Aral Sea
| Aral Sea | ||
 Satellite picture: 1989 and 2008 | ||
| Administration | ||
|---|---|---|
| Country |  Kazakhstan  Uzbekistan | |
| Geography | ||
| Latitude Longitude | 45 North 60 East / 45, 60 | |
| Type | Endoreic | |
| Origin | Natural | |
| Area | 17 160 km 2 (2004) 28 687 km (1998) 68 000 km (1960) | |
| Hydrography | ||
| Food | Amu Darya Syr Darya | |
change  | ||
The Aral Sea is an inland sea of Central Asia , located between 43 and 46 of latitude north and between 58 and 62 longitude east. It is shared between Kazakhstan to the north and Uzbekistan to the south.
In 1960 , further fueled by the mighty rivers Amu Darya and Syr Darya , it covered 68 000 km 2 and was the fourth surface saltwater inner world. In 2000 , this area was divided by two. This drying due to the diversion of two rivers , is one of the largest environmental disasters of the twentieth century.
Summary |
Drainage
The draining of the sea was planned by 1918 . One can find wrecks of boats on the plains.
The separation between Small and Large sea north sea in the south date of 1989. The development was first foreshadowed the complete disappearance of the second in 2025, before any development works are carried out. In 2007 , we find that the level of the small Aral Sea (north) back dramatically, faster than experts had expected charge of the case .
Consequences biological and biomedical
Today, 24 species endemic to the Aral Sea has disappeared. Only remaining species of skate imported and selected to survive to such rate of salinity. His long-term survival is not assured, even in the small Wed Since 2003, the Aral Sea has lost approximately 75% of its area and 90% of its volume. The massive amounts of pesticides and insecticides , which formerly had been carried by the two rivers from the sea and settled at the bottom of the Aral basin and the salt left by the retreating waters, were left as and as evaporation progressed, the open air, causing the infant mortality rate the highest in the world, rates of cancer and anemias associated with direct exposure to chemicals were confirmed by the WHO.
Rescue Efforts
To prevent this drying aggregate, multiple projects were discussed, including the digging of a canal from the Caspian Sea or the diversion of rivers in Siberia.
Construction of first dam
One successful attempt to date was the construction of a dam south of the mouth of the Syr Darya , to steer a strait between the Little Sea (Maloya), old marginal sea north of the old Sea Aral, and the Great Sea (Bolshoi, which is south of the Great Sea). The mayor of the city of Aralsk , Alachiba Bamirzaev was built in 1995 a dam twenty-two miles long sand and reeds. Completed in 1996 , it allowed immediately to prevent the river from getting lost in the delta between Little and Great Sea and to raise the level of Little Wed A semblance of life was reborn around the sea, who advanced to several kilometers, reeds , birds , rodents and foxes , and even some fish. A storm destroyed the dam in 1999 , and the sea level has partially lost again what had been won.
Kok-Aral Dam
The World Bank decided to finance the construction of the concrete dam Kok-Aral and a series of dikes to eliminate excess salt and weirs to raise the water level. This controversial project on which work began in 2003 should lead eventually to return to the Little Sea about 500 km 2, but it may also order the Great Sea to dry up even faster, even if a valve located above the Dam plans to donate the overflow of water in the Large Aral, located to a large extent in Uzbekistan.
Thus the dam that allows life to return to the Little Sea is an apple of discord between Kazakhstan who benefits and Uzbekistan , whose disastrous management of the Amu Darya River has destroyed all life in the Great Sea
In Kazakhstan, a renewed hope with the plans of President Nursultan Nazarbayev. It is indeed raise the issue of small sea level 6 m, which would allow the industry to the fishing to be reborn, and the city of Aralsk from relapsing into a port. This project is estimated at 120 million dollars (98 million euros) would be funded primarily by revenues of oil from Kazakhstan. This project also includes the digging of a canal connecting the two basins and construction of new structures to harness hydroelectric power.
Since the early work, the average depth of the Small Aral has risen from less than 30 m to 38 m, the level of viability is estimated at 42 m. While the World Bank experts had predicted that water does not go up until three years - other hydrologists have even decreed that the Aral Sea was irretrievably lost - the small sea has already returned 30% of its area This represents more than 10 billion cubic meters of water. However, for some Kazakh officials, do not rejoice too soon because it will probably take decades to resolve.
Since the end of the dam in 2005, it was found in 2009 that the level of the northern part of the Aral Sea had risen to six meters .
Installing a basic biological weapons on the island of Vozrozhdeniye
In 1948, a biological weapons lab top-secret has been established on the island of Vozrozhdeniya located in the center of the Aral Sea that is now disputed between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The exact history, functions and current status of this center have not yet been disclosed. The base was abandoned following the disintegration of the USSR. Scientific expeditions have proved that this was a production, testing and, later, weapons production pathogens. In 2002, through a project organized by the United States and with Uzbekistan assistance, 10 anthrax burial sites were decontaminated. In agreement with the Kazakh Scientific Center for Quarantine and zoonotic infections, all landfills were cleaned .
Bibliography
Philip Micklin and Nikolay Aladin, Saving the Aral Sea, For Science, 374 (December 2008) 78-84
References
Sources
- (In) This article is partially or entirely from the article in English entitled " Aral Sea "(see the list of authors )
See also
Related articles
External Links
- The view of Unesco
- The Eurasia21 Project
- LakeNet Database
- Photo essay on the Northern Aral, summer and winter
- Hydrological balance of the Great Sea and the role of groundwater (abstract online)
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