1. Aral Sea, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
  2. Kok-Aral Dam
Description

The Kok-Aral Dam was completed in 2005 to control the water level of the North Aral Sea. This dam has prevented further decline of the North Aral Sea, and by 2011 it helped restore the water salinity level to the that of the 1960s (8 grams per liter).

A dam can be seen as early as the 1998 image. It’s the straight angled lines on the southernmost part of the North Aral. This earthen dike was built in 1992 and later replaced by a concrete dam in 2005. At times, water from the North Aral is allowed to flow southward into the South Aral through the dam in the Berg Strait.

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Location

Aug. 22, 1964, ARGON KH-5 9066A — Kok-Aral Dam

Aug. 22, 1964, ARGON KH-5 9066A — Kok-Aral Dam

Sep. 1, 2, 3, 22, 1977, Landsat 2 (path/row 172–175/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam

Sep. 1, 2, 3, 22, 1977, Landsat 2 (path/row 172–175/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam

Aug. 10, 19, 28; Sep. 27, 1987, Landsat 5 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam

Aug. 10, 19, 28; Sep. 27, 1987, Landsat 5 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam

Sep. 18, 27; Oct. 27, 1998; Aug. 20, 1999, Landsat 5 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam

Sep. 18, 27; Oct. 27, 1998; Aug. 20, 1999, Landsat 5 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam

July, 31; Aug. 23, 30; Sep. 1, 2006, Landsat 5 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam

July, 31; Aug. 23, 30; Sep. 1, 2006, Landsat 5 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam

July, 24; Aug. 2, 11, 2010, Landsat 5 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam

July, 24; Aug. 2, 11, 2010, Landsat 5 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam

June 14, 16, 23; July 16, 2013, Landsat 8 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam

June 14, 16, 23; July 16, 2013, Landsat 8 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam

Aug. 20, 29; Sep. 7, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam

Aug. 20, 29; Sep. 7, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam

Aug. 16, 23; Sep. 10, 2015, Landsat 8 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam

Aug. 16, 23; Sep. 10, 2015, Landsat 8 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam

Aug. 18, 20, 27, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam

Aug. 18, 20, 27, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam

May 12, June 20, 22, 29, 2021, Landsat 8 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam

May 12, June 20, 22, 29, 2021, Landsat 8 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam

Aug. 22, 1964, ARGON KH-5 9066A — Kok-Aral Dam
Sep. 1, 2, 3, 22, 1977, Landsat 2 (path/row 172–175/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam
Aug. 10, 19, 28; Sep. 27, 1987, Landsat 5 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam
Sep. 18, 27; Oct. 27, 1998; Aug. 20, 1999, Landsat 5 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam
July, 31; Aug. 23, 30; Sep. 1, 2006, Landsat 5 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam
July, 24; Aug. 2, 11, 2010, Landsat 5 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam
June 14, 16, 23; July 16, 2013, Landsat 8 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam
Aug. 20, 29; Sep. 7, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam
Aug. 16, 23; Sep. 10, 2015, Landsat 8 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam
Aug. 18, 20, 27, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam
May 12, June 20, 22, 29, 2021, Landsat 8 (path/row 160–162/27–30) — Kok-Aral Dam

Aral Sea, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan Additional Imagery & Stories

Aralsk
Aralsk

The city of Aralsk is shown in the 1964 ARGON image on the coast of the sea. By 1977, the sea had retreated from the city but was still just a few kil...

Islands
Islands

The name Aral means Island. The sea did once have many islands. However, many of them stopped beings islands as the sea dried up. Two of the prominent...

Kazakhstan, North Aral Sea
Kazakhstan, North Aral Sea

While the entire Aral Sea is shrinking dramatically, these images show that the northern portion of the sea, while clearly smaller than it was in 1964...

Uzbekistan, South Aral Sea
Uzbekistan, South Aral Sea

Although using the dam to retain most of the water from the Syr Darya in the North Aral Sea has had beneficial results in Kazakhstan, it means the wat...

Where Is the Water?
Where Is the Water?

The first question people have when seeing these images of the Aral Sea over time is, Where did the water go? The images that go along with this secti...