View source for Aral Sea

{{Infobox lake
|name=Aral Sea
|native_name={{native name|kk|Арал теңізі|italics=off}}<br>{{native name|uz|Orol dengizi}}<br>{{native name|ru|Аральское море|italics=off}}
|image=AralSea1989 2014.jpg
|caption=The Aral Sea in 1989 (left) and 2014 (right)
|image_bathymetry = 
|caption_bathymetry = 
|location = [[Kazakhstan]] - [[Uzbekistan]],<br>[[Central Asia]]
|coords = {{Coord|45|N|60|E|type:waterbody_scale:5000000|display=inline,title}}
|type = [[endorheic]], [[natural lake]], [[reservoir]] (North)
|inflow = North: [[Syr Darya]]<br>South: [[groundwater]] only<br>(previously the [[Amu Darya]])
|outflow = 
|catchment = {{Convert|1549000|km2|mi2|-2|abbr=on}}
|basin_countries = [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Uzbekistan]], [[Afghanistan]], [[Pakistan]]<ref name=aral.unece.org/>
|length = 
|width = 
|area =  {{Convert|17160|km2|mi2|0|abbr=on}}<br>(2004, four lakes)<br>{{Convert|28687|km2|mi2|0|abbr=on}}<br>(1998, two lakes)<br>{{Convert|68000|km2|mi2|-2|abbr=on}}<br>(1960, one lake)<br>North:<br>{{Convert|3300|km2|mi2|-1|abbr=on}} (2008)<br>South:<br>{{Convert|3500|km2|mi2|-1|abbr=on}} (2005)
|depth = North: {{Convert|8.7|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} (2014){{citation needed|date=July 2014}}<br>South: {{Convert|14|-|15|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}(2005)
 |max-depth = North:<br>{{convert|42|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} (2008)<ref name="ENS wire"/><br>{{Convert|30|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} (2003)<br>South:<br>{{Convert|37|-|40|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} (2005)<br>{{convert|102|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} (1989)
|volume = North: {{Convert|27|km3|mi3|0|abbr=on}} (2007){{citation needed|date=July 2014}}
|residence_time = 
|shore = 
|elevation=North: {{Convert|42|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} (2007)<br>South: {{Convert|29|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} (2007)<br>{{Convert|53.4|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} (1960)<ref>[[JAXA]] - [http://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/en/imgdata/topics/2007/tp071226.html South Aral Sea shrinking but North Aral Sea expanding]</ref>
|islands = 
|cities = [[Aral, Kazakhstan]] and [[Mo‘ynoq]], [[Uzbekistan]]
}}
[[File:Survey of the Sea of Aral 1853.jpg|thumb|right|The map of 'Aral' Sea of 1853 published for the ''Journal of the [[Royal Geographical Society]]'' in London]]
[[File:Aral map.png|thumb|right|Map: lake boundaries about 1960 with present-day political boundaries - countries with any land draining into the lake are in yellow]]

The '''Aral Sea''' was an [[endorheic basin|endorheic lake]] lying between [[Kazakhstan]] ([[Aktobe Region|Aktobe]] and [[Kyzylorda Region]]s) in the north and [[Uzbekistan]] ([[Karakalpakstan]] autonomous region) in the south. The name roughly translates as "Sea of Islands", referring to over 1,100 islands that once dotted its waters; in the [[Turkic languages]] ''aral'' means "island, archipelago". The Aral Sea [[drainage basin]] encompasses Uzbekistan and parts of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.<ref name=aral.unece.org>{{cite web|url=https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/env/water/blanks/assessment/aral.pdf|title=DRAINAGE BASIN OF THE ARAL SEA AND OTHER TRANSBOUNDARY SURFACE WATERS IN CENTRAL ASIA|website=United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)|date= 2005|accessdate= 4 Feb 2016}}</ref>

Formerly one of the four [[largest lakes]] in the world with an area of {{convert|68,000|km2|sqmi|-2|abbr=on}}, the Aral Sea has been steadily shrinking since the 1960s after the rivers that fed it were diverted by [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] irrigation projects. By 2007, it had declined to 10% of its original size, splitting into four lakes&nbsp;– the [[North Aral Sea]], the eastern and western basins of the once far larger [[South Aral Sea]], and one smaller lake between the North and South Aral Seas.<ref name="sciam">{{cite news|author1=Philip Micklin |author2=Nikolay V. Aladin |title=Reclaiming the Aral Sea|url=http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=reclaiming-the-aral-sea&sc=rss|work=Scientific American|date=March 2008| accessdate=May 17, 2008}}</ref> By 2009, the southeastern lake had disappeared and the southwestern lake had retreated to a thin strip at the western edge of the former southern sea; in subsequent years, occasional water flows have led to the southeastern lake sometimes being replenished to a small degree.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/aral_sea.php|title= Satellite image, August 16, 2009 (click on "2009" and later links)}}</ref> Satellite images taken by NASA in August 2014 revealed that for the first time in modern history the eastern basin of the Aral Sea had completely dried up.<ref name="The Guardian 2014">{{cite news |last=Liston |first=Enjoli |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/01/satellite-images-show-aral-sea-basin-completely-dried?CMP=fb_gu |title=Satellite images show Aral Sea basin 'completely dried' |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited |date=1 October 2014 |accessdate=2014-10-01 }}</ref> The eastern basin is now called the [[Aralkum Desert]].

In an ongoing effort in Kazakhstan to save and replenish the North Aral Sea, a dam project was completed in 2005; in 2008, the water level in this lake had risen by {{Convert|12|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} compared to 2003.<ref>http://www.stephenmbland.com/#!kazakhstan-measuring-the-northern-aral/cewp</ref> Salinity has dropped, and fish are again found in sufficient numbers for some fishing to be viable.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/earthrise/2012/07/201271912543306106.html|title=Aral Sea Reborn|publisher=''Al Jazeera''|date=July 21, 2012|accessdate=January 6, 2013}}</ref> The maximum depth of the North Aral Sea is {{Convert|42|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} ({{As of|2008|lc=y}}).<ref name="ENS wire">{{cite news|url=http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/aug2008/2008-08-01-01.asp|title=The Kazakh Miracle: Recovery of the North Aral Sea |publisher=[[Environment News Service]]|date=2008-08-01|accessdate=2010-03-22| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100412135936/http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/aug2008/2008-08-01-01.asp|archivedate=April 12, 2010 <!--DASHBot-->|deadurl=no}}</ref>

The shrinking of the Aral Sea has been called "one of the planet's worst environmental disasters".<ref>{{cite news|author=Daily Telegraph|title=Aral Sea 'one of the planet's worst environmental disasters'| url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/7554679/Aral-Sea-one-of-the-planets-worst-environmental-disasters.html|date=2010-04-05|accessdate=2010-05-01| location=London|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100408214552/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/7554679/Aral-Sea-one-of-the-planets-worst-environmental-disasters.html|archivedate=April 8, 2010 <!--DASHBot-->|deadurl=no}}</ref><ref name="about-aral-sea">{{cite web| url=https://www.people-travels.com/aral-sea-tours/| title=About travel to Aral Sea| accessdate=2016-08-29}}</ref> The region's once-prosperous fishing industry has been essentially destroyed, bringing unemployment and economic hardship. The Aral Sea region is also heavily polluted, with consequential serious [[public health problems in the Aral Sea region|public health problems]].

The historical documents of the development of the Aral Sea have added by UNESCO to its [[Memory of the World Programme|Memory of the World Register]] as a unique source to study this "environmental tragedy."

==Formation==
Geographer Dr. Nick Middleton believes that the [[Amu Darya]] did not flow into the shallow depression that now forms the Aral Sea until the beginning of the [[Holocene]],<ref name="physical1">Middleton, Nick; "The Aral Sea" in Shahgedanova Maria; ''The Physical Geography of Northern Eurasia''; pp. 497-498</ref> and it is known that the Amu Darya flowed into the [[Caspian Sea]] via the [[Uzboy channel]] until the Holocene.<ref name="physical1"/> The Syr Darya formed a large lake in the [[Kyzyl Kum]] during the Pliocene known as the Mynbulak depression.<ref>Velichko, Andrey and Spasskaya, Irina; "Climatic Change and the Development of Landscapes" in Shahgedanova Maria; ''The Physical Geography of Northern Eurasia''; pp. 48-50</ref>

==History==
Most of the area around the Aral Sea was inhabited by desert nomads who left few written records. However, the Oxus delta to the south has a long history under the name of [[Khwarezm]]. It used to be the westernmost border of [[Tang dynasty]] [[China]].

===Naval history===
Russian naval presence on the Aral Sea started in 1847, with the founding of Raimsk, which was soon renamed Fort [[Aralsk]], near the mouth of the Syr Darya. Soon, the [[Imperial Russian Navy]] started deploying its vessels on the sea. Owing to the Aral Sea basin not being connected to other bodies of water, the vessels had to be disassembled in [[Orenburg]] on the [[Ural River]], shipped overland to Aralsk (presumably by a [[camel train|camel caravan]]), and then reassembled. The first two ships, assembled in 1847, were the two-masted schooners named ''Nikolai'' and ''Mikhail''. The former was a warship; the latter was a merchant vessel meant to serve the establishment of the fisheries on the great lake. In 1848, these two vessels surveyed the northern part of the sea. In the same year, a larger warship, the ''Constantine'', was assembled. Commanded by Lt. Alexey Butakov ([[:ru:Бутаков, Алексей Иванович|Алексей Бутаков]]), the ''Constantine'' completed the survey of the entire Aral Sea over the next two years.<ref name=michell>{{Cite book|first1= Chokan Chingisovich |last1=Valikhanov |first2= Mikhail Ivanovich |last2=Venyukov |publisher=Edward Stanford |location=London |year=1865 |title=The Russians in Central Asia: their occupation of the Kirghiz steppe and the line of the Syr-Daria: their political relations with Khiva, Bokhara, and Kokan: also descriptions of Chinese Turkestan and Dzungaria |others= Translated by John Michell, Robert Michell |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924023159621 |pages=324–329}}</ref>
The exiled Ukrainian poet and painter [[Taras Shevchenko]] participated in the expedition, and painted a number of sketches of the Aral Sea coast.<ref>{{Cite book
|first=David Alan |last=Rich|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=1998|isbn=0-674-91111-3|title=The Tsar's colonels: professionalism, strategy, and subversion in late Imperial Russia|url=https://books.google.com/?id=lF42jb5Fg4cC|page=247}}</ref>

For the navigation season of 1851, two newly built steamers arrived from Sweden, again by caravan from Orenburg. As the geological surveys had found no coal deposits in the area, the Military Governor-General of Orenburg [[Vasily Alekseevich Perovsky|Vasily Perovsky]] ordered "as large as possible supply" of saxaul (''[[Haloxylon ammodendron]]'', a desert shrub, akin to the [[creosote bush]]) to be collected in Aralsk for use by the new steamers. Unfortunately, saxaul wood did not turn out a very suitable fuel, and in the later years, the Aral Flotilla was provisioned, at substantial cost, by coal from the [[Donbass]].<ref name=michell/> (This was part of the [[Russian conquest of Turkestan]].)

<gallery mode=packed heights="180">
File:Kos-aral.jpg|First Russian boats on the Aral Sea, sketch by [[Taras Shevchenko]], 1848
File:Michell-Russian-steam-barges-Kungrad.jpg|Ships of [[Imperial Russian Navy]]'s Aral Flotilla in the 1850s
</gallery>

===Irrigation canals===
{{Further information|Great Plan for the Transformation of Nature}}
[[File:Shrinking Aral Sea.ogv|thumb|Satellite images show the changing water levels in the Aral Sea from 2000 to 2011.]]<!-- No need size since it will be shown in full sceen mode-->
[[File:Aral Sea.gif|The shrinking of the Aral Sea.|thumb|Timeline of shrinking]]
In the early 1960s,<ref name=ns>{{cite news|url= http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg12416910.800-soviet-cotton-threatens-a-regions-sea--and-its-children.html|title=Soviet cotton threatens a region's sea - and its children|date=November 18, 1989|work=[[New Scientist]]|accessdate=January 27, 2010}}</ref> the [[Government of the Soviet Union#Sovnarkom|Soviet government]] decided the two rivers that fed the Aral Sea, the [[Amu Darya]] in the south and the [[Syr Darya]] in the east, would be diverted to irrigate the desert, in an attempt to grow rice, melons, cereals, and cotton.

This was part of the Soviet plan for [[cotton]], or "white gold", to become a major export. This temporarily succeeded, and in 1988, Uzbekistan was the world's largest exporter of cotton.<ref>{{cite web|author=USDA-Foreign Agriculture Service|title=Cotton Production Ranking|url= http://www.cotton.org/econ/cropinfo/cropdata/rankings.cfm|publisher=National Cotton Council of America|year=2013|accessdate=Oct 14, 2013}}</ref>

The construction of irrigation canals began on a large scale in the 1940s.{{clarify||Above it says this was only decided in the 1960s?!|date=July 2014}} Many of the canals were poorly built, allowing water to leak or evaporate. From the [[Qaraqum Canal]], the largest in Central Asia, perhaps 30 to 75% of the water went to waste. Today,{{when||Still true? Should give "as of" date|date=July 2014}} only 12% of Uzbekistan's irrigation canal length is waterproofed. Of the 47,750&nbsp;km of interfarm irrigation channels in the basin, only 28% have anti-infiltration linings. Only 77% of farm intakes have flow gauges, and of the 268,500&nbsp;km of onfarm channels, only 21% have anti-infiltration linings, which retain on average 15% more water than unlined channels.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.cawater-info.net/aral/aral0_e.htm|title=ca-water.net, a knowledge base for projects in the Central Asia|year=2003|accessdate=1 November 2010}}</ref>

By 1960, between {{convert|20|and|60|km3|cumi|lk=out|abbr=on}} of water each year was going to the land instead of the sea. Most of the sea's water supply had been diverted, and in the 1960s, the Aral Sea began to shrink. From 1961 to 1970, the Aral's level fell at an average of {{convert|20|cm|in|abbr=on}} a year; in the 1970s, the average rate nearly tripled to {{convert|50|-|60|cm|abbr=on}} per year, and by the 1980s, it continued to drop, now with a mean of {{convert|80|-|90|cm|abbr=on}} each year. The rate of water usage for irrigation continued to increase; the amount of water taken from the rivers doubled between 1960 and 2000, and cotton production nearly doubled in the same period.

The disappearance of the lake was no surprise to the Soviets; they expected it to happen long before. As early as 1964, Aleksandr Asarin at the [[Hydroproject]] Institute pointed out that the lake was doomed, explaining, "It was part of the [[Five-Year Plans for the National Economy of the Soviet Union|five-year plans]], approved by the [[Government of the Soviet Union|council of ministers]] and the [[Politburo]]. Nobody on a lower level would dare to say a word contradicting those plans, even if it was the fate of the Aral Sea."<ref name="winse">{{cite news|author=Michael Wines|url= https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D03E4DA1F3BF93AA35751C1A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all|title=Grand Soviet Scheme for Sharing Water in Central Asia Is Foundering|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=2002-12-09|accessdate=2008-03-08}}</ref>

The reaction to the predictions varied. Some Soviet experts apparently considered the Aral to be "nature's error", and a Soviet engineer said in 1968, "it is obvious to everyone that the evaporation of the Aral Sea is inevitable."<ref>{{cite book|last=Bissell|first=Tom|title=Eternal Winter: Lessons of the Aral Sea Disaster|pages=41–56|publisher=Harper's|year=2002|isbn=}}</ref> On the other hand, starting in the 1960s, a [[Northern river reversal|large-scale project]] was proposed to redirect part of the flow of the rivers of the [[Ob River|Ob]] basin to Central Asia over a gigantic canal system. Refilling of the Aral Sea was considered as one of the project's main goals. However, due to its staggering costs and the negative public opinion in [[RSFSR|Russia proper]], the federal authorities abandoned the project by 1986.<ref>{{cite book|last=Glantz|first= Michael H.|title=Creeping Environmental Problems and Sustainable Development in the Aral Sea...|page=174|location=Cambridge, New York|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1999|isbn=0-521-62086-4|url=https://books.google.com/?id=2YXnBxZg7c4C|accessdate=May 17, 2008}}</ref>

From 1960 to 1998, the sea's surface area shrank by about 60%, and its volume by 80%. In 1960, the Aral Sea had been the world's [[List of lakes by area|fourth-largest]] lake, with an area around {{convert|68000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} and a volume of {{convert|1100|km3|cumi|abbr=on}}; by 1998, it had dropped to {{convert|28687|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} and eighth largest. The salinity of the Aral Sea also increased: by 1990 it was around 376&nbsp;g/l.<ref name=sciam/> (By comparison, the salinity of ordinary [[seawater]] is typically around 35&nbsp;g/l; the [[Dead Sea]]'s salinity varies between 300 and 350&nbsp;g/l.)

In 1987, the continuing shrinkage split the lake into two separate bodies of water, the [[North Aral Sea]] (the Lesser Sea, or Small Aral Sea) and the [[South Aral Sea]] (the Greater Sea, or Large Aral Sea)
In June 1991, Uzbekistan gained independence from the Soviet Union. [[Craig Murray]], a UK ambassador to Uzbekistan in 2002, described the independence as a way for [[Islam Karimov]] to consolidate his power rather than a move away from a Soviet-style economy and its philosophy of exploitation of the land. Murray attributes the shrinkage of the Aral Sea in the 1990s to Karimov's cotton policy. The government maintained a massive irrigation system which Murray described as massively wasteful, with most of the water being lost through evaporation before reaching the cotton.{{clarify|date=December 2016}} [[Crop rotation]] was not used, and the depleted soil and monoculture required massive quantities of pesticides and fertilizer. The runoff from the fields washed these chemicals into the shrinking sea, creating severe pollution and health problems. As the water supply of the Aral Sea decreased, the demand for cotton increased and the Soviet{{clarify||wasn't this during the independent period? This seems like a poor attempt to blame the soviets for everything|date=December 2016}} reacted by pouring more pesticides and fertilizer onto the land. Murray compared the system to the slavery system in the pre-Civil War United States; forced labor was used, and profits were siphoned off by the powerful and well-connected.<ref>{{cite book|title=Dirty Diplomacy|author=Craig Murray|publisher=Scribner|year=2007}}</ref>

By summer 2003, the South Aral Sea was vanishing faster than predicted. In the deepest parts of the sea, the bottom waters were saltier than the top, and not mixing. Thus, only the top of the sea was heated in the summer, and it evaporated faster than would otherwise be expected. In 2003, the South Aral further divided into eastern and western basins.

In 2004, the Aral Sea's surface area was only {{convert|17160|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, 25% of its original size, and a nearly five-fold increase in salinity had killed most of its natural flora and fauna. By 2007, the sea's area had further shrunk to 10% of its original size.  The decline of the North Aral has now been partially reversed following construction of a dam (see below), but the remnants of the South Aral continue to disappear and its drastic shrinkage has created the [[Aralkum]], a desert on the former lake bed.

The inflow of groundwater into the South Aral Sea will probably not in itself be able to stop the desiccation, especially without a change in irrigation practices.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ciesin.org/docs/006-238/006-238.html|title=Desiccation of the Aral Sea|publisher=''CIESIN, Columbia University''|author=Philip P. Micklin|year=1988|accessdate=January 6, 2013}}</ref> This inflow of about {{convert|4|km3|cumi|abbr=on}} per year is larger than previously estimated. The groundwater originates in the [[Pamirs]] and [[Tian Shan]] Mountains and finds its way through geological layers to a fracture zone<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.columbia.edu/~tmt2120/impacts%20to%20life%20in%20the%20region.htm|title=The Aral Sea Crisis|publisher=''Thompson, Columbia University''|accessdate=January 6, 2013}}</ref> at the bottom of the Aral.

<gallery class="center"  mode=packed heights=250px>
File:Aral sea 1985 from STS.jpg| Aral Sea from space, North at bottom, August 1985
File:AralSea(1997)_NASA_STS085-503-119.jpg| Aral Sea from space, North at bottom, August 1997
File:Aral Sea Continues to Shrink, August 2009.jpg|Aral Sea from space, North at top, August 2009
</gallery>

==Impact on environment, economy, and public health==
The [[ecosystem]]s of the Aral Sea and the [[river delta]]s feeding into it have been nearly destroyed, not least because of the much higher salinity. The receding sea has left huge plains covered with salt and toxic chemicals&nbsp;– the results of [[Vozrozhdeniya island#History|weapons testing]], industrial projects, and pesticides and fertilizer runoff&nbsp;– which are picked up and carried away by the wind as toxic dust and spread to the surrounding area. As a result, the land around the Aral Sea is heavily polluted, and the people living in the area are suffering from a lack of fresh water and [[public health problems in the Aral Sea region|health problems]], including high rates of certain forms of cancer and lung diseases. Respiratory illnesses, including [[tuberculosis]] (most of which is [[Drug-resistant tuberculosis|drug resistant]]) and cancer, digestive disorders, [[anaemia]], and infectious diseases are common ailments in the region. Liver, kidney, and eye problems can also be attributed to the toxic dust storms. These dust storms also contributed to the lack of fresh water since the salt melted the glaciers faster and not enough moisture was in the air to help replace them. The dust storms increased the melting levels for the glaciers by 12 times the normal rate.<ref name=":0" /> Health concerns associated with the region are a cause for an unusually high fatality rate amongst vulnerable parts of the population. The child mortality rate is 75 in every 1,000 newborns and maternity death is 12 in every 1,000 women.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://enrin.grida.no/aral/aralsea/english/arsea/arsea.htm |title=Aral Sea - Aral Sea |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090316062917/http://enrin.grida.no/aral/aralsea/english/arsea/arsea.htm|archivedate=2009-03-16}}</ref> An overuse of pesticides on crops was one of the contributing factors to this. To get their crops to grow, their pesticide use would have to exceed health standards and could be twenty times more than the national average.<ref name=":0" /> Crops in the region are destroyed by salt being deposited onto the land and are flushed with water at least 4 times a day to try and remove the salinity from the soils.<ref name=":0" /> Vast salt plains exposed by the shrinking Aral have produced [[dust storm]]s, making regional winters colder and summers hotter.<ref>{{cite web|author=Godwin O. P. Obasi|url=http://www.wmo.int/web/Press/SG230E.pdf|title=Challenges and Opportunities in Water Resource Management|publisher=[[World Meteorological Organization]]|work=Lecture at the 93rd Annual Meeting of the [[American Meteorological Society]]|format=PDF|date=February 11, 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article-9355673/Aral-Sea|title=Aral Sea|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|year=2007|publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica Online]]|accessdate=May 17, 2008}}</ref><ref>[http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/EarthObservatory/Dust_Storm,_Aral_Sea.htm Dust Storm, Aral Sea] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005091550/http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/EarthObservatory/Dust_Storm,_Aral_Sea.htm |date=October 5, 2013 }}, [[NASA Earth Observatory]] image, June 30, 2001</ref><ref>{{cite journal|first=Phillip|last=Whish-Wilson|url=http://www.jcu.edu.au/jrtph/vol/v01whish.pdf|title=The Aral Sea environmental health crisis|journal=Journal of Rural and Remote Environmental Health|volume=1|issue=2|year=2002|accessdate=May 17, 2008|page=30|format=PDF|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409044733/http://www.jcu.edu.au/jrtph/vol/v01whish.pdf|archivedate=April 9, 2008 <!--DASHBot-->|deadurl=no}}</ref>

The Aral Sea fishing industry, which in its heyday had employed some 40,000 and reportedly produced one-sixth of the Soviet Union's entire fish catch, has been devastated, and former fishing towns along the original shores have become [[ship graveyard]]s. The town of [[Moynaq]] in Uzbekistan had a thriving harbor and fishing industry that employed about 30,000 people;<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.unicef.org/ceecis/reallives_3304.html|title=Uzbekistan: Moynaq village faces the Aral Sea disaster|publisher=[[UNICEF]]}}</ref> now it lies miles from the shore. Fishing boats lie scattered on the dry land that was once covered by water; many have been there for 20 years. The only significant fishing company left in the area has its fish shipped from the [[Baltic Sea]], thousands of kilometers away.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Micklin | first1 = P. P. | year = 1988 | title = Desiccation of the Aral Sea: A water management disaster in the Soviet Union | url = http://www.ciesin.org/docs/006-238/006-238.html#fn1 | journal = Science | volume = 241 | issue = | pages = 1170–76 }}</ref>

Also destroyed is the [[muskrat]]-trapping industry in the deltas of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, which used to yield as many as 500,000 pelts a year.<ref name="winse"/>

<gallery class="center"  mode=packed heights=160px>
File:AralSeaModis.jpg|Aral Sea dust storm, March 2010
File:Aralship2.jpg|Abandoned ship near Aral, Kazakhstan
File:AralskHarbor.jpg|A former harbor in the city of Aral
File:Kazakh fisherman Aralsk.jpg|Local Kazakh fisherman harvesting the day's catch
</gallery>

==Solution==

===Possible environmental solutions===
Many different solutions to the problems have been suggested over the years, varying in feasibility and cost, including:

*Improving the quality of [[irrigation]] canals
*Installing [[desalination]] plants
*Charging farmers to use the water from the rivers
*Using alternative [[cotton]] species that require less water<ref>{{cite journal|title= Aral Sea and sustainable development|date=2013-03-25 |pmid=12793660 | volume=47 |issue=7-8 |journal=Water Sci Technol |pages=41–7 | last1 = Usmanova | first1 = RM}}</ref>
*Promoting non-agricultural economic development in upstream countries<ref>{{cite web|author=Olli Varis |url=http://www.nature.com/news/resources-curb-vast-water-use-in-central-asia-1.16017 |title=Resources: Curb vast water use in central Asia. [Nature Vol 514(7520)]}}</ref>
*Using fewer chemicals on the cotton
*Cultivating crops other than cotton
*Installing dams to fill the Aral Sea
*[[Northern river reversal|Redirecting water]] from the [[Volga River|Volga]], [[Ob River|Ob]] and [[Irtysh]] Rivers to restore the Aral Sea to its former size in 20–30 years at a cost of US$30–50 billion<ref name=ecoworld>{{cite web|author= Ed Ring|title=Release the Rivers: Let the Volga & Ob Refill the Aral Sea|url= http://www.ecoworld.com/Home/Articles2.cfm?TID=354|publisher=Ecoworld|date=2004-09-27|accessdate=May 17, 2008|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080429235809/http://www.ecoworld.com/home/articles2.cfm?TID=354|archivedate=April 29, 2008 <!--DASHBot-->|deadurl=no}}</ref>
*Pumping sea water into the Aral Sea from the [[Caspian Sea]] via a pipeline, and diluting it with fresh water from local catchment areas<ref name="The Internet Encyclopedia of Science">{{cite web|title=Aral Sea Refill: Seawater Importation Macroproject|url=http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/A/Aral_Sea_refill.html |publisher=The Internet Encyclopedia of Science|date=June 29, 2008|accessdate=2009-10-08}}</ref>

In January 1994, [[Kazakhstan]], [[Uzbekistan]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Tajikistan]], and [[Kyrgyzstan]] signed a deal to pledge 1% of their budgets to help the sea recover.

In March 2000, UNESCO presented their "Water-related vision for the Aral Sea basin for the year 2025"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001262/126259mo.pdf |title=Water-related vision for the Aral Sea Basin for the year 2025; 2000 |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2013-06-12}}</ref> at the second World Water Forum in The Hague. This document was criticized for setting unrealistic goals and for giving insufficient attention to the interests of the area immediately around the former lakesite, implicitly giving up on the Aral Sea and the people living on the Uzbek side of the lake.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://indymedia.nl/nl/2007/02/42459.shtml|title=(Nederland) - UNESCO promotes unsustainable development in Central Asia|publisher=Indymedia NL|date= |accessdate=July 18, 2009}}</ref>

By 2006, the [[World Bank]]'s restoration projects, especially in the North Aral, were giving rise to some unexpected, tentative relief in what had been an extremely pessimistic picture.<ref name="A Witch's Brew">{{cite news|title=A Witch's Brew |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/5218248.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |date=July 2006 |accessdate=May 17, 2008 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213020010/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/5218248.stm |archivedate=December 13, 2007 }}</ref>

===Aral Sea Basin program===
The future of the Aral Sea, and the responsibility for its survival are now in the hands of the five countries: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan. In 1994, they adopted the Aral Sea Basin Program.<ref name="Shawki Barghouti 2006">{{cite report|title=Case Study of the Aral Sea Water and Environmental Management Project: an independent evaluation of the World Bank's support of regional programs|website=[[The World Bank]]|author= Shawki Barghouti|url=http://water.worldbank.org/water/publications/case-study-aral-sea-water-and-environmental-management-project-independent-evaluation-w|date=2006 |accessdate= 1 November 2010}}</ref>  The Program’s four objectives are:
*To stabilize the environment of the Aral Sea Basin
*To rehabilitate the disaster area around the sea
*To improve the management of the international waters of the Aral Sea Basin
*To build the capacity of institutions at the regional and national level to advance the program’s aims

====ASBP: Phase One====
The first phase of the plan effectively began with the first involvement from the World Bank in 1992, and was in operation until 1997.  It was ineffectual for a number of reasons, but mainly because it was focused on improving directly the land around the Aral Sea, whilst not intervening in the water usage upstream. There was considerable concern amongst the Central Asian governments, which realised the importance of the Aral Sea in the ecosystem and the economy of Central Asia, and they were prepared to cooperate, but they found it difficult to implement the procedures of the plan. {{citation needed|date=May 2015}}

This is due in part to a lack of co-operation among the affected people. The water flowing into the Aral Sea has long been considered an important commodity, and trade agreements have been made to supply the downstream communities with water in the spring and summer months for irrigation. In return, they supply the upstream countries with fuel during the winter, instead of storing water during the warm months for hydroelectric purposes in winter. However, very few legal obligations are binding these contracts, particularly on an international stage. {{citation needed|date=May 2015}}

====ASBP: Phase Two====
Phase Two of the Aral Sea Basin program followed in 1998 and ran for five years. The main shortcomings of phase two were due to its lack of integration with the local communities involved. The scheme was drawn up by the World Bank, government representatives, and various technical experts, without consulting those who would be affected. An example of this was the public awareness initiatives, which were seen as propagandist attempts by people with little care or understanding of their situation.  These failures have led to the introduction of a new plan, funded by a number of institutions, including the five countries involved and the World Bank.

====ASBP: Phase Three====
In 1997, a new plan was conceived which would continue with the previous restoration efforts of the Aral Sea. The main aims of this phase are to improve the irrigation systems currently in place, whilst targeting water management at a local level. The largest project in this phase is the North Aral Sea Project, a direct effort to recover the northern region of the Aral Sea. The North Aral Sea Project’s main initiative is the construction of a dam across the Berg Strait, a deep channel which connects the North Aral Sea to the South Aral Sea. The Kok-Aral Dam is eight miles long and has capacity for over 29 cubic kilometres of water to be stored in the North Aral Sea, whilst allowing excess to overflow into the South Aral Sea.

===North Aral Sea restoration work===
[[File:AralSea ComparisonApr2005-06.jpg|thumb|Comparison of the North Aral Sea before (below) and after (above) the construction of [[Dike Kokaral]] completed in 2005.]]
[[File:North Aral Sea 2000 and 2011.gif|thumb|Comparison of the North Aral Sea in 2000 and 2011.]]

Work is being done to restore in part the North Aral Sea. Irrigation works on the Syr Darya have been repaired and improved to increase its water flow, and in October 2003, the Kazakh government announced a plan to build [[Dike Kokaral]], a concrete dam separating the two halves of the Aral Sea. Work on this dam was completed in August 2005; since then, the water level of the North Aral has risen, and its salinity has decreased. {{As of|2006}}, some recovery of sea level has been recorded, sooner than expected.<ref name=reclaim>{{cite news|author=Ilan Greenberg|title=A vanished Sea Reclaims its form in Central Asia|url= http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/04/05/news/sea.php|work=[[Int. Her. Trib.]]|date=2006-04-07|accessdate=May 17, 2008|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080512082842/http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/04/05/news/sea.php| archivedate= 12 May 2008 <!--DASHBot-->|deadurl=no}}</ref> "The dam has caused the small Aral's sea level to rise swiftly to 38&nbsp;m (125 ft), from a low of less than 30&nbsp;m (98 ft), with 42&nbsp;m (138 ft) considered the level of viability."<ref>{{cite news|author=Ilan Greenberg|title=As a Sea Rises, So Do Hopes for Fish, Jobs and Riches| work=The New York Times|date=2006-04-06|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/06/world/asia/06aral.html|accessdate=2008-05-16| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150105011826/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/06/world/asia/06aral.html |archivedate=January 5, 2015<!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>

Economically significant stocks of fish have returned, and observers who had written off the North Aral Sea as an environmental disaster were surprised by unexpected reports that, in 2006, its returning waters were already partly reviving the fishing industry and producing catches for export as far as Ukraine. The restoration reportedly gave rise to long-absent rain clouds and possible microclimate changes, bringing tentative hope to an agricultural sector swallowed by a regional [[dust storm|dustbowl]], and some expansion of the shrunken sea.<ref>{{cite web|title=Miraculous Catch in Kazakhstan's Northern Aral Sea|url= http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P046045/syr-darya-control-northern-aral-sea-phase-project?lang=en|publisher=The World Bank|date=June 2006|accessdate=May 17, 2008}}</ref>

"The sea, which had receded almost {{convert|100|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of the port-city of [[Aral, Kazakhstan|Aralsk]], is now a mere {{convert|25|km|mi|abbr=on}} away." The Kazakh Foreign Ministry stated that "The North Aral Sea's surface increased from {{convert|2,550|km2|sqmi|sp=us}} in 2003 to {{convert|3,300|km2|sqmi|sp=us}} in 2008. The sea's depth increased from 30 meters (98 ft) in 2003 to 42 meters (138 ft) in 2008."<ref name="ENS wire"/> Now, a second dam is to be built based on a World Bank loan to Kazakhstan, with the start of construction initially slated for 2009 and postponed to 2011, to further expand the shrunken Northern Aral,<ref>{{cite web|title=North Aral Sea Recovery|url= http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17634|work =[[The Earth Observatory]]|publisher=[[NASA]]|year=2007|accessdate=2008-05-17}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=February 2014}} eventually reducing the distance to Aralsk to only {{convert|6|km|mi|abbr=on}}. Then, it was planned to build a canal spanning the last 6&nbsp;km, to reconnect the withered former port of Aralsk to the sea.<ref name=thetimes>{{cite news|author=Martin Fletcher|title=The return of the sea|url =http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article1975079.ece|work=[[The Times]]|date=June 23, 2007|accessdate=May 17, 2008|location=London}}</ref>

Kazakhstan has made major efforts to revive the Aral Sea. The {{convert|13|km|mi|abbr=on}} Kok-Aral dam, completed in 2005 by Kazakhstan and financed by World Bank,  allows water of the Syr Darya to accumulate and helps restore delta and riverine wetland ecosystems in the Northern Sea.<ref name=aral1>{{cite web|author=Saghit Ibatullin|title=Central Asia Must Unite to Revive the Aral Sea|url=http://thediplomat.com/2015/08/central-asia-must-unite-to-revive-the-aral-sea/|website=[[The Diplomat]]|date=August 25, 2015|accessdate=May 23, 2016}}</ref> Since then, the northern part of the lake, which lies in Kazakhstan, is slowly reviving.<ref name="aral1"/>

===Future of South Aral Sea===
[[File:The Shrinking Aral Sea Recovers 2010.jpg|thumb|The Aral Sea in August 2010, with part of the eastern basin reflooded from heavy snowmelt.]]
[[File:Aral Sea 2011.jpg|thumb|The Aral Sea in September 2011, the west basin has gained some water, and the east basin and North Aral Sea have lost water.]]
[[File:Aralsea tmo 2014231 lrg.jpg|thumb|The Aral Sea completely loses Its Eastern Lobe in August 2014]]

The South Aral Sea, half of which lies in  Uzbekistan, was largely abandoned to its fate. Only excess water from the North Aral Sea is now periodically allowed to flow into the largely dried-up South Aral Sea through a [[sluice]] in the dike.<ref>{{cite web|title=Saving a Corner of the Aral Sea|url= http://go.worldbank.org/IE3PGWPVJ0|publisher=[[The World Bank]]|date=2005-09-01|accessdate=May 17, 2008}}</ref>  Discussions had been held on recreating a channel between the somewhat improved North and the desiccated South, along with uncertain wetland restoration plans throughout the region, but political will is lacking.<ref name=reclaim/> Uzbekistan shows no interest in abandoning the Amu Darya river as an abundant source of cotton irrigation, and instead is moving toward oil exploration in the drying South Aral seabed.<ref name=thetimes/>

Attempts to mitigate the effects of [[desertification]] include planting vegetation in the newly exposed seabed; however, intermittent flooding of the eastern basin is likely to prove problematic for any development. Redirecting what little flow there is from the Amu Darya to the western basin may salvage fisheries there while relieving the flooding of the eastern basin.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.boku.ac.at/iwhw/onlinepublikationen/nachtnebel/EU_INTAS_0511_Rebasows/Files/Summary_report.pdf|title=The rehabilitation of the ecosystem and bioproductivity of the Aral Sea under conditions of water scarcity|format=PDF|date=August 2007|accessdate=}}</ref>

==Institutional bodies==
The Interstate Commission for Water Coordination of Central Asia (ICWC) was formed on February 18, 1992 to formally unite the five Central Asian countries in the hopes of solving environmental as well as socioeconomic problems in the Aral Sea region. These five states are the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan. The River Basin Organizations (the BVOs) of the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers were institutions called upon by the ICWC to help manage water resources. According to the ICWC,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icwc-aral.uz/strategy.htm|title=Strategies suggested for implementation|publisher=ICWC|accessdate=January 6, 2013}}</ref> the main objectives of the body are:

*River basin management
*Water allocation without conflict
*Organization of water conservation on transboundary water courses
*Interaction with hydrometeorological services of the countries on flow forecast and account
*Introduction of automation into head structures
*Regular work on ICWC and its bodies' activity advancement
*Interstate agreements preparation
*International relations
*Scientific research
*Training

The International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) was developed on March 23, 1993 by the ICWC to raise funds for the projects under Aral Sea Basin programs. The IFAS was meant to finance programs to save the sea and improve on environmental issues associated with the basin’s drying. This program has had some success with joint summits of the countries involved and finding funding from the World Bank to implement projects; however, it faces many challenges, such as enforcement and slowing progress.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://waterwiki.net/index.php/IFAS_-_International_Fund_for_Saving_the_Aral_Sea|title=IFAS|publisher=WaterWiki.net|accessdate=April 4, 2010}}</ref>

==Vozrozhdeniya==
{{Main article|Vozrozhdeniya Island}}
[[File:Modis aral.jpg|thumb|“Rebirth” Island joins the mainland in mid-2001.]]

Vozrozhdeniya, also known as "Resurrection Island", is a former [[List of islands in lakes|island]] of the Aral Sea or [[South Aral Sea]]. Due to the ongoing shrinkage of the Aral, it became first a [[peninsula]] in mid-2001 and finally part of the [[mainland]].<ref>[[NASA]] Visible Earth - [http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=2036 "Rebirth" Island Joins the Mainland], [http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=4343 Aral Sea]</ref> Other islands like [[Kokaral]] and [[Barsa-Kelmes]] shared a similar fate. Since the disappearance of the Southeast Aral in 2008, Vozrozhdeniya effectively no longer exists as a distinct geographical feature. The area is now shared by [[Kazakhstan]] and [[Uzbekistan]].

In 1948, a top-secret [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[bioweapons]] laboratory was established on the island, in the center of the Aral Sea which is now [[disputed territory]] between [[Kazakhstan]] and [[Uzbekistan]]. The exact history, functions and current status of this facility are still unclear, but [[bio-agent]]s tested there included ''[[Bacillus anthracis]]'', ''[[Coxiella burnetii]]'', ''[[Francisella tularensis]]'', ''[[Brucella suis]]'', ''[[Rickettsia prowazekii]]'', ''[[Variola major]]'' (smallpox), ''[[Yersinia pestis]]'', [[botulinum toxin]], and [[Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus]].<ref>{{cite book|authors=Bozheyeva, G., Y. Kunakbayev and D. Yeleukenov|year=1999|title=''Former Soviet Biological Weapons Facilities in Kazakhstan: Past, Present and Future''|place=[[Monterey]], [[California|Calif.]]|publisher=[[Monterey Institute of International Studies]], [[Center for Nonproliferation Studies]]|work=Occasional Paper 1}}</ref> In 1971, weaponized smallpox from the island reached a nearby ship, which then allowed the virus to spread to the city of [[Aral, Kazakhstan|Aral]]. Ten people there were infected, of whom 3 died, and a massive vaccination effort involving 50,000 inhabitants ensued (see [[Aral smallpox incident]]). The bioweapons base was abandoned in 1992 following the [[Collapse of the Soviet Union|disintegration of the Soviet Union]] the previous year. Scientific expeditions proved this had been a site for production, testing and later dumping of [[biological weapons|pathogenic weapons]]. In 2002, through a project organized by the United States and with Uzbekistan's assistance, 10 [[Bacillus anthracis|anthrax]] burial sites were decontaminated. According to the Kazakh Scientific Center for Quarantine and Zoonotic Infections, all burial sites of anthrax were decontaminated.<ref>{{cite news|authors=Khabar Television/BBC Monitoring|title=Kazakhstan: Vozrozhdeniya Anthrax Burial Sites Destroyed|url=http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/newswires/2002_11_20.html|work= Global Security Newswire|publisher=Nuclear Threat Initiative|date=November 20, 2002|accessdate=May 17, 2008|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080422205925/http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/newswires/2002_11_20.html|archivedate=April 22, 2008 <!--DASHBot-->|deadurl=no}}</ref>

==Oil and gas exploration==
[[Ergash Shaismatov]], the deputy [[Prime Minister of Uzbekistan|prime minister of Uzbekistan]], announced on August 30, 2006, that the [[Uzbek government]] and an international consortium consisting of state-run [[Uzbekneftegaz]], [[LUKoil|LUKoil Overseas]], [[Petronas]], [[Korea National Oil Corporation]], and [[China National Petroleum Corporation]] signed a production-sharing agreement to explore and develop oil and gas fields in the Aral Sea, saying, "The Aral Sea is largely unknown, but it holds a lot of promise in terms of finding oil and gas. There is risk, of course, but we believe in the success of this unique project." The consortium was created in September 2005.<ref name=GAS>{{cite news|url=http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=10748305&PageNum=0|title=Uzbekistan, intl consortium ink deal on exploring Aral Sea|publisher=ITAR-Tass}}</ref>

As of June 1, 2010, 500,000 cubic meters of gas had been extracted from the region at a depth of 3&nbsp;km.<ref name=DRILLING>{{cite web|url= http://www.registan.net/index.php/2010/06/09/aral-gas/|title=Aral Gas|author= Michael Hancock-Parmer|publisher=[[Registan.net]]|date=2010-06-09}}</ref>

==Movies==
The plight of the Aral coast was portrayed in the 1989 film ''Psy'' ("Dogs") by Soviet director Dmitri Svetozarov.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.kinoexpert.ru/index.asp?comm=4&num=5583|title=Psy|publisher=Kino Expert|accessdate=September 18, 2009}}</ref> The film was shot on location in an actual [[ghost town]] located near the Aral Sea, showing scenes of abandoned buildings and scattered vessels.

In 2000, the MirrorMundo foundation produced a documentary film called ''[[Delta Blues (documentary film)|Delta Blues]]'' about the problems arising from the drying up of the sea.<ref>{{cite web|date=November 5, 2008|url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0465vGRWhQE|title=Delta Blues (in a land of cotton)|publisher=[[YouTube]]|accessdate=July 18, 2009}}</ref>

In June 2007, [[BBC World]] broadcast a [[documentary film|documentary]] called ''Back From The Brink?'' made by Borna Alikhani and Guy Creasey that showed some of the changes in the region since the introduction of the Aklak Dam.

In October 2013, [[Al Jazeera]] produced a [[documentary film]] called ''People of The Lake'', directed by Ensar Altay, describing the current situation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/aljazeeraworld/2012/08/2012857324531428.html|title=People of the Lake|author=Al Jazeera World|publisher=|accessdate=4 December 2015}}</ref>

In 2014, director Po Powell shot much of the footage for the [[Pink Floyd]] single "[[Louder than Words (Pink Floyd song)|Louder Than Words]]" video near the remains of the Aral Sea on the border between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/premieres/pink-floyd-louder-than-words-video-20141110|title=Watch Pink Floyd's Surreal, Sun-Baked 'Louder Than Words' Video|work=Rolling Stone|accessdate=4 December 2015}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of drying lakes]]
*[[Dead Sea]]
*[[Draining of the Mesopotamian Marshes|Draining of the Mesopotamian marshes]] – a similar water diversion project in Iraq
*[[Lake Chad]]
*[[Salton Sea]]
*[[Sistan Basin]] – a large wetland ecosystem in Afghanistan and Iran on the verge of collapse
*[[Sudd]] – a large marshland in Africa, site of another planned large-scale draining project

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite journal|last=Micklin|first=Philip|title=The Aral Sea Disaster|journal= Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences|volume=35|pages=47–72|issue=4|url= http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.earth.35.031306.140120|year=2007|accessdate=May 17, 2008|doi=10.1146/annurev.earth.35.031306.140120}}
*{{cite news|last=Bissell|first=Tom|title=Eternal Winter: Lessons of the Aral Sea Disaster|work=Harper's|pages=41–56|date=April 2002|url=http://harpers.org/archive/2002/04/0079135|accessdate=May 17, 2008}}
*{{cite book|last=Bissell|first=Tom|title=Chasing The Sea: Lost Among the Ghosts of Empire in Central Asia|location=New York|publisher=[[Vintage Books]]|year=2004|isbn=978-0-375-72754-2}}
*{{cite news|last=Ellis|first=William S|title=A Soviet Sea Lies Dying|work= [[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]|pages=73–93|date=February 1990}}
*{{cite book|last=Ferguson|first=Rob|title=The Devil and the Disappearing Sea| location=[[Vancouver]]|publisher=Raincoast Books|year=2003|isbn=1-55192-599-0}}
*{{cite book|last=Kasperson|first=Jeanne|author2=Kasperson, Roger|author3= Turner, B.L| title=The Aral Sea Basin: A Man-Made Environmental Catastrophe|page=92|location= [[Dordrecht]]; Boston|publisher=[[Kluwer Academic Publishers]]|year=1995|isbn=92-808-0848-6}}
*{{cite journal|author1=Bendhun, François |author2=Renard, Philippe |year=2004|title= Indirect estimation of groundwater inflows into the Aral sea via a coupled water and salt mass balance model|journal=Journal of Marine Systems|url=http://www1.unine.ch/chyn/php/publica_detail.php?id=560|volume=47|issue=1-4|pages=35–50| accessdate=May 17, 2008|doi=10.1016/j.jmarsys.2003.12.007}}
*{{cite journal|author1=Sirjacobs, Damien |author2=Grégoire, Marilaure |author3=Delhez, Eric |author4=Nihoul, JCJ |year=2004|title=Influence of the Aral Sea negative water balance on its seasonal circulation patterns: use of a 3D hydrodynamic model|journal=Journal of Marine Systems|url=http://hdl.handle.net/2268/2793|volume=47|issue=1-4|pages=51–66|doi=10.1016/j.jmarsys.2003.12.008}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Aral Sea}}
{{commons|Aral Sea}}
*[http://www.riversnetwork.org/rbo/index.php/river-blogs/central-asia/item/3981/ Rivers Network : Aral Sea watersheds - webmap]
*[http://repository.library.georgetown.edu/handle/10822/552539 Post-Soviet Legacy: Aral Sea Pollution] from the [http://www.library.georgetown.edu/digital/krogh Dean Peter Krogh Foreign Affairs Digital Archives]
*[http://www.aralsea.org/ Aral Sea Foundation]
*[http://www.udasa.org/ Union for Defence of the Aral Sea and Amudarya River]
*{{cite web|title=Syr Darya Control & Northern Aral Sea Phase I Project |publisher=World Bank Group - Kazakhstan|url=http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P046045/syr-darya-control-northern-aral-sea-phase-project?lang=en|date=December 2006}}
*[http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/aral_sea.php Aral Sea from Space] (time lapse)
*[http://www.aralsjon.nu/ Swedish Aral Sea Society]
*[https://www.google.com/maps/@45.0082081,59.8157827,431992m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en Google Earth view of the Aral Sea]

{{Regions of the world}}
{{List of seas}}
{{Lakes of Kazakhstan}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Aral Sea| ]]
[[Category:Endorheic lakes of Asia]]
[[Category:Environmental disasters in Asia]]
[[Category:Geography of Central Asia]]
[[Category:Shrunken lakes]]
[[Category:Former lakes]]
[[Category:Lakes of Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Lakes of Uzbekistan]]
[[Category:Saline lakes]]
[[Category:Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan border]]
[[Category:International lakes of Asia]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]