- The Aral Sea is slowly evaporating and increasing in salinity after the Amu and Syr Rivers were diverted for irrigation purposes
- Caused by Soviet Union
- Fish species dropped from 60,000,
- Salinity now >70 g/l
- 54,000 km2 of dry seabed exposed, choked with salt and pesticides that are blown around the area (500 km)
- Causes vegetation to die or grow impartially, and people to suffer from respiratory and digestive problems
- Weaponized organisms on Vozrozhdeniya Island may have survived and could reach civilizations from Aral Sea
- Restoration looks bleak: flow must quadruple from Syr and Amu rivers, and to drastically limit irrigation use
- Could also plant less thirsty crops, modernize the system or construct pipes to refill sea (led to failure by Kazakhstan in 1990s, dike constructed later in 2005 that rose water levels by 2 meters in 8 months)
- Now 10 g/l salinity, fishers now catching pike perch and sazan in the water again
- Now expected to settle from 4-14 g/l, when more indigenous species can return
- Can be restored further by irrigation improvements, which could stabilize level to 47 meters and decrease salinity and help marshlands
- Large Aral still shrinking rapidly, if no changes made then basin would average at 4,300 km2 at 2.5 m deep
- Salinity at 100 g/l and possibly 200, with only bacteria and brine shrimp left; Engineering would solve this through increased water flow through rivers and irrigation improvements, started in 1980 and continued
- Situation proves that humans can wreck the environment fast, quick fixes aren't effective, avoidance never works, and the environment is still resilient
Summary: The Aral Sea's situation is because of the growing population, the Soviet Union needed more agriculture in the area, and irrigation was increased. This caused the Aral Sea to evaporate itself leaving a high salinity level, and the water level started to decrease as well as biodiversity. However, there is a solution to this, less water for irrigation and more pumping of water into the sea.
Reflection:The Aral Sea should be a warning to cities that think about placing human needs over natural conservation. This shows how the ecosystem can affect the economy. Civilians being involved should be made regarding resources to prevent these outcomes.