Kamalov, B.A. (Administration of Hydrometeorological Processes Modification, Tashkent Uzbekistan)
In the second half of the XXth century the mankind has suffered from several ecological catastrophes. The drying out of the Aral Sea takes a special place among them. The main cause of the Aral Sea crisis is considered to be the fact that agricultural changes have been carried out without taking into account the water resources possibilities and besides the water intake from the great rivers such as Amudarya and Syrdarya which formerly had supplied the sea with the water for cotton and other cultures fields irrigation in the region had the catastrophic results for this unique water reservoir of the Central Asia.
The sea level had dropped from 53 m in 1960 to 37 m in 1980. The sea water volume in 1960 was 1064 km3, in 1980 it became 304 km3, accordingly the sea area equalled 66,1 thous km2 and 34,8 thous km2. And due to this process the sand and salt desert has appeared on the area of 30 thous km2.
For that period the salinity of the sea water has increased from 10,2% to 33,3%, i.e. 3 times as much. All this has led to the radical changes in flora and fauna of the sea and adjoint territories. This process has been accompained by the deep social, ecological and sanitary and medical problems.
Basing on statistical analysis we tried to define the degree of impact of the Aral Sea drying out on the precipitation regime depending on atmospheric circulation, occurrence of cyclone outbursts and intrusions of air masses closely connected with Mediterranean cyclones