Aral Sea
From WaterWiki.net
| The Aral Sea Basin is part of / comprises: · Asia & Pacific · Central Asia · Eastern Asia · Europe & CIS · Southern Asia · |
| Countries sharing the Aral Sea Basin: · Afghanistan · China · Kazakhstan · Kyrgyzstan · Pakistan · Tajikistan · Turkmenistan · Uzbekistan · |
| Facts & Figures | edit |
|---|---|
| Catchment AreaA | 1,231,400 km3 |
| Recipient | |
| Neighbouring BasinsA | Chu-Talas, Indus, Helmand, Tarim |
| PopulationA | 43,300,000 |
| Population DensityA | 35 /km2 |
| DischargeA | 110 km3/yr |
| Surface Area | m3 |
| Average Depth | m |
| Water Volume | m2 |
| Water Stress | 2400 m3/person/year |
| Average Precipitation | mm/yr |
| Evaporation | mm/yr |
| Runoff | 44200 mm/yr |
| Land Use | |
| Irrigated Area | 118000 km2 |
| Irrigable Area | 600000 km2 |
| No. of DamsA | 48 |
| Dam Density | 1.1 dams/km2 |
| Total Water Withdrawals | km3 |
| For Agricultural Use | |
| For Domestic Use | |
| For Industrial Use | |
| Renewable Water Available (m3/yr/pers) | |
| References & Remarks | |
| A Transboundary Freshwater Spatial Database, Oregon University | |
> Articles | Projects | Publications | Who is who | Maps
No maps
News
Water Basin Profile: Physical and Hydrological Characteristics
The Aral Sea basin, located in Central Asia, has undergone many changes in the recent past. The Aral Sea, the world's fourth largest lake before 1960, has been progressively drying up. With the end of the Soviet era, the international community has become aware of this problem and focused on what is considered one of the major anthropogenic environmental degradations in the world.
- Higher Temperatures, More Rainfall, Increased Flood Risk
The Aral Sea basin contains over 14,752 glaciers with a total area of some 1,043 km2. The ones located in Uzbekistan account for 1.1% of the total glaciated area in Central Asia. Recent assessments indicate that the country’s glaciers and ice reserves are receding. Since 1957 the glaciers have shrunk by almost 20%, losing 104 billion m3 of water. A fluctuation in water resources ranging from -7% to +3% is forecast for the near future, which falls within the range of normal variability. An expected rise in ambient temperatures is likely to be accompanied by higher rainfall, potentially causing a 30% to 35% increase in floods by 2030. Another negative impact of increasing temperatures will be higher evaporation rates and a likely rise in agricultural water consumption of up to 10%.
Water Basin Profile: Socio-Economic and Environmental Issues
Water Basin Profile: Transboundary Political and Institutional Setting
Water Basin Profile: Emerging Challenges and Opportunities for the Future
A recent MODIS natural color image (May 28, 2009) of Aral Sea shows The Eastern Basin of the Large Sea - now a separate lake only connected to the Western Basin by a long, narrow channel - drying up very rapidly.
The estimate (June 2009) is that it will likely almost entirely dry up by October of this year (2009), as average depth now is less than one meter and no water is reaching it from either Amu Darya or Syr Darya Rivers (by overflow of the North Aral Sea regulating dam).
Articles
- Recently updated articles on Aral Sea
- UNESCO Aral Sea Basin Initiative (2003) (2,896 views) . . Juerg.staudenmann
- Image:Water Availability AralSeaBasin ENVSEC.jpg (25 views) . . Juerg.staudenmann
- Aral Sea/who is who (84 views) . . Katy.norman
- Aral Sea/publications (69 views) . . Katy.norman
- Aral Sea/projects (73 views) . . Katy.norman
- Aral Sea/articles (58 views) . . Katy.norman
See the complete list of WaterWiki articles on Aral Sea
Projects and Case Studies
- Projects in or about Aral Sea
(starting with the most recently updated ones - for a complete list click here)
- Regional Research Network Water in Central Asia (CAWa) (17 views) . . Katy Unger-Shayesteh
- Aral Sea Basin Capacity Development Project (1,668 views) . . Katy.norman
- Syr Darya Control and Northern Aral Sea Project - Phase II (241 views) . . Juerg.staudenmann
- Syr Darya Control and Northern Aral Sea Project - Phase I (189 views) . . Juerg.staudenmann
- The Swiss Support to Hydro-meteorological Services in the Aral Sea basin Project (123 views) . . Katy.norman
- Case studies in or about Aral Sea
(by popularity)
- Facing Water Challenges in the Aral Sea, Uzbekistan:A WWDR3 Case Study (467 views) . . Juerg.staudenmann
- Water Conflict and Cooperation/Aral Sea Basin (436 views) . . Adriana.miljkovic
- Lessons on Cooperation Building to Manage Water Conflicts in the Aral Sea Basin (156 views) . . Petr.Hrncir
See the complete list of WaterWiki documented projects in Aral Sea
Publications
- 5 most recently updated publications on Aral Sea
- Irrigation and Poverty in Central Asia: A Field Assessment (106 views) . . Juerg.staudenmann
- Lessons on Cooperation Building to Manage Water Conflicts in the Aral Sea Basin (156 views) . . Petr.Hrncir
- Aral Sea Basin Water Projects (1,045 views) . . Katy.norman
- Suitable Water Saving Strategies for Bozkol Village in the Aral Sea Basin of Kazakhstan (1,184 views) . . Katy.norman
- 5 most popular publications on Aral Sea
- Suitable Water Saving Strategies for Bozkol Village in the Aral Sea Basin of Kazakhstan (1,184 views) . . Katy.norman
- Aral Sea Basin Water Projects (1,045 views) . . Katy.norman
- Lessons on Cooperation Building to Manage Water Conflicts in the Aral Sea Basin (156 views) . . Petr.Hrncir
- Irrigation and Poverty in Central Asia: A Field Assessment (106 views) . . Juerg.staudenmann
See the complete list of WaterWiki documented publications on Aral Sea
Who is Who
- People working in Aral Sea
No results
See the complete list of Waterwiki users working in Aral Sea
- Organizations working in Aral Sea
- IFAS - International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (1,151 views) . . Juerg.staudenmann
See the complete list of WaterWiki documented organizations in Aral Sea
References
See also
External Resources
FAO-Aquastat - provides an overview about the Aral Sea basin, the causes of the drying up of the lake, the present trends and the solutions being studied by the governments of the countries of the region is presented.
