How has the environment been changed near the Aral Sea?

How has the environment been changed near the Aral Sea?

The change in water quality in the Aral Sea basin reduced the number of fish in the river and in the sea, and destroyed most of fauna (2,3). International experts confirm that most water sources in Karakalpakstan are polluted, and that the pollution is mainly caused by the agro-industry and mining industries.

What damage was caused to the landscape when the Aral Sea began to shrink?

The primary effect of the Aral Sea desiccation has been the significant loss of water in the sea. The water level has dropped approximately 23 meters since the onset of its primary sources of water being diverted (Zavialov 2005).

How much area did the Aral Sea cover and how much does it now cover?

Formerly the fourth largest lake in the world with an area of 68,000 km2 (26,300 sq mi), the Aral Sea began shrinking in the 1960s after the rivers that fed it were diverted by Soviet irrigation projects….

What are the results of the Aral Sea shrinking?

The shrinking Aral Sea has also had a noticeable affect on the region’s climate. The growing season there is now shorter, causing many farmers to switch from cotton to rice, which demands even more diverted water. A secondary effect of the reduction in the Aral Sea’s overall size is the rapid exposure of the lake bed.

What has caused the Aral Sea to shrink and how has it affected the environment?

Pollution. No rivers flow out of the Aral Sea; water disappears through evaporation. Before construction of the excessive irrigation systems, water level was kept stable by inflow from Amu Darya and Syr Darya. As human use of river water has increased, the composition of lake water has changed.

What were the causes and consequences of the disappearing Aral Sea?

The diversion of water from the Amu Darya for irrigation decreased the amount of water entering the Aral Sea, which consequently began shrinking. Increased irrigation on the hot, dry floodplains of the Amu Darya and in adjacent regions resulted in evaporation that left salt deposits that make the soil infertile.

What contributed to the disappearance of much of the Aral Sea?

In the early 21st century, the Soviet Union diverted the Aral sea’s primary fresh water sources, the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers, for irrigation of their cotton fields. As a result, the sea has shrunk to two bodies of water: The North Aral Sea in Kazakhstan and the South Aral Sea in Uzbekistan.

How has the shrinking of the Aral Sea affected public health in the surrounding region?

Given the increased salt and pollutant content in the air and soil, as the sea shrinks, the rate of tuberculosis, anemia, cancer and birth defects have all increased, she explained. Epidemics and respiratory diseases continue to threaten people living in the area.

How much of the Aral Sea has vanished since the 1960s due to human activity?

During the late 1960s, the amount of water evaporating from the Aral Sea become greater than the amount of water entering the lake, so lake levels declined dramatically in the 1970s and 1980s. More than 75% of the surface area and more than 90% of the lake’s volume has been lost.

How much smaller is the Aral Sea today from its original size?

Once the fourth-largest freshwater lake in the world, the Aral Sea today is a tenth of its original size. At more than 67,000 sq km (26,000 sq miles), the Aral Sea was once the fourth-largest freshwater lake in the world.

How much has the Aral Sea shrunk since 1960?

The Aral Sea surface area has declined from 68,000 km2 in 1960 to 14,280 km2 in 2010, water volume reduced from 1,093.0 km3 in 1960 to 98.1 km3 in 2010, and salinity increased from 10 g/L in 1960 to 130 g/L in 2010 (Alikhanov 2010; Aralgenefund 2011).

What are two ecological disasters that have resulted from the diversion of the Aral Sea?