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The Aral Sea

The Aral Sea. Justine Robinson Rebecca Walker Ashley Terrill. Where is it?. The Aral Sea, located in Uzbekistan and Kazakstan (both countries were part of the former Soviet Union), is historically a saline lake. 1989 vs. 2003. The Aral Sea….

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The Aral Sea

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  1. The Aral Sea Justine Robinson Rebecca Walker Ashley Terrill

  2. Where is it? • The Aral Sea, located in Uzbekistan and Kazakstan (both countries were part of the former Soviet Union), is historically a saline lake.

  3. 1989 vs. 2003

  4. The Aral Sea… • Once the world's fourth-largest inland sea with an area of 68,000 km², the Aral Sea has been steadily shrinking since the 1960s, after the rivers Amu Darya and Syr Darya that fed it were diverted by Soviet Union irrigation projects. • By 2004, the sea had shrunk to 25% of its original surface area, and a nearly fivefold increase in salinity had killed most of its natural flora and fauna.

  5. The Aral Sea… • The Aral is an inland salt-water sea with no outlet. It is fed by two rivers, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya. • The fresh water from these two rivers held the Aral's water and salt levels in perfect balance.

  6. What happened? • In the early 1960's, the Soviet central government decided to make the Soviet Union self-sufficient in cotton and increase rice production. • Government officials ordered the additional amount of needed water to be taken from the two rivers that feed the Aral Sea.

  7. What happened? • Large dams were built across both rivers, and an 850-mile central canal with a far-reaching system of "feeder" canals was created. • When the irrigation system was completed, millions of acres along both sides of the main canal were flooded.

  8. What happened? • Over the next 30 years, the Aral Sea experienced a severe drop in water level, its shoreline receded, and its salt content increased.

  9. 1960 to 2008 Visual http://www.orexca.com/aral_sea.shtml

  10. Works Cited • Aral Sea. 4 Nov. 2008 <http://enrin.grida.no/aral/aralsea/english/arsea/arsea.htm>. • The Aral Sea. 4 Nov. 2008 <http://visearth.ucsd.edu/VisE_Int/aralsea/>.

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