Aral Sea
Aral Sea Facts
Type:non-specified fresh water feature
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The Aral Sea was, until comparatively recently, the fourth largest inland body of water in the world. Its basin covers 1.8 million km 2 , primarily in what used to be the Soviet Union, and what is now the independent republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The environmental problems of the Aral Sea basin are among the worst in the world. Water diversions, agricultural practices, and industrial waste have resulted in a disappearing sea, salinization, and organic and inorganic pollution. The problems of the Aral, which previously had been an internal issue of the Soviet Union, became international problems in 1991. The five new major riparians- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan-have been struggling since that time to help stabilize, and eventually to rehabilitate, the watershed.[1]
By 1990, the sea had split into two distinct bodies, the Large Aral in the south and the Small Aral to the North [2] Restoration efforts in the Small Aral have increased water quantity and quality and improved fish stocks. However, the Small Aral does not resemble the Aral Sea of decades past. [2]
Case Studies linked to Aral Sea
- Efforts to Resolve the Aral Sea Crisis
- The Syr Darya River Basin Upstream Downstream Disputes
- Upstream Hydropower Development in the Syr Darya River Basin, Downstream Impacts, and Potential Opportunities
Articles linked to Aral Sea
| Riparians | Water Features |
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Located in this basin- Tajikistan
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| Projects and Initiatives | Agreements and Treaties |
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External Links
- Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database (TFDD) (2012). Oregon State University.Aral Sea Basin. — The Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database (TFDD) This website is used to aid in the assessment of the process of water conflict prevention and resolution. Over the years we have developed this Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database, a project of the Oregon State University Department of Geosciences, in collaboration with the Northwest Alliance for Computational Science and Engineering.
| Riparian | Population in Basin | Area within Basin in sq. km | Irrigated Lands within Basin in sq km | Average Discharge in cubic m per second |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tajikistan | 7.094 million7,094,000 people | 135,700 km²52,394.063 mi² | 36,700 km²14,169.949 mi² | 31,688.69 m³/s1,119,075.536 cfs 1,000 km³/y |
| Kazakhstan | 2.621 million2,621,000 people | 424,400 km²163,861.756 mi² | 102,100 km²39,421.03 mi² | 31,688.69 m³/s1,119,075.536 cfs 1,000 km³/y |
| Pakistan | 5.4e-4 million540 people | 200 km²77.22 mi² | 0 km²0 mi² | 0 m³/s0 cfs 0 km³/y |
| Turkmenistan | 1.272 million1,272,000 people | 70,000 km²27,027.151 mi² | 16,100 km²6,216.245 mi² | 950.661 m³/s33,572.266 cfs 30 km³/y |
| Kyrgyzstan | 2.808 million2,808,000 people | 111,700 km²43,127.611 mi² | 14,500 km²5,598.481 mi² | 31,688.69 m³/s1,119,075.536 cfs 1,000 km³/y |
| Republic of Uzbekistan | 27.701 million27,701,000 people | 382,600 km²147,722.686 mi² | 153,200 km²59,150.851 mi² | 9,506.607 m³/s335,722.661 cfs 300 km³/y |
| China | 0.0017 million1,700 people | 1,900 km²733.594 mi² | 0 km²0 mi² | 0 m³/s0 cfs 0 km³/y |
| Afghanistan | 5.489 million5,489,000 people | 104,900 km²40,502.116 mi² | 9,500 km²3,667.971 mi² | 63,377.381 m³/s2,238,151.073 cfs 2,000 km³/y |
- ^ Product of the Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database, Department of Geosciences, Oregon State University. Additional information about the TFDD can be found at: http://www.transboundarywaters.orst.edu/research/case_studies/Aral_Sea_New.htm
- ^ 2.0 2.1 See Philip Micklin and Nikolay V. Aladin. Reclaiming the Aral Sea. Scientific American. April 2008. online:http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=reclaiming-the-aral-sea
