After five years of joint scientific research, Chinese and Uzbek scientists confirm that global warming is a key factor in the shrinking of the Aral Sea over the past 20 years.
The Aral Sea, located between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, was once the fourth largest inland body of water in the world. Its area has decreased significantly since 1960, going from 67,000 km2 in 1960 to just 6,000 km2 in 2020.
Most conclusions believed that the expansion of arable land was the main cause of the contraction of the Aral Sea. “But since 2000, arable land in the Aral Sea Basin has stopped expanding,” Chen Xi, director of the Central Asian Research Center for Ecology and Environment at the Chinese Academy, said in a statement. of the sciences. .
The latest research shows that the rise in temperatures, in addition to the lack of water-saving technologies on agricultural land, the expansion of wetlands in the middle and lower reaches and the large amount of water stored in upstream hydroelectric plants have accelerated the contraction of the Aral Sea over the past two decades, according to Chen.
Dry coasts produce salt dust, which poses a serious threat to the local ecological environment and people’s health.
Scientists from China and Uzbekistan have proposed a roadmap for the ecological restoration of dried-up lake areas. They have divided the Aral Sea into several sections, which will be treated with appropriate measures.
Chen said that water-saving technology is one of the important ways to solve the ecological difficulties of Central Asian countries. “60% of Uzbekistan’s water resources are used for planting cotton. Effective water-saving technologies can save Uzbekistan 8-10 billion cubic meters of water annually, which can be used for development industry and the restoration of the Aral Sea”.
