Now You "Sea" Me, Now You Don't

          

 Ecosystem description by Jarrett Gonzales

The Aral Sea is a lake located between Kazakhstan in the north and Uzbekistan in the South. At 66,100

square miles, it was one of the largest four lakes in the world (Diop, M’mayi, Lisbjerg 2008). The lake's name has been translated to mean "sea of islands." Since the 1960s, the Aral Sea has continuously been shrinking and has been named "one of the planet's worst environmental disasters" (Daily Telegraph 2010).  

La Descripción del Ecosistema

El Mar Aral es un lago que està situado entre Kazakhstan en el norte y Uzbekistan en el sud. A 66.100

kilómetros cuadrados, fue uno de los cuatro lagos más grandes del mundo (Diop, M’mayi, Lisbjerg 2008). El nombre del lago se ha traducido en el sentido de "mar de las islas." Desde la década de 1960, el Mar de Aral se ha ido reduciendo de forma continua y ha sido llamado "uno de los peores desastres ambientales del planeta" (Daily Telegraph 2010).

             History by Jarrett Gonzales

The Aral Sea is located in Central Asia, between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In 138 B.C. Chang Chien, a Chinese delegate wrote of discovering “a large lake without high shores” in Central Asia (Zonn 2009). For centuries, people navigated the sea, but the large lake never held great significance. However, in the 1920s when famine struck the area, people began to use the Aral sea for its large source of fish. In the 1930s, people established the first fishery in the area, and it became a vital source in feeding the population. This lake is a very important ecosystem because up until 1960, the Aral Sea was the fourth largest saline lake in the world, and contained up to ten grams of salt per liter. The rivers, Amu Darya and Syr Darya both pour into the lake and play an important role in the history of the Aral Sea. In 1960 the Soviet Union redirected the flow of the two feeding rivers in order to improve agriculture tactics, rather than allowing the rivers to feed into the lake (Ataniyazova, 90 2001). As a result of the redirection, the Aral Sea would be severely impacted since the lake lost its two main sources of water flow. The sea levels of the lake would begin to drop drastically in 1960 immediately after the diversion, and has dropped approximately 23 meters. With the decrease of water levels in the lake, the waters salinity rose from 10 g/l to approximately 100 g/l (Chapagain 2005). These changes by the Soviet Union throughout the lakes history have severely impacted the climate and landscape of the Aral Sea, particularly regarding water consumption, rising populations, and the overconsumption of water for agriculture.

Human Impact by Emma Godel

As human population in the Aral Sea region continues to increase, more land is being used for irrigation, and more water is drawn from the sea (Kasperson 1995). Consuming water for uses of industries, power, and general use contribute slightly to the shrinking Aral Sea but are currently not primary causes of water depletion, only accounting for 3-4 km³  of the water consumed annually (Thompson 2008).  From the loss of water in the region, hotter summers and colder winters have been reported (NASA 2001). This resulted in a shorter growing season, causing farmers to switch from growing cotton to rice, which requires even more water for growing. Also, soil is becoming saltier. Not only does this make the soil less suitable for agriculture, but also  salt and chemicals are released into the air. This air pollution decreases air breathability. 

Although an increase in agriculture has improved the region’s economy, environmentally, this progress had lead to severe soil and water contamination because of the abundant use of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. The Aral Sea fishing industry has become nonexistent as a result of increased salinity in the water and a loss of shallow spawning and feeding areas. The Aral salmon has gone extinct (Micklin 2007). Humans have however introduced the Black Sea flounder, which is living well in the small Aral Sea. Desertification has resulted from the decreasing water levels. Endemic species have been replaced as halophytes and xerophytes enter the ecosystem.  Animal husbandry has diminished as area and productivity in pastures has declined because of desertification, dropping groundwater levels, and invading inedible plant species that are replacing natives. Evidently, conservation status is UGLY.

Impact on People by Emma Godel

While, humans are responsible for much of the environmental depletion in the area, they also are paying the consequences. The dust particles in the air have resulted in many health problems for people living in the region. Health experts say that respiratory illnesses and impairments, eye problems, throat problems, and esophageal problems are becoming evident amongst the population (Micklin 2007). Intestinal disorders and infections are becoming common as well. Contaminated water from the Aral Sea has led to outbreaks of viral hepatitis, paratyphoid, dysentery and typhoid fever. Tuberculosis and anemia are prevalent, especially in pregnant women. Health experts also believe that the blowing salt and dust along with toxic contaminants are carcinogens. These toxic contaminants may be causing birth abnormalities as well. As a result of high concentrations of salt in drinking water, liver and kidney problems often develop. Even more severe, the explosion of rodent population in areas where the sea has dried may be spawning plague endemics (Micklin 1996). Moreover, these problems often remain unaided because of poor quality medical care in these regions. In the Karakalpak Republic in Uzbekistan, the rate of people contracting severe illness drastically increased, and infant mortality rate rose from an average of 45/1000 live births to an average of 72/1000 live births (Micklin 2006). This is 7-10 times that of the rate in the United States.

Economically, people are suffering as well. Irrigated agriculture in the deltas of the Amu Dar’ya and Syr Dar’ya declined because of a decreased water flow.  Moreover, crop yields diminished. After fisheries in the Aral Sea area closed, tens of thousands of people lost their jobs. Navigation in the Aral Sea region ceased because it became too dangerous and costly.

The Future by Victor Wu

The Aral Sea is currently divided into four bodies of water: Small Sea (North), Large Sea(South), West Basin, and Eastern Basin. Only the Small Sea exhibits fishery, whereas the other sections of the broken apart Aral Sea have too high measures of salinity for fish to live in (Micklin 2010). Several factors have reduced the Aral Sea from the 1960s until modern time and based on these same factors we can predict the future prospects for this ecosystem. These factors include irrigation, inflow from Amu Dar’ya and Syr Dar’ya, evaporation of the lake, snowmelt, and underground water inflow. Of these factors, irrigation account for 92% of the lake’s disappearance due to unsustainable irrigation (Micklin 2007). Even today, irrigation is inefficient and improvements of irrigation would cost at least $16 billion, a monetary cost too high for anyone to assume responsibility for. Though the Small Sea has stabilized, poor management of the lake and a lack of responsibility would mean higher salinity, lower surface area, and decreasing water volume of the lake. Additionally, heating from global warming will evaporate water at a faster rate and increase salinity. Neighboring countries also draw more and more irrigation from water-dependent crops like cotton. Due to all these factors, the restoration of the Aral Sea seems extremely bleak. Though the Aral Sea has recovered in the past, it would require countries to be independent of irrigation to see signs of restoration.

What Can Be Done by Victor Wu

www.columbia.edu

      There is an inverse relationship between irrigation/withdrawal and the Aral Sea’s surface area. Throughout the 1960s to 1990s, studies by the European Commission show a steady decline of the Aral Sea due to the increase of unsustainable irrigation (EC 1995). Increases in temperature also lead to more evaporation. Therefore, the only solutions in alleviating ecosystem damage is reducing irrigation, implementing efficient and sustainable irrigation, and reduce greenhouse gases in the area to reduce increase of climate temperature. A possible solution is subsidizing farms for using less water-dependent crops such as changing from cotton and rice to wheat or maize. However, with growth in population and more demands for irrigation as a means of providing food sources, these improvements seem unlikely. Economic incentives can be implemented as well. For instance, economic models show that taxes on salt discharge may significantly reduce the rate of salinization and also create tax revenue for irrigation improvements (Cai, McKinney, Rosgrant 2003).

Works Cited 

Ataniyazova, O.A., et al. ”Perinatal exposure to environmental pollutants in the Aral Sea area.” Acta Paediatrica, 90. 2001. 

Cai, Ximing, Daene C. McKinney, and Mark W. Rosegrant. "Sustainability Analysis for Irrigation Water Management in the Aral Sea Region." Agricultural Systems 76.3 (2003): 1043-066. ScienceDirect. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. 

Daily Telegraph (2010-04-05). "The Aral Sea 'one of the plant's worst environmental disasters'" The Daily Telegraph (London). Web. 17 Nov. 2013. 

Diop, Salif, Patrick M’mayi, and Dennis Lisbjerg. "Vital Water Graphics." The Disappearance of the Aral Sea -. UNEP, 2008. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.

 EC (European Commission), 1995. Water Resources Management & Agricultural Production in the Central Asian Republics, WARMAP Project Report, Vol. 1–6.

Ferguson, Robert W. The Devil and the Disappearing Sea: A True Story about the Aral Sea Catastrophe. Vancouver, BC: Raincoast, 2003. Print.

Glasnow, D. "A Soviet Sea Lies Dying." National Geographic Feb. 1990: n. pag. Web.
Kasperson, Jeanne X., Roger E. Kasperson, and B. L. Turner. Regions at Risk: Comparisons of Threatened Environments. Tokyo: United Nations UP, 1995. Print.

Micklin, Philip. "The Aral Sea Disaster." - Climate Change: State of the Art (2001-2007), 1(1):47. Annual Reviews, 27 Nov. 2006. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

Micklin, Philip. "Past, Present, and Future of Aral Sea." Wiley Online Library. Blackwell Publishing, 16 Sept. 2010. Web. 15 Nov. 2013

P. Micklin and W. Williams, The Aral Sea Basin, NATO, 1996


"The Aral Sea Crisis." The Aral Sea Crisis. Thompson, 2008. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.

"The Shrinking Aral Sea : Image of the Day." The Shrinking Aral Sea : Image of the Day. NASA, 5 May 2001. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

"What Is Happening to the Aral Sea." NASA. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.

"World of Change: Shrinking Aral Sea : Feature Articles." World of Change: Shrinking Aral Sea : Feature Articles. N.p., 25 Aug. 2000. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.

Z. K. Ermakhanov, I. S. Plotnikov, N. V. Aladin, P. Micklin, Changes in the Aral Sea ichthyofauna and fishery during the period of ecological crisis, Lakes & Reservoirs: Research & Management, 2012

Zonn, Igor S. "History of Aral Sea Investigations." The Aral Sea Encyclopedia. Berlin [u.a.: Springer, 2009. 105-16. Print.