Transformation of a lake into a desert. Environmental Effects and Social Consequences.
Hello dear friends Steemians!
It is known that man has always intervened positively or negatively in the environment, and that this intervention alters the normal functioning of ecosystems. In the eagerness to secure food, energy, water and space, man modifies his natural environment affecting his quality.
I recently found a publication about an event that has been cataloged as one of the largest environmental catastrophe in the world. When natural resources are exploited, it is considered that these resources will be the same despite the use and abuse we make of them.
The Aral Sea, is a saltwater lake located in Central Asia between the cities of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, has no access to the sea (Endorheic lake) and is fed by the currents of the rivers Amu Daria and Sir Daria. Until the 1960s it was considered as the fourth largest lake in the world, with abundant biological diversity.
In the past, the deltas of the Amu Daria and Sir Daria rivers were fertile places where many species of animals and plants lived at ease. The sea was home to fish and seaweed, as well as other creatures. Common fish were the sturgeon, the carp, the barral of the Aral (Barbus brachycephalus) and the rutile. It is estimated that the region housed around 100 species of fish, 200 of mammals and up to 500 of birds.
GeoEnciclopedia
At present, the Aral Sea has disappeared in its three quarters becoming the youngest desert that is known: Aralkum. It is estimated that in the last 50 years it has reduced its water volume by 90 percent.
The following video shows a sequence of satellite photos from NASA that summarize this reduction.
How did this happen?
In the areas surrounding the Aral Sea are population settlements that for a long time lived from fishing and commercial activities related to the lake. The water quota contributed by each river allowed the volume of water in the lake to remain stable despite the evaporation produced by the high temperatures in the area.
A large-scale cotton production project developed by the Soviet Union was the main cause of the drying up of this great lake. The courses of the Amu Daria and Sir Daria rivers was diverted through the excavation of numerous channels to be used in the irrigation of cotton crops, which caused the reduction of their flow in the course of several decades.
By decreasing the amount of water that fed the lake, concentrations of salts and minerals increased dramatically making life impossible in its waters.
The diminished water generated less condensation and consequently less rainfall. The layer of salt that formed on the seabed sterilized the soil and was also spread in the air by the effect of wind, impacting the vegetation and crops in its surroundings. The vegetation began to be scarce which led to a reduction in the production of water vapor that is made through the process of transpiration of it. To this we must add the dry climate typical of the Central Asian region.
Finally, after several decades, the landscape became a desert of sand and salt, completely destroying the fauna and floral habitat of the place and affecting the surrounding communities by losing their source of work and drinking water.
Climatic and environmental alterations caused by desiccation of the lake
The microclimate of the area underwent modifications due to the withdrawal of the waters. According to the opinion of the scientists of the Aral Meteorological Station:
- The temperatures of the seasons were accentuated, producing very hot summers and very cold winters.
- The winds became stronger. Every three days there are storms with winds that exceed 55 km/h, which displace tons of saline sand to the houses and streets of nearby towns, and that generate soil erosion and the formation of Dunes.
- To this is added the fact that the air and aquifers (Phreatic zone) were contaminated by the use of fertilizers and pesticides in the cotton crops.
A natural catastrophe caused by the hand of man
Social consequences
The social impact caused by the disappearance of the Aral sea is mainly economic and health. The City of Akespe, one of the most affected, is located southwest of Kazakhstan, its main economic activity was fishing. and due to the desiccation of the lake its streets were desolated as their only source of work disappeared. Only a small group of families continued to live in their homes and were dedicated to the breeding of Camels and to a lesser extent to fishing in the distant waters every day more removed from the ancient shores.
Air pollution with dust, salt and pesticide residues from cotton crops led to the proliferation of different diseases and an increase in the mortality rate, especially infant mortality. Below I share more accurate information about diseases that affect the inhabitants of the area.
The region registers the highest infant mortality rate of all the former USSR. Chronic bronchitis has increased by 3000% and arthritis by 6000%. In the Uzbek region of Karakalpakstan women suffer from a pandemic of anemia and 97% have hemoglobin levels below 110 grams per liter of blood set by WHO. Experts point out that this is due to the consumption of stagnant water containing zinc and magnesium. In the same area of Uzbekistan, from 1981 to 1987, liver cancer has increased by 200%, throat by 25% and infant mortality by 20%. Likewise, the cases of hepatitis, respiratory diseases, eye diseases and intestinal infections in the region are seven times higher than in 1960.
We are water
As you can see until this point, the future of the Aral Sea does not look promising. It is a catastrophe that could have been avoided. The existence of a disastrous governmental management of the lake basin became evident.
An effort to recover what was lost
An agreement was reached between the governments of several cities (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) to set up a fund to carry out projects aimed at recovering The Aral sea, or at least to improve environmental conditions, called Executive Committee of the Aral Sea International Rescue Fund.
One of the initiatives that has been taken is the construction of the Kot-Aral Dam in the year 2005. Located at the mouth of the Sir Daria River, Is conformed by a stretch of 13 kilometers long that divides the old lake into two zones: the North Aral Sea and the South Aral Sea. This dam prevents the northern water from passing into the southern area, which has now become a huge desert. This has represented a hope of recovery for the north of the lake, but not for the south.
With the construction of this structure there have been some beneficial changes in the biodiversity of the area. According to scientists who are dedicated to monitoring the evolution of lake, the most outstanding aspects in this improvement are:
- The flow of the north lake has recovered 20% of its surface. The concentration of salt has fallen by half in a span of 10 years.
- The vegetation in its surroundings is being reborn, a variety of aquatic plants and reed beds are already observed in the shallow water of the lake. This helps to offer a suitable habitat for birds and fish.
- Fish species have increased to 20 today.
As the water returns, life also returns
Another important initiative is the Desert Reforestation Project in the southern zone, which seeks to reduce the environmental impact of desertification and begin a natural process of vegetation that extends through the desert.
According to the Ecologist Gaukarbek Satakep, director of the Natural Reserves of the Aral Region, the soil of the southern area is still a difficult medium for the planting of vegetation since the level of salinity is very high. It has begun with the planting of trees of Saxsaul since it adapts very well to the desert environments. This type of tree has the property of retaining moisture is its root, stem and leaves and also creates it around it, which allows it to survive without much water and collaborate in the growth of other wild herbs and plants that grow in its shade. The planting of these trees also seeks to reduce the impact of soil erosion.
I hope these initiatives succeed in amending the natural damage caused. Hopefully one day the Aral sea will recover the lost space and with it return to this area of Central Asia the life and economic prosperity.
This is all I could research about this sad story. I thought it appropriate to share it, despite the magnitude of the disaster and the terrible consequences it has brought, until recently I ignored the fact. I suppose that many people also ignore it and I wanted to spread this information that I consider worrisome and important for the health of the planet.
If this information helps some people know more about the subject, I will have achieved my goal. In the references I leave some links of videos of documentaries about the Aral Sea, if you have time to see them, I recommend them so you can better appreciate the magnitude of the disaster.
Happy day, dear friends!
References
- http://www.lacronica.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/CienciayTecnologia/03092016/1123380-De-cuarto-lago-mas-grande-del-mundo-a-un-desierto-la-NASA-capta-el-drama-del-mar-de-Aral.html
- https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=1396
- https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/aral_sea.php
- https://www.geografiainfinita.com/2016/05/la-historia-mas-triste-de-todos-los-mares-aral/
- http://www.geoenciclopedia.com/mar-de-aral/
That is a pretty interesting environmental post-mortem you did there. Brilliant research work. The irresponsibility of man towards his environment keeps me baffled all the time I come across stories like this one. It's pretty sad. I can only wish that the revival initiative yields enough fruit, and fast enough.
I was quite impressed with the news. But more impression caused me see the images I found in the documentaries that I saw on YouTube. The damage caused is very great both to nature and to the inhabitants of the area, who saw change the landscape and their lives over the years.
Very sad and unfortunate story. As you well say, product of the irresponsibility of man in the use and exploted of natural resources.
I also hope and wish that the initiatives taken will produce positive results and that in the near future we can talk about the recovery of the Aral Sea.
Thank you for reading my publication, I appreciate so much for the support I receive from my friends at Steemit.
Have a nice day, friend @misterakpan
Incredible, I knew something about it but not all the story and the history of it. I think that slowly we will get the ecology education we need and the next generation will fully understand the extent. But for now it's our duty to continue to educate others.
I am recycling, I reduced my carbon footprint a lot and I am planning on cogenerating green energy this year.
Very nice article and I enjoyed it. Very nice addition to the SteemSTEM tag. I wish you the best of luck in the future!
I am also writing science articles, regarding terraforming of Mars for now. I will touch climate and ecology of Mars eventually :)
It is unfortunate that these acts occur. I hope you are right and that future generations are more aware that we must take care of our "big house".
If each one of us became aware and put into practice these actions, ecology to the planet will soon begin to see good results.
Interesting topic that of Tuesday's Terraformacion. It would be a great achievement to be able to develop conditions for the development of human life on other planets. I'll be aware of your publications. Excellent!
I also wish you luck and much success in our community. Very grateful for your time and your valuable contribution.
Happy afternoon friend @alexdory
I am humbled! I am just writing what makes me happy and I like to share it with everyone, it's our duty to make science interesting to others! We would be much further in development if we would have more people doing science! Advances lay in science, and science lays in numbers of children following a science career. Which is why we must prove that science is cool, the children in my country always say that they want to be footballers and businessmen but few of them want to be doctors or scientists. I am trying to even out the balance! :P
This is even worse for girls as they don't even think science is a world for them. Only the most emotionally powerful girls choose science. I wrote about it last month but it's nice to check out: https://steemit.com/gender/@alexdory/a-thought-on-gender-bias-and-complying-to-the-gender-biased-world
The theme of the prince charming and the perfect princesses had their effect on the idealization of how our future partners should be or how we should be ourselves. I celebrate that today the princesses of the stories of Disney for example, are different from the characters of long ago. They are warriors, determined, brave, fighters and not only beautiful and delicate. The Prince Charming also change, he is no longer perfect.
I would like my daughters to become capable, struggling, enterprising women while still being sweet and delicate. That is another issue that is currently worrying.
I write little and always about a subject that I like and I find interesting. I do not have a definite redaction line and until now I think that it has gone well for me. It can improve and I'm in it!
As for the upbringing of the boys, it is very true that we parents give different crianzas to boys and girls. I have a son and two daughters and I feel reflected in the overprotection of girls. My son likes science and a lot, it was always like that. My daughter does not like it, she is more of music and lyrics.
I suppose that the influence left of methe raising of my grandmothers and my mother dominated in the way of raising my children.
I share your opinion about we should make science fun and eye-catching for children as a way to build better generations.
Excellent post @ufv. Congratulations!.
Thank you my friend @tsoldovieri. Regards and Good night.
it is happenning although many people (and even countries) don't want to accept it and do nothing to change it
Certainly, many of these damages are ignored or happen before the indifferent gaze of the authorities. Thank you very much for reading it and leaving your valuable contribution friend @luciamartinez.
wow, that is just horrible.
yes and very sad!. Thanks for the support. Good night friend.
This was really disturbing, but there's not other way of confronting yourself with reality of climate change!
Sometimes it's hard to see reality. But we should all know about climate change and the changes that occur when modifying the environment.
Thank you for taking the time to read it, I am happy to have contributed to let others know about this natural disaster caused by man.
happy day, friend @conradino23
climate change is the big challenge now!
excellent job, thank you for sharing
true, let's hope that we are up to this great challenge. Thanks to you for reading it and for your valuable contribution friend @benainouna.
SSCB bilinçsiz çok fazla pamuk üretmek için dev bir gölün yok olmasına orada balıklıçılıkla geçinen insan mağdur etmiştir. İnsanoğlunun açgözlülüğü doğayı yok ediyor.
The bad decisions of an unconscious government that only thought of increasing its production of something. Thanks for reading and happy day!
Mankind only brings a lot of damage to our environment, I'd love to see ourselves as an evolved species, but with all that what happened and happens I can't. 😐
Although we have caused much damage to our environment, great efforts have also been made to correct the consequences. Hopefully we will develop more awareness about the importance of making proper use of the resources that the planet gives us.
Thank you for your time and for leaving your comment, it is very important for me. Happy day, friend @sqruffy
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