View source for Aralkum Desert

{{distinguish|Aral Karakum Desert}}
{{refimprove|date = January 2016}}
{{Geobox|Desert
|name = Aralkum
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|image = File:Aralsea tmo 2014231 lrg.jpg
|image_caption = Aralkum with the remaining areas of the Aral Sea in 2014
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|country = Uzbekistan
|country1 = Kazakhstan
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|map = Aral Sea.gif
|map_caption = Animated map of the shrinking of the Aral Sea, and growing Aralkum
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The '''Aralkum Desert''' is a [[desert]] that has appeared since 1960 on the seabed once occupied by the [[Aral Sea]].<ref>[http://enrin.grida.no/aral/aralsea/english/arsea/arsea.htm Aral Sea] State of Environment of the Aral Sea Basin. Regional report of the Central Asian States. (2000)  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424045439/http://enrin.grida.no/aral/aralsea/english/arsea/arsea.htm |date=24 April 2008 }}</ref> It lies to the south and east of what remains of the Aral Sea in [[Uzbekistan]] and [[Kazakhstan]].

==History==
{{Main article|Aral Sea#Impact on environment, economy, and public health}}
While the level of the Aral Sea has fluctuated over its existence, the most recent level drop since the 1960s<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.people-travels.com/trip-to-aral-sea.html|title=Aral Sea Tours from 450 USD: your Travel to the Aral Sea will be unforgettable with Peopletravel!|publisher=}}</ref> was caused by the [[Soviet Union]] building massive irrigation projects in the region. The severely reduced inflow subsequently caused the water level in the Aral Sea to drop. While the [[North Aral Sea]] is rising due to the [[Dike Kokaral]], the [[South Aral Sea]] kept dropping, thus expanding the size of the desert, until 2010, when the South Aral Sea was partly reflooded. The water level of the South Aral Sea then began to drop again, this time more severely.{{citation needed|date=January 2016}}

==Airborne contaminants==
[[File:Aral Sea Bed.jpg|left|thumb|The bed of the former Aral Sea in Uzbekistan in 2004]]
The sands of the Aralkum and the dust that originates from it contain pollutants.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Pandey|first=Anish Chandra|last2=Jha|first2=Niraj K|date=2007|title=Central Asia: Democratic deficit and challenges of sustainable development|url=http://www.jerad.org/ppapers/dnload.php?vl=1&is=4&st=403|journal=Journal of Environmental Research And Development|publisher=Jerad Publication|volume=1|issue=4|pages=403–411|access-date=11 February 2016|quote=Salt, sand, and dust from exposed Aral Sea mud beds blow across the region, harming people and crops. The excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers from farms has poisoned food and drinking water. The human cost of the crisis has been high in the Aral Sea area. For instance, infant mortality rates have consistently been the highest in the former Soviet Union}}</ref> The desert's location on a powerful east–west airstream has resulted in pesticides in the dust being found in the blood of penguins in [[Antarctica]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Nurushev|first=A|date=April 1999|title=Crisis of the Aral Sea|url=http://search.proquest.com/openview/c708a127803699fd075b900f263b3954/1|journal=Himalayan and Central Asian Studies|publisher=Himalayan Research and Cultural Foundation|volume=3|issue=2|pages=50–58|access-date=11 February 2016|quote=... The effect of pollution is aggravated by the fact that the Aral Sea is situated on the "highway" where strong currents of air are blowing from the west to the east. ... That is why pesticides from the Aral region are found in the blood of penguins living in the Antarctic continent. ... }}</ref> Aral dust has also been found in the fields of [[Russia]], the forests of [[Norway]], and in the glaciers of [[Greenland]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://enrin.grida.no/htmls/aralsoe/aralsea/english/arsea/arsea.htm |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2016-05-24 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201013817/http://enrin.grida.no:80/htmls/aralsoe/aralsea/english/arsea/arsea.htm |archivedate=1 February 2016 |df=dmy }} "...typical Aral dust has been found on Greenland's glaciers, in Norway's forests, and Byelorussia's fields, all situated thousands of kilometers away from Central Asia."</ref>

==See also==
*[[Desertification]]
*[[List of environmental disasters]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090228152230/http://www.uni-bielefeld.de:80/biologie/Oekologie/aralsee.html Siegmar-W. Breckle: ''Combating desertification and rehabilitation of the salt deserts in the region at the Aral Sea'']
*[http://www.ufz.de/export/data/36/41560_du_wuch.pdf Walter Wucherer: ''Primary succession on the dry sea floor of the Aral Sea'']

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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2011}}

{{Regions of the world}}
{{Deserts}}
{{Kazakhstan topics}}
{{Uzbekistan topics}}

[[Category:Deserts of Central Asia]]
[[Category:Deserts of Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Deserts of Uzbekistan]]
[[Category:Desertification]]
[[Category:Aral Sea]]


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{{Uzbekistan-geo-stub}}