The Aral Sea is becoming desert

2003/07/30 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Hidrologia
• Ingurumena

The Aral Sea, between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, is drying up. In this photo, taken from the ESA Envisat satellite, it can be seen that the ancient great lake has been divided into two (Aral Handia and Aral Txikia) and that what was once a corner of water has become desert. This young salty desert already has its name: Aralar

The most surprising thing is that drying has occurred for two decades. In fact, the lagoon is fed by the Amu Daria and Sir Daria rivers, which in the 1980s began to use their waters to water cotton plantations. As
a result, the lake water has evaporated, the villages that were the first fishermen are now 150 km from the shore and the microclimate of the area is harder than before, with colder winters and warmer summers.

There is still hope of recovering this great lake, but will it be achieved?