carried out by the structures of Lukoil, they practically found oil in large volumes. Uzbekistan hopes for the benefits of oil development and does not invest in the fight against the drying up of the Aral Sea.

Kazakhstan is behaving differently and is investing heavily in preserving the remnants of the Aral Sea. This state carried out the construction of a dam and the waters of the Syr Darya fill the remains of a large reservoir and make the water less salty.

Kazakhstan is investing in commercial fish breeding, including valuable breeds. The fruits of these efforts are already making it possible to start restoring the fishing fleet in the Aral Sea.

History of the drying process of the Aral Sea

Several million years ago between reservoirs Caspian Sea and Aral Sea there was a stable connection, they were one. The Aral Sea after its separation from the Caspian Sea becomes shallower not for the first time.

Serious shallowing was observed in the 4th century AD. It was handmade. The medieval state of Khorezm turned into a powerful state and created a unique irrigation system, which was supplied by the waters of the Amu Darya.

The Aral Sea has become very shallow, now mausoleums that were created in those days are found on its dried bottom. But the hordes of conquerors destroyed the state of Khorezm, actually wiped it off the face of the earth, and the uncontrollable Amu Darya returned to its former course, and refilled the Aral Sea.

The Aral Sea reached its maximum volume in the 16th century, when all the tributaries of the lake turned in its direction. This volume of the Aral Sea survived until the middle of the twentieth century.

The Aral Sea is constantly fluctuating in size. Scientists have calculated that for 3 thousand years this lake has decreased and receded from its shores 5 times.

Reasons for the drying up of the Aral Sea

The reason for the drying, according to hydrologists of the last century

In the last century, why the Aral Sea is drying up was very clear. Active agricultural activity is to blame for everything.

Until now, on many pages of the Internet, the developed irrigation system of Uzbekistan is called a crime of Soviet power. Everyone was sure that the drying up of the Aral Sea is due to the diversion of water from the rivers, tributaries of this reservoir.

The irrigation system for irrigating cotton fields took most of the volume of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya. This allowed Kazakhstan to blame Uzbekistan for everything. It is impossible to completely deny this fact, Uzbekistan ruthlessly exploited its part of the Aral Sea.

Of course, this circumstance played a significant role in the dehydration of the Aral Sea, but somehow everyone did not pay attention to this fact.

Active intake into the artificial ditches of Central Asia has been taking place since the thirties, and the reduction of the water surface of the lake began in the sixties.

Nothing serious happened for thirty years. And this is serious evidence that agriculture is not the main role in the fact that the Aral Sea is drying up.

The reason for the drying, according to hydrologists of the twenty-first century

Since 2010, an increasing number of scientists have been inclined to believe that the main reason for the decrease in the water surface of the Aral Sea is the flow of water underground through the bottom layers.

The fact is that not only the Aral Sea is disappearing. In Africa, the area of the great Lake Chad is rapidly shrinking; in America, Lake Salton City is disappearing before our very eyes. There are more and more supporters of the theory that in this case there is a departure of water into underground horizons.

Some climatologists suggest that we are observing the primary phenomena of a future change in large lakes, in which deep lakes, such as our Baikal, will increase in size, and shallow lakes, up to 200 meters deep, will decrease or dry up completely.

The modern reason for the drying up of the Aral Sea

The theory that arose in this century that an ancient bridge between the Caspian and Aral Seas has opened in the underground horizons is gaining a number of supporters.

Scientists developing this theory draw attention to a strange coincidence in time between the decrease in the Aral Sea and the increase. They argue that this is why the Aral Sea is drying up.

Unfortunately, there is no other evidence for this theory yet. However, recently it was proved by satellite photographs that one of the serious branches of the Amu Darya channel made its way through the sands to the Caspian Sea. Thus, the river naturally reduced the flow of water into the drying lake.

There is a growing number of supporters of the theory that the process of fluctuations in the volume of the Aral Sea does not depend on human activity and has climatic natural causes. They all believe that the waters of the Aral Sea by the bottom routes go to the Caspian Sea. Hydrologists attach more and more importance to the hypothesis of water withdrawal into the bowels of the Earth.

Last year, articles appeared in foreign scientific sources proving that 63% of water losses on the planet should be attributed to this ever-increasing phenomenon. The natural seepage of the soil and the flow of water into the land of the Aral Sea is currently estimated at 60% of the total impact on the disappearing lake.

Cause on a planetary scale

Nowadays, foreign hydrologists believe that the reason for the rapid drying up of the reservoir is a significant decrease in the amount of precipitation in this region.

The fact is that the decrease in the water surface of the Aral Sea is associated with a decrease in the amount of precipitation in winter and summer. And a small amount of rain is associated with a progressive decrease in the Pamir glaciers, which are the main regulator of the climate in this region.

The decrease in precipitation is due to a serious reduction in ice and snow deposits in all the mountains of Central Asia, which is an inevitable consequence of climate warming. The total impact of climate is 15% of the negative factors that cause shallowing of the lake.

In 2014, according to NASA satellite images, the eastern half of the Aral Sea dried up, which is explained by the low amount of precipitation. However, underground water sources do not allow this part of the reservoir to dry completely.

The Kazakh part of the Aral Sea, thanks to the costly efforts of the state, has ceased to dry up. The water of the Syr Darya, which flows into this part of the lake, has ceased to be used predatory. In addition, this part of the lake was fenced off from the main part, which belongs to Uzbekistan, by a dam.