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Uzbekistan, South Aral Sea An Aral Sea, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan story

Agriculture  / 
Dams  / 
Water
  1. Earthshots
  2. Aral Sea, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
  3. Uzbekistan, South Aral Sea
Description

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 water in the south is even more depleted.

The Amu Darya, which flows through Uzbekistan into the South Aral Sea, is used now more than ever to irrigate crops, reducing the flow to the South Aral. Although improvements in irrigation efficiency could greatly reduce the amount of water used for irrigation, making these improvements has not been a high priority.

While the North and South Arals were separating into their own water bodies, the larger South Aral also divided into two lakes: the deep western lake and a shallower eastern lake. An increasingly long channel connects the two water bodies. This channel flows either direction depending on the wind and the relative levels of the two basins.

In the past, commercial fishing was also a major industry in the South Aral Sea. In the 1980s, as the salinity level in the Aral Sea was rising, flounder-gloss—a fish species with the ability to reproduce at salinities from 17 to 60 grams per litter—was introduced successfully into the Aral from the Sea of Azov. In the 1990s, it became the only commercial fish species available for catch in the Aral Sea. However, by the end of the 1990s, the salinity reached over 60 grams per liter, which made the South Aral uninhabitable for its last surviving fish species. The salinity level in South Aral is now over 100 grams per liter, and it has no fish.

Recent images intermittently show water in the eastern lobe of the South Aral. While the 2014 image shows the eastern lobe of the South Aral as completely dry, the 2015 image shows the return of some water there. The presence of water in the eastern lobe depends on inflow from the Amu Darya and outflow from the North Aral. This cyclical drying and then refilling is expected to continue for some time, even with restoration efforts.

Amu Darya Source

View Related Imagery & Stories

Location

Aug. 22, 1964, ARGON KH-5 9066A — South Aral Sea

Aug. 22, 1964, ARGON KH-5 9066A — South Aral Sea

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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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...

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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...

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Kok-Aral Dam
Kok-Aral Dam

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,...

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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...

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