Major Ideas
- The Aral Sea in Central Asia was the fourth largest lake on the planet in 1960. By 2007 it had shrunk to 10 percent of its original size. Widespread, wasteful irrigation of the deserts along the Amu and Syr rivers, which feed the Aral, cut the freshwater inflow to a trickle.
- The Aral Sea is located in Central Asia, It was the fourth largest lake in 1960.
- Almost all of the water in the Aral Sea comes from the Amu and Syr Rivers. As years past the Amu river drifted away, causing the Aral Sea to become smaller.
- Water was being used for irrigation.
- Volume fell from 708 cubic kilometers to 75 cubic kilometers. Salinity also rose from 14 g/liter to 100+ g/liter.
- Lake was divided in 1991 due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
- Wetlands received less freshwater and reduced enriched sediment, and a drop in fish species due to water salinity.
- The receding sea exposed 54,000 sq. kilometers of seabed, which contained salt and in some cases pesticides and agricultural chemicals.
- The only way to return the Aral Sea to it's original state is to reduce irrigation. Changing from water intensive crops to less water-intensive crops.
- The sea has shriveled into three major residual lakes, two of which are so salty that fish have disappeared. The once thriving fishing fleets have disappeared, too. Former shore towns have collapsed. Vast seabeds lie exposed and dried; winds now blow salts and toxic substances across populated areas, causing significant health problems.
- Nevertheless, a dam built in 2005 has helped the northernmost lake expand quickly and drop substantially in salinity. Fish populations and wetlands are returning--and with them signs of economic revival. The two big southern lakes could become dead seas, however, unless the Amu river, which once fed them, is substantially reengineered, a project requiring tens of billions of dollars and difficult political agreements.
- Other lakes worldwide are beginning to suffer similar fates, chief among them Lake Chad in Central Africa and the Salton Sea in Southern California. Lessons learned about the Aral’s demise and partial resurrection could benefit these regions.
- The Aral Sea gets almost all its water from the Amu and Syr rivers.
- The Soviet Union hid the sea's demise for decades until 1985, when leader Mikhail Gorbachev revealed the great environmental and human tragedy.
- Desiccation of the Aral Sea has wrought severe consequences.
- Shipping on the Aral also ceased because the water receded many kilometers from the major ports of Aralsk to the north and Moynak in the south; keeping increasingly long channels open to the cities became too costly.
Author's Main Idea |
The receding sea has exposed and dried 54,000 square kilometers of seabed, which is choked with salt and in some places laced with pesticides and other agricultural chemicals deposited by runoff from area farming. Strong windstorms blow salt, dust and contaminants as far as 500 km. Winds from the north and northeast drive the most severe storms, seriously impacting the Amu delta to the south—the most densely settled and most economically and ecologically important area in the region. Airborne sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride and sodium sulfate kill or retard the growth of natural vegetation and crops—a cruel irony given that irrigating those crops starves the sea.Humans can quickly wreck the natural environment, but repairing it is a long, arduous process. Planners must cautiously evaluate the consequences of large-scale interference in natural systems before starting any action, which the Soviet Union did not do.
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My Reflection |
The Aral Sea is the example what happens when we do nothing to resolve the issue. Waiting just worsen the problem acting early and trying to solve the issue. This could have been prevented in some many ways. The first thing you do is inform the public of the issue making awareness is a key success to resolving an problem. The second step is educating the public of the problem and how it affects them. The final step is taking action. Follow those steps and the Aral Sea issue could have been prevent. Think smart and think about how it affects future generation.
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