U.N. chief shocked by shrinking lake

In the mid-90s I spent a few weeks in northen Uzbekistan (don't ask). I got an eyefull alright, including the shores of the Aral. At that time the entire area was drying up, you could see rotting abandoned boats keeled over where the water used to be, and the air stank of chemicals. I think even then it was less than half its original size, and people who used to make a living doing sea-related things were at a total loss as to how to go on. I felt it was a real tragedy and I can only imagine how bad things have become in the ensuing 15 years.

reply to post by ModernAcademia


Considering the sea that's only 3x bigger right next to it has not been affected, I doubt it is anything but local issues.

K. So I just found out something interesting.




Soooo.

en.wikipedia.org...

reply to post by ModernAcademia


There is an obvious cause for the Aral Sea going dry and a huge lesson for mankind! Any present day journalist that doesn't mention this has another agenda! Here is the obvious and real scenario:

Aral Sea is Gooing Dry and Will Cause Major Geopolitical Disaster!

Aral Sea is going dry and will cause a major geopolitical disaster! The huge area in central Asia will become a desert and 40 million people will be displaced! Not just because of the Sea's going dry but because of overall climate change in the area.

The Aral Sea North of Afghanistan, formerly the largest inland body of water is now 95% gone, dried up. Forget that efforts to save the lake have been somewhat successful, in fact the lake is nearly dry.

The lake is an inland body with no outlet. So all the agricultural fertilizers, pesticides and chemicals extensively used in cotton production upriver are now on the lake bottom. Dust storms carry the salts and pollution over the countryside. Because the lake has gone dry the surrounding area is more arid and hotter so crops need increasingly larger amounts for irrigation.

Increased irrigation draws larger amounts of water from the 2 rivers supplying the Aral Sea to the north and the south.

But the biggest problem is what will happen 15 years or so in the future. The glaciers in the Pamir Mountains to the east are melting due to increased temperatures and arid conditions. The glaciers are the source of the rivers so when they are gone the entire region will be without a water supply. 40 million people live in the area and will be forced to relocate.

The options for relocation are 3 directions. South to Afghanistan, which is not an option. East to the Chinese desert area is not an option. Or north to Russia's Kazakhstan which is possible but presently Russia is completely unable to absorb 40 million people.

So in a decade or two, 40 million people will be displaced to who knows where! Major Soviet blunder!

Edit to add that I too have been there. I've seen the increased glacier melting in the Pamirs to the east.



[edit on 5/7/10 by plumranch]

This shows you how much control the soviets needed and or wanted to satisfy themselves with. Also another example of the un downplaying a disaster by calling a sea a lake, pointed out earlier by ickylevel and putting on a show like they are gonna do something about it. Maybe we do need the un after all to help the world? (the answewr is no we willl never need a world council or such to bond all nations together. If each country went about there own business and kept to themselves there might actually be something in existance called peace.