THE MULTIPLE ARAL SEA DISASTERS

Michael R. Edelstein, Ph.D.Ramapo College of N.J.

Exchanging Lessons of the Aral Sea Disaster

TMU: TRUST FOR MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING

RAMAPO COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY AND SAMARKAND STATE ARCHITECTURAL AND CIVIL ENGINEERING INSTITUTE

Funded by the Trust for Mutual Understanding, we embarked on the first leg of an exchange that, in its second phase, led to this conference.

The Journey to the WestIN MAY 2011 A JOINT TEAM SET OUT FROM SAMARKAND TO FIND THE ARAL SEA

IT WAS A LONG TRIP ACROSS MUCH OF THE COUNTRY OF UZBEKISTAN

Along the Way New Dimensions of the Disaster Appeared

Searching for the Vanished Sea

The Aral Sea was, until fifty years ago, the world’s fourth largest inland body of water.Today it is nearly gone.How could that happen?Where did it go?What were the causes?What are the consequences?What can be done now?

http://lib.utexas.edu/maps/commonwealth/uzbekistan_rel94.jpg

Falling Waters

The Syr darya just west of Tashkent

Falling Rivers

The Amu darya in the Karakalpak Autonomous Region

Sardoba in Noveye: the Oasis

The Cash Mono Crop: Cotton

Irrigation, waterlogging, salinization, soil washing

Fishery Collapse =

Economic Collapse

Poverty In Karakalpakistan

Destitute city of Moynak

Nomads were affected by decreasing water = less pasturage

Climate Change, Snow Melt, and Trans Boundary Conflicts

View of leaking northern lobe of the Aral Sea via ESA/NASA Landsat 5 satellite.

Whitish area surrounding lake is a vast salt plain, the Aralkum Desert, left behind by the evaporating sea.

Source: National Geographic November 10, 2010

Blowing Sands and Contaminated food and Water Create Threats to

Health

Preserving World Heritage Archeological Sites

Exchange of Ideas