Large bodies of water have a moderating influence on local climate. They are also extremely important to local ecological conditions, helping to determine which life forms can thrive (or survive) in a particular area. The Aral Sea was once one of the EarthΓÇÖs largest bodies of land-locked water. Since 1960, the sea has lost more than 60 percent of its volume. The associated drop in sea level has lowered the surrounding water table. The cause of the depletion of the Aral Sea is the rerouting of two large rivers for the irrigation of cotton fields. The two rivers were major sources of fresh water to the Aral Sea.
Reduced water flow, coupled with evaporation, has had three primary effects: first, the remaining water has become extremely salinized; second, the moderating effect of the Aral Sea on local climate has diminished, resulting in hotter summers, colder winters, and a decreased growing season; third, over 20,000 square kilometers of land that were once submerged now are exposed. Dust storms raise up massive amounts of salt from the exposed sea bed and move it hundreds of kilometers away, depositing on surrounding land and reducing crop production.
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If this process continues at the same rate, the Aral Sea will cease to exist by the year 2020. The two images at the right are from the Landsat Multi Spectral Scanner (MSS).
