GEOGRAPHICAL ASPECTS OF THE FUTURE OF THE ARAL SEA
- 1 March 1977
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Soviet Geography
- Vol. 18 (3) , 163-171
- https://doi.org/10.1080/00385417.1977.10640166
Abstract
A prominent Soviet arid-zone hydrologist argues in favor of preserving the Aral Sea by insuring an annual runoff of at least 20 km3 (mainly irrigation drainage and other waste water), which would help sustain a waterbody with a surface of 23,000 km2 (35 percent of the former area), a volume of 170 km3 (16 percent of the former volume), a waterlevel at 33.5 meters (compared with the former 53 meters), and a salinity of 77 per thousand (compared with the former 10–11 per thousand). Such a reduced waterbody could be preserved in part by partitioning of the present sea into several segments of varying functions. The preservation of at least a reduced sea is presented as preferable to letting it degrade to a residual brine reservoir with unforeseen ecological consequences. An intensive program of investigation is proposed before an ultimate decision on the future of the Aral Sea is reached. (For related articles, see S.G., June 1968; November 1972; September 1974.)Keywords
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