Is the Aral Sea man made?

Is the Aral Sea man made?

Although the Aral Sea disaster—a human-made environmental catastrophe—was realised in the late 1990s, its consequences are becoming even more evident today. In the 1960s, the depth of the lake was 68 metres. Today, it is less than 10 metres.

What is unique about the Aral Sea?

One of the most interesting Aral Sea facts is, it is an endorheic basin. An endorheic basin is a drainage basin that usually holds water and requires zero drainage to other natural water sources, such as rivers or oceans but often converges into permanent or seasonal lakes or swamps that balance through evaporation.

What is the main reason for the Aral Sea disaster?

The Aral Sea disaster was caused by human mismanagement of a natural resource. In the beginning, the Soviet Union simply did not care, and the Aral Sea was one of many Soviet projects with the stated goal of taming nature.

What is the main industry of the town of Aralsk?

fishing
Aralsk and Muinak are towns in which fishing used to be the main industry.

Is the Aral Sea still shrinking?

Formerly the fourth largest lake in the world with an area of 68,000 km2 (26,300 sq mi), the Aral Sea began shrinking in the 1960s after the rivers that fed it were diverted by Soviet irrigation projects….

How did humans impact the Aral Sea?

Climate change mainly affects the Aral Sea by changing the upstream runoff and the evapotranspiration of the basin. Human activities mainly include the water withdrawal for agriculture, industry and municipal in the basin, of which agriculture is the largest water-consuming sector.

Is the Aral Sea getting bigger?

The North Aral Sea increased its level by four meters in only six months, increasing its size in one third in one year and recovering part of its aquatic fauna.

How do you get to the Aral Sea?

It is not so easy to get to the Aral Sea itself; it is a long and tough way through the desert, and your best bet is to arrange jeep tours from Nukus in the Uzbek side, or from Aral in the Kazakh side. The journey from Nukus to the Aral Sea takes about 8 hours. Each jeep holds four people.

Can the sea dry up?

The oceans aren’t going to dry up. Eventually, only the Mariana Trench—the deepest point in Earth’s oceans—has any water.

What has been done to save the Aral Sea?

In a last-ditch effort to save some of the lake, Kazakhstan built a dam between the northern and southern parts of the Aral Sea. The Kok-Aral dike and dam, finished in 2005, separates the two water bodies and prevents flow out of the North Aral into the lower-elevation South Aral.

What are some natural and manmade landmarks in Kazakhstan?

More Natural Landmarks. The Ural River; Kazakh Steppe; Lake Kaindy; Big Almaty Lake; Chimbulak; Manmade Landmarks. Baikonur Cosmodrome is the most famous manmade landmark in Kazakhstan. It is the first space launch site in the world. Its name is connected with many historical and international space flights.

What is the status of the South Aral Sea?

The South Aral Sea is currently largely abandoned, and only access water flowing in from the North Aral Sea is allowed into it. Some discussions are taking place about recreating the canal between the North and South Aral Sea, but political will is lacking.

What was the first ship to land on Lake Aral?

The first ships deploying on the lake were the war ship Nikdai and the merchant vessel Mikhail, the latter serving the fisheries of the Aral Sea. Beginning in 1848, these two vessels surveyed the entire Aral Sea during a course of two years.