Aral Sea; Irretrievable Loss or Irtysh Imports?

• Main Authors: Viorel Badescu, Roelof Schuiling
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Subjects: Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Climate change; Human health
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s11269-009-9461-y

The Aral Sea has shrunk and become a large salt pan, because the water from the two rivers that used to feed the lake (Amu Darya and Syr Darya) is almost entirely used for irrigation. In this paper some possibilities to return to the original (1960) situation are studied. After discussing some of the alternatives, it is proposed to construct a canal along a more southerly route than the original Sibaral canal, starting from the Zaisan Lake along the Irtysh river. This solution requires the construction of a major tunnel through the Khrebet Tarbagataj mountain range. Thereafter, it will flow through the Balkash Lake, saving several hundred kilometers of canal construction, and discharge its water in the lower reaches of the Syr Darya. From here it will flow into Aral Sea, slowly restoring it towards its original (1960) level. Several flanking water saving measures are considered. Most of the drive to restore the Aral Sea is for ecological reasons. There may also be a serious climatic threat to avoid, although this is a matter of debate. It is found that the discharge of the major Siberian rivers into the Arctic Ocean is on the increase, and this may affect the great world ocean conveyor belt. This would have dire consequences for the climate in Western and Northern Europe. This could be avoided by diverting part of the water towards the Aral Sea. A restoration of the Aral Sea will have beneficial effects on climate, human health, fishery and ecology in general. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010 Aral Sea, River water diversion, Water-accounting, Water exchange, Climate change, Great world ocean conveyor belt