What is interesting about 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 cause of the shrinking of the Aral Sea?
Once the fourth largest lake in the world, Central Asia’s shrinking Aral Sea has reached a new low, thanks to decades-old water diversions for irrigation and a more recent drought.
What animals live in the Aral Sea?
Table 1
| Species | Years | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | ||
| Aral barbel Barbus brachycephalus brachycephalus | + | C, R |
| Bream Abramis brama orientalis | + | C |
| White-eye bream Abramis sapa aralensis | + | C |
Who is responsible for the Aral Sea disaster?
In October 1990 Western scientists confirmed the virtual disappearance of the Aral Sea in Soviet Central Asia, formerly the fourth largest inland sea in the world. The loss of sea water was the result of 60 years of intensive agriculture and pollution by the Soviet authorities.
How big is the Aral Sea now?
26,255 mi²Aral Sea / Area
How fast did the Aral Sea dry up?
The latest data reveals that water level in the Aral sea drops by an average of 31-35 inches every year. In line with the reduction of water level, the surface area of the sea also shrank by about 60% between 1960 to 1998.
How many species went extinct in the Aral Sea?
24 species
All 24 species of fish endemic to the Aral Sea are now extinct.
Why did the Soviet destroy the Aral Sea?
The Aral Sea, the world’s fourth-largest lake in 1960, had been sucked dry by the Soviet obsession to produce “white gold” at any cost. Incredibly, although the losses to the Aral were quite evident by the mid-1960s, Soviet planners continued to increase the acreage devoted to cotton production well into the 1980s.