The Aral Sea flows into the ocean. How and how the Aral Sea lives

IN Central Asia, between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, there is a salt lake that has no water flow on the surface or under water. It is commonly called the Aral Sea. For more than half a century, it has been shrinking, because in the second half of the 20th century, the water intake of the feeding rivers increased.

Before Aral lake shallow, it was one of the five most large lakes peace. Water began to be more actively withdrawn to the USSR during the peak of agricultural activity, now the sea-lake is drying up, turning everything around it into a lifeless desert. There was a local ecological catastrophe, the cause of which was again a 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.

Geographic Information

Pool Aral Sea occupies less than 2 million sq. 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. These are excessively large losses that affect the flora and fauna of a unique geographical object. In the gallery you can see photos of the Aral Sea in all its glory and compare impressions with reality.

Salt Lake occupies a vast depression, which in different places changes in depth. There is the island of 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 basins, they are classified as arid. Summer lasts a long time, in July it is hot, the temperature often reaches 30 degrees. In winter, on the shores of the Aral Sea, negative temperatures up to -15⁰С can be recorded.

The Amu Darya and Syr Darya fed the Aral Lake from two sides: from the south and from the northeast. These rivers begin their journey in high mountain glacial terrain. This is where they get most of their water. IN summer period stock maximum. Naturally, not all waters reach 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 go to irrigate agricultural plantations, the Aral Lake gets practically nothing.

This once vast sea had more than 1100 islands, each of which exceeded 1 hectare in area. When the lake began to shrink, these patches of land began to break up into separate parts, unconnected small reservoirs formed. The salinity of the water ranged from 10% to 50%.

Living beings in the Aral Sea

At the beginning of the study, scientists recorded about 20 species of fish, more than 150 varieties of invertebrates, an innumerable number of amoebas, worms, rotifers, various kinds of crustaceans and mollusks in the salt lake.

From 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 it was - by accident or on purpose - has not yet been established.

Shrinking in size, the Aral Sea became more and more salty. Over time, the conditions for the existence of any living organism became less and less suitable. Those of them that descended from freshwater died out first. With an increase in salinity 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 zone of the Small Aral there was a partial restoration of the fauna, the pike perch and grass carp returned.

By 1990 salinity had reached its maximum level. Only hypersaline species could survive here, that is, those who endure 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. Gobies mainly inhabited the sea. In 2002, they also became extinct, and only 2 species remained. In 2004, there was nothing left alive 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 the analysis of sediments at the bottom. The Aral Lake is fed exclusively from two rivers, and their condition completely affects it. The last regression took place in the 4th century AD. The inhabitants of Khorezm then let the Amu Darya into the Caspian Sea, and the Aral Sea began to dry up quickly, reaching almost modern indicators. Subsequently, the Amu Darya returned to its course, 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 led by Lieutenant A. Butakov. IN next year released the first map of this geographical feature. In 1853, steamboats 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 marine life, growing plants and climate change. In the next century, fish began to be caught in the sea on an industrial scale.

Catastrophe

1960 is considered the beginning of the drying up of the Aral Sea. Before that, the salty drainless lake was stable. The reason for the shallowing is the construction of a large irrigation canal, which was provided with water at the expense of 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, the water level has fallen. M.S. gave publicity to the ecological catastrophe. Gorbachev. Due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, further plans to restore the Aral Sea collapsed. On the other hand, the plans included the transfer of the rivers of Siberia to Asia, an unpredictable procedure.

The "first bell" was the accession to land of the islands of the Akpetka archipelago. Dividing the Aral Sea into two parts, Kokaral Island 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 even 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 one. 2009 was the peak of the ecological disaster.

The ecological catastrophe affected the flora and fauna of the Aral Sea region. The climate has changed to unfavorable, the amount of precipitation has decreased. Agricultural work, which constantly took place along the shores of the lake, affected the deterioration of water. Pesticides and fertilizers have been pouring into the Aral Sea for years, today we can say that this is the largest uncontrolled invasion of the ecosphere. People suffered - 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 Amudarya and Syrdarya is used for irrigation of cotton. Precipitation and groundwater, with which rivers are restored, cannot compensate for the damage that people do to them. Pesticides are carried by dust storms over a distance of more than half a kilometer.

Precautionary measures

In the entire history of the drying up of the Aral Sea, man has not been able to improve the state of nature, but attempts have been repeatedly made to do so. In 1992, in the Small Sea, the Berg Strait was blocked by a small dam, and the water level rose slightly. But the dam constantly collapsed during the flood period. It was restored every year. The measure taken helped to restore part of the fauna in the Small Aral Sea. In 1999, the dam gave way under the pressure of a storm wind, and it was no longer 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. The hydraulic structure helped raise the water level to 43 meters. In 2004, the construction of the Kokaral Dam helped prevent the water from falling to dangerous levels. Now fish and birds live here, and the place itself is under the protection of the Ramsar Convention.

If the Small Aral Sea is in a satisfactory condition today, then the Big Sea is getting shallow very quickly. At the end of the 20th century, the waters became 57% saline. Gradually, many islands of this part of the sea were connected. The same Kokaral platinum damaged most of the Aral Sea. In 2009, one part of it dried up completely. Dry summers have taken their toll and the basin area has shrunk.

Reservoirs began to be created, which slightly eased the state of the Big Aral. When the Amu Darya floods, the Akpetka archipelago even appears a little above the water level. At this time, photos of the Aral Sea may remind us a little of the wealth that humanity has lost due to its selfishness.

Consequences

The dried Aral Sea is an illustration of a terrible apocalyptic tale. What exactly were the consequences after the drying up of the Aral Sea?

the spring floods that supplied the lower reaches of the rivers came to naught fresh water;
the number of fish species decreased to 6;
the fishing industry ended its existence, people lost their jobs;
shipping has ceased because the water no longer reaches the ports;
the groundwater level fell, the area turned into a desert;
50% of birds and animals died out;
the climate on the coastline has changed, humidity has dropped;
diseases appeared in the population.

In addition, the consequences of the fact that one of the islands was used as a test site during the Soviet Union biological weapons. The bacteria of anthrax, typhus, plague, botulism remained there. In 2001, the island joined the mainland.

Photos of the Aral Sea clearly show that irrigation canals take away water from it. It is not possible to restore the object. The only way is the elimination of irrigation canals, but the countries that are located on the shores of a drying lake will not agree to this. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan need water for their vast cotton fields.

Not only the Aral Sea looks so deplorable. There are at least two other places in the world where the same thing is happening. These are African Chad and Salton Sea Island in California. Humanity must take a closer look at its activities.

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The Aral Sea is an endorheic salt lake in Central Asia, on the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Since the 1960s of the XX century, the sea level (and the volume of water in it) has been rapidly decreasing due to the withdrawal of water from the main feeding rivers of the Amudarya and Syrdarya. Before the start of shallowing, the Aral Sea was the fourth largest lake in the world. Excessive withdrawal of water for irrigation of agricultural land has turned the lake-sea, before rich in life into the barren desert. What is happening to the Aral Sea is a real ecological catastrophe, the fault for which lies with the Soviet government.

(Total 28 photos)

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1. In currently the drying Aral Sea has moved 100 km from its former coastline near the city of Muynak in Uzbekistan.

2. Almost the entire inflow of water into the Aral Sea is 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 (towards 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. (In the photo, the port of Aralsk, in the foreground, the Lev Berg PTS, 1960s)

3. 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. (Port of Aralsk, 1970s, you can already see how the water has left)

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.

4. 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 km 3 , and the salinity of the water has increased from 14 to more than 100 g/l.

5. With the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the Aral Sea was divided between the newly formed states - Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Thus, an end was put to the grandiose Soviet plan to transfer the waters of distant Siberian rivers here and competition for the possession of melting water resources.

6. One can only rejoice 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.

7. Collector-drainage waters coming from the fields into the bed of the Syrdarya and Amudarya have caused deposits of pesticides and various other agricultural pesticides, appearing in places on 54 thousand km 2 of the former seabed covered with salt.

8. 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, and digestive disorders. Diseases of the liver and kidneys, eye diseases have become more frequent.

9. 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 that lived here 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 were preserved mainly only in river deltas).

10. 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 Greater Aral, unable to withstand water salinity of more than 70 g / l - 2–4 times more than in its usual marine environment.

11. Navigation in the Aral Sea has stopped, because. 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.

12. By the mid-1990s. instead of the lush greenery of trees, shrubs and grasses, only rare bunches of halophytes and xerophytes, plants adapted to saline soils and dry habitats, were visible on the former seashores. 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: hotter in summer And colder in winter, the level of air humidity has decreased (respectively, the number of precipitation), the duration of the growing season decreased, and droughts began to be observed more often.

13. There are hundreds of ship skeletons on the former coastline.

14. Despite the vast drainage basin, the Aral Sea receives almost no water due to irrigation canals that 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.

15. Restoration of the entire Aral Sea is impossible. This would require a fourfold increase in the annual inflow of the Amudarya and Syrdarya compared to the current average of 13 km 3 . The only possible remedy would be to reduce the irrigation of the fields, which accounts for 92% of water withdrawals. 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.

16. 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 water seeps and goes into the sand. great amount water. The modernization of the entire irrigation system would help save about 12 km 3 of water annually, but would cost $16 billion.

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?

17. 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 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 Sea, the Zarafshan and Amu Darya rivers flow into the Caspian.

18. At the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century, the islands of Barsakelmes, Kaskakulan, Kozzetpes, Uyaly, Biyiktau, and Vozrozhdeniye were formed due to a drop in 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 km 2; its length was 426 km, width - 284 km, maximum depth - 68 m.

19. 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 flowing into it has been 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 3 per year, of which 90% is for irrigation.

20. Since 1961, the sea level has been decreasing at an increasing rate from 20 to 80-90 cm/year. 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.

21. The receding sea left behind 54 thousand km 2 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.

22. Another very unusual problem is related to the island of Renaissance. When he was far out to sea, 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.

Aral Sea - endorheic salt Lake in Central Asia, on the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Since the 1960s of the XX century, the sea level (and the volume of water in it) has been rapidly decreasing due to the withdrawal of water from the main feeding rivers of the Amudarya and Syrdarya. Prior to the start of shallowing, the Aral Sea was the fourth largest lake in the world.

Excessive withdrawal of water for irrigation of agricultural land has turned the world's fourth largest lake-sea, formerly rich in life, into a barren desert. What is happening with the Aral Sea is a real ecological catastrophe, the fault for which lies with the Soviet government. At the moment, the drying Aral Sea has moved 100 km from its former coastline near the city of Muynak in Uzbekistan.

Almost the entire inflow of water into the Aral Sea is 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 (towards 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 of the USSR in 1991, the Aral Sea was divided between the newly formed states: Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Thus, the grandiose Soviet plan to transfer the waters of distant Siberian rivers here was put to an end, and competition for possession of the melting water resources began. It remains only to rejoice 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 that lived here 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 were preserved 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 Greater Aral, unable to withstand water salinity of more than 70 g / l - 2–4 times more than in its usual marine environment.

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, only rare bunches of halophytes and xerophytes, plants adapted to saline soils and dry habitats, were visible on the former seashores. 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

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. Since 1961, the sea level has been decreasing at an increasing rate from 20 to 80-90 cm/year. 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. Summer 2009 East End South (Big) Aral Sea has 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 Amudarya river delta located to the south, 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 was the irrigation of these crop fields that brought the Aral Sea to its current deplorable state.

According to medical experts, the local population suffers from a high prevalence of respiratory diseases, anemia, cancer of the throat and esophagus, and digestive disorders. Diseases of the liver and kidneys have become more frequent, not to mention eye diseases.

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. Besides, dangerous substances may 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 damaging 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 is 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 accounts for 92% of water withdrawals. 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 Northern Aral Sea” (RRRSAM) in 2003-2005, Kazakhstan built the Kokaral dam with a hydraulic gate from the Kokaral peninsula to the mouth of the Syrdarya (which allows the passage of excess water to regulate the level of the reservoir), which fenced off the Small Aral from the rest of the (Great Aral). Due to this, the flow of the Syr Darya accumulates in the Small Aral, the water level here has risen to 42 m abs., salinity has decreased, which makes it possible to breed here some commercial varieties of fish. In 2007, the fish catch 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, the height is 6 m, the width is 300 m. The cost of the first phase of the PRRSAM project amounted to $85.79 million ($65.5 million comes from 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 was built on the channel of the Syrdarya - Karaozek throughput more than 300 cubic meters of water per second (Aklak hydroelectric complex), which made it possible to water lake systems that contain more than one and a half billion cubic meters of water. For 2008 total area 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. Within the framework of the second phase of the PRRSAM project in 2010-2015, it is planned to build a dam with a hydroelectric complex in the northern part of the Small Aral, to separate 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 connection 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 of the four countries adjacent to the lake often fight fiercely among themselves for the remaining water (lower right, blue), and the lake is today only 1.5 m deep. The experience associated with the loss and then partial restoration of the Aral Sea can go for everyone's benefit.
Pictured is Lake Chad in 1972 and 2008

Excessive withdrawal of water for irrigation of agricultural land has turned the world's fourth largest lake-sea, formerly rich in life, into a barren desert.

The volume of the Big Aral has decreased from 708 to only 75 km 3 , and the salinity of the water has increased from 14 to more than 100 g/l. With the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the Aral Sea was divided between the newly formed states: Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Thus, the grandiose Soviet plan to transfer the waters of distant Siberian rivers here was put to an end, and competition for possession of the melting water resources began.

dry seabed

Navigation on the Aral ceased because 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, only rare bunches of halophytes and xerophytes, plants adapted to saline soils and dry habitats, were visible on the former seashores. 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 (accordingly, the amount of precipitation has decreased), the length of the growing season has decreased, and droughts have become more frequent.

Toxic substances

The retreating sea left behind 54 thousand km 2 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 Amudarya river delta located to the south, 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 was the irrigation of these crop fields that brought the Aral Sea to its current deplorable state.

Hope for the Northern Small Aral

Restoration of the entire Aral Sea is impossible. This would require a fourfold increase in the annual inflow of the Amudarya and Syrdarya compared to the current average of 13 km 3 . The only possible remedy would be to reduce the irrigation of the fields, which accounts for 92% of water withdrawals. 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. Modernization of the entire irrigation system would help save about 12 km 3 of water annually, but would cost $16 billion. So far, the countries of the Aral Sea basin have neither the money nor the political will to do this.

Kazakhstan, however, has made an attempt to at least partially restore the northern Small Aral. In the early 1990s an earthen dam was built - in order to prevent the outflow of water to the south, where it was lost in vain due to evaporation. Despite the fact that the dam was destroyed as a result of a catastrophic breakthrough in April 1999, the attempt made showed that it was possible in principle to raise the water level and reduce its salinity. Kazakhstan and The World Bank allocated $ 85 million to solve this problem. The main element of the new structure, completed in November 2005, was a much larger earthen dam 13 km long, including a concrete dam with a hydraulic gate to control the flow of water. The large volume of flow of the Syr Darya the following winter marked the beginning of the restoration of the northern Small Aral. As a result, in just eight months, the water level here rose from 40 to 42 m above the level of the World Ocean - to a pre-calculated height. The water surface area has increased by 18%, and the salinity of the water, starting from about 20 g/l, has steadily decreased and today has reached a level of 10 g/l. Fishermen have started catching representatives again various kinds fish - including such valuable ones as zander and carp.

Return to well-being

The authors of this article expect that the salinity of the water in the Small Aral will eventually settle in the range of 3–14 g/l, depending on the location. With such indicators, many other local species will also have to recover (although the sea flounder will disappear almost everywhere). The general restoration of the reservoir will also continue. For example, if the average annual flow of the Syr Darya is increased to 4.5 km 3 by improving the irrigation system, then the water in the Small Aral will stabilize at a level of about 47 m. In this case, the coastline would be located 8 km from the former large port city of Aralsk - close enough to carry out dredging and bring the old channel into working order. On it, large fishing vessels could again go to sea, and shipping would resume. A further decrease in water salinity should have a favorable effect on the state of coastal floodplains and on the abundance of fish. In addition, the outflow of water to the reservoirs of the southern Big Aral could increase, contributing to their restoration. The implementation of such a plan would require the construction of a much longer and higher dam, as well as the reconstruction of the existing hydraulic gate. However, it is not yet clear whether Kazakhstan has the means and desire to undertake this project. So far, the country is thinking about ways to solve a much more modest problem: how to bring the Aral Sea closer to Aralsk.

Plan for the southern Great Aral

The Big Aral is going through hard times: it continues to shrink rapidly. The shallow pool in the east and the deeper western pool are now connected only by a long narrow channel, and there is no certainty that one day it will not completely dry up. According to our estimates, if the countries through which the Amu Darya flows do not change anything, then the isolated eastern reservoir, at the current rate of groundwater inflow and evaporation, can stabilize on an area of 4300 km 2. At the same time, its average depth would be 2.5 m, and the salinity of the water would exceed 100 g/l, possibly even reaching 200 g/l. The only inhabitants of such an environment would be brine shrimp and bacteria.

The fate of the western reservoir depends on the inflow of groundwater. One of the authors of this article (Aladin) noticed numerous freshwater springs on the western coastal ledges. According to our careful calculations, this reservoir should retain an area of about 2100 square meters. km. It will remain relatively deep water, reaching a depth of 37 m in places, but its water salinity will be well over 100 g/l.

Large-scale construction of a number of hydraulic structures could contribute to the restoration of the western reservoir. One old plan for the restoration of the entire Aral Sea, which Miklin recently made adjustments, will also come in handy. Since this project has not been carefully evaluated, the cost of its implementation is unknown, but it can be a significant amount. It provides for a rather modest increase in the flow of the Amu Darya through rational improvements in the irrigation system in drainage basin rivers. An important element of the plan is also the restoration of local reed floodplains.

Similar work began in the late 1980s. in the Soviet Union, continued today by Uzbekistan. At present, we can already talk about minimal success in the restoration biodiversity reservoirs, fisheries and natural filtration of wastewater with the help of aquatic vegetation (primarily reeds), but there is no quick solution to the problem. The drying up of the Aral Sea continued for more than 40 years. Long-term, sustainable solutions will require not only major capital investment and technical innovation, but also fundamental political, social and economic transformations.

Lesson for the whole world

Until recently, many experts considered the Aral Sea irretrievably lost. However, progress in restoring the northern Small Aral shows that significant areas of this reservoir may well become ecologically and economically productive again. The history of the Aral Sea is not only a clear example of the ability of a modern technological society to destroy the natural world and people themselves. It also demonstrates the enormous potential of man in the matter of restoration. environment. There are other large bodies of water in the world that are beginning to repeat the sad fate of the Aral Sea - in particular, Lake Chad in Central Africa and Lake Salton Sea in the south of the US state of California. We hope that the lesson learned was well learned by all, and the right conclusions will now be drawn from it.

Humans can quickly destroy natural environment However, its recovery is a long and difficult process. Before taking any active action, designers should carefully evaluate all possible consequences large-scale intervention in this or that natural system, which was not done in the Soviet Union.

The absence of serious problems today is no guarantee for the future. Irrigation of agricultural lands was widespread in the Aral Sea basin for many centuries and did not cause serious damage to the lake-sea until the 1960s, when further expansion of the irrigation network unbalanced the hydrological system of the entire region.

One should beware of hasty steps in dealing with complex environmental and social problems. Although a significant reduction in cotton cultivation could increase the flow of water into the sea, this would damage the national economy, causing unemployment and social discontent. Decisions being made require not only financing and an innovative approach - they must be politically, socially and economically justified.

The natural environment has an amazing ability to restore, so do not lose hope and stop trying to save it. At one time, many experts considered the Aral Sea doomed, but today its significant parts can be considered ecologically restored.

The creation of a number of hydraulic structures and the reduction of water losses in irrigation canals could help in restoring the western reservoir of the Big Aral. The implementation of this plan will improve the local climate and create favorable conditions for the habitat of birds and waterfowl. The outflow to the eastern reservoir would gradually desalinate the water in the western reservoir, since more salt would be carried out of the latter than was supplied; the salinity of the water in it could probably fall below 15 g/l, allowing the fish to return here. In the water of the eastern reservoir, which has become supersaline, only crustaceans from the genus Artemia and bacteria could now live. The area of the Small Aral would continue to increase, reviving industrial fishing and shipping from Aralsk.

Additional literature:
1) Hydrobiology of the Aral Sea. Edited by Nikolay V. Aladin et al. Dying and Dead Seas: Climatic vs. Anthropic Causes. NATO Science Series IV: Earth and Environmental Sciences. Vol. 36. Kluwer, 2004.
2) The Aral Sea Disaster. Philip Micklin in Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences. Vol. 35, pages 47–72; 2007.

Translation: A.N. Bozhko

The Aral Sea is a lake located on the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Estimated scientists researchers 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 Lukoil structures, they practically found oil in large volumes. Uzbekistan hopes for benefits oil development and is not invested 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 invests in commercial fish farming, 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 leading role Agriculture that the Aral Sea dries up.

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

Since 2010, all large quantity scholars are inclined to believe that main reason reduction of the water table of the Aral Sea is the departure 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 the future change of 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 completely dry up.

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 all greater value attached 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 time. 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.