TheAralSea:AnUn-naturalDisaster

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1291433/Shocking-extent-mans-impact-worlds-water.html

JanetHall,OKAGETeacherConsultant

TheAralSeausedtobethe4th largest lakeintheworld.

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/images/asia-map.gif

Thousandsoffishermen madetheirlivingfromthesea.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O-meLPfnnbw/Tnj0cGRHfOI/AAAAAAAAAM4/uurv7KUuW_c/s1600/aral+sea+fishing+past.jpg

Thereweresomany fishthatalocalcanning

factoryexportedfisharoundthe

world.

http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4711627351983267&pid=15.1&w=285&h=175&p=0

http://blogs.unimelb.edu.au/sciencecommunication/files/2012/09/canning-factory.jpg

Ships traveled250milesfrombusynorthernportcitiestosouthernports.

http://www.4x4info.ru/files/2009/11/port-aralsk-550x412.jpg

Inthe1950s,theSovietUnionneededmorefarmland.Butmostoftheirlandwasnotarablebecauseitwastoocoldandfrozen– ortoohot

anddry.

http://jb-hdnp.org/Sarver/Maps/WC/wc09_ruseurasclimm.jpg

Butthereweretwolargerivers flowingintothesouthern

deserts.Sovietleadersdecidedtouseriverwaterforirrigation.

Theybuilthundredsofmilesofcanals intothedesertoverthenext20

years.

http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4902787743875616&pid=15.1&w=238&h=175&p=0

Thelongestirrigationcanalis850 mileslong.Ittakes

wateroutofthe

southernriver– the

AmuDarya.

Butallalongtheway,

smallercanalsdrain

waterforfields

alongtheriver.

Thenorthernriver(theSyrDarya)isalsodrainedfor

irrigation.

Themaincropgrownwascotton,whichbroughtcash intotheSovietUnionasthecottonwas

exportedaroundtheworld.Cottonisalsoavery“thirsty”crop– requiringLOTSofwater.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01818/cotton-montage_1818007i.jpg

Somuchwaterispulledoutofboth

riversthathardly anywater

makesittothe

AralSea.

CONSEQUENCES

Fishermentriedtodigdeeper

channels outtotheseatokeeptheir

boatsconnectedtowhatwasleftof

thesea.

http://www.karakalpak.com/history/sov15.jpg

Buttheseadisappearedfaster thantheycoulddigthe

channels.

http://swittersb.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/ships-high-dry-aral-sea.jpg

http://www.orexca.com/aral_sea.shtml

By2010,theAralSeahadalmostdisappeared.Allthatwasleftwastwotothreesmall

lakes.

Aralsk,onceabusyportcity,nolongerhasenoughwater

forships.

http://www.4x4info.ru/files/2009/11/port-aralsk-550x412.jpg

http://aboutkazakhstan.com/images/aralsk-city-past-scenery.jpg

Likeotherinlandseas,theAralSeaissalty.Astheseashrank,saltconcentrations

becameextremely high.Thiskilledmostfish.

http://issuu.com/zoienvironment/docs/biodiversity-ca-en-ebook-/search/43

Thefishcanningfactoryisabandoned.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_X4qe7-HyiEs/S86KQScWTCI/AAAAAAAACw8/IuJcvqNk40A/s1600/Aral_Sea_08.jpg

http://www.demotix.com/news/1559887/pictures-former-glory-aral-sea#media-1559558

http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-473-488-90/22/2273/OGDID00Z/posters/anthony-waltham-ship-s-graveyard-near-aralsk-on-seabed-due-to-water-losses-aral-sea-kazakhstan-central-asia.jpg

Muchofwhatusedtobeseaislitteredwithstranded,rustingfishingboats.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4ynzaQgSh1qgrwwmo1_500.jpg

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2511/3903304804_c9979ca4fc_z.jpg

Dust storms causesicknessfrombreathingindustandsaltparticles.

http://www.libartslondon.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/aral-dust-2007.jpg

Chemicalssprayedoncropspoison theairandrunoffintothesmallamountofriver

waterstillleft.

http://www.naturepedic.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/spraying-pesticides.jpg

Half oftheAralSeawasinKazakhstan,

http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/cms/dn3947/dn3947-1_552.jpg

TAKINGCHARGEOFWHATYOUCAN

butUzbekistan&Turkmenistanaretakingmost ofthewater.

Soin2005,Kazakhstanstartedbuildingadamtoseparate thenorthernpartoftheAralSea

http://unimaps.com/aral-north/northaral.gif

fromtherest.The

damholdsinwaterthat

comesfromthenorthern

river(SyrDarya).

Kazakhstansawimprovementswithinmonths.

Theseaisgettingcloser toAralskevery

year.Fishermenareeven

returningtothesea.

August2000August2012

Butthesouthern partoftheseakeepsdisappearing.

http://www.eosnap.com/public/media/2012/10/aralsea/20121009-aralsea-full.jpg

CouldthishappentowaterwaysintheUnitedStates?

ScientiststellusthattheColoradoRiverhasexistedforabout6millionyears.Itis

powerfulenoughtocarveouttheGrand Canyon.

http://www.humanandnatural.com/data/media/2/colorado_river_in_grand_canyon.jpg

Butwe useitswatertoirrigateourwesterndeserts andtoprovidewatertodeserttowns.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6073/6104914494_f81acd4f71_z.jpg

http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/617/overrides/water-grabs-greening-desert-nevada_61753_600x450.jpg

Sothis river…

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cCJWygu-IUw/TEfq9KuwkdI/AAAAAAAAA_8/BkxXks-RHvo/s1600/whitewater-rafting-maneater-colorado-river.jpg

…could becomethis.

http://images.elephantjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/6a00d8341d07fd53ef01543543d292970c-500wi.jpg

For50 yearsnow,theColoradoRiverhasbeendyingoutbeforeitevenreachestheocean.Thewaterisusedupbeforethat.

AndwhataboutourGreat Lakes?Theirwaterlevelisdropping.Billionsofgallonsayeararetakenforirrigationandgeneral

wateruse.

http://biology.duke.edu/bio217/2005/ncy/GreatLakes_NASA.jpg

AndwhataboutOklahoma?Wealreadyhavewaterrationing,sometimeseveninthewinter.

Anddifferentgroupsareincourt battlestryingtoclaimthesamewater.

http://www.okc.gov/waterrights/waterrights_header2.jpg

“When the well is dry, we finally learn the

worth of water." -- BenjaminFranklin

http://cnx.org/content/m41397/1.4/graphics20.jpg