The statements in this article are based on reliable sources and are repeated at the end of this article
We all know that although the sea occupies a large part of the area on the surface of the earth, due to the complex terrain, many countries do not have their own access to the sea due to the relationship between neighboring countries, and cannot be directly connected to the sea, such as the "Mongolian Navy" that we often jokingly call it, everyone will have a good time, but do you know that there is another country that once had a navy, but their "sea" has disappeared in a few decades, so where is this magical place? Why did the "sea" disappear?
1
Once a pearl in the desert
When you mention the word Aral Sea, I wonder if this name has made any waves in your mind? For those young students, it may be a scenery in the geography textbooks of junior high and high schools. You used to think it was part of a vast ocean, but the Aral Sea is not really a sea, but a saltwater lake in the heart of Central Asia.
It is similar to breadfruit, with the word "bread" in its name, but it is not the bread we eat every day. Time flies, and the Aral Sea, which once appeared in our books, is now in danger and has almost disappeared from the world's sight. It even holds a "world record" – as the world's most shrinking lake, the Aral Sea is a testament to the complex and delicate relationship between humans and nature.
In fact, we have been in contact with this place for a long time in ancient times, as early as the time of the Han Dynasty, when the then emperor Liu Che sent an envoy to Dawan with a golden horse made of gold in exchange for a precious sweat and blood horse, but he was betrayed. King Dawan not only refused to trade, but also brutally killed the envoys of the Han Dynasty and took away the golden horse. Emperor Wu of Han was furious at this and sent troops to defeat Dawan. It was during this historical period that we first learned about the existence of the Aral Sea.
In the glorious years of the Tang Dynasty, when the iron hooves of the empire leveled the territory of the Western Turks, the vast waters of the Aral Sea were briefly integrated into the vast territory of China. The people of the Tang Dynasty gave it a name full of power and majesty - Lei Zhuhai. For thousands of years since then, the Aral Sea has been an important stop on the Silk Road, witnessing the exchange and integration of Eastern and Western civilizations.
This is an image from the 17th century published in the British Geographic magazine. The picture clearly shows the geography of this huge saltwater lake and its vast area. However, compared to the past, the Aral Sea is now unrecognizable. Once the world's fourth-largest saltwater lake, it is now on the verge of extinction. One has to ask, who is causing all this?
Among these problems, there are certainly changes in the natural environment. Like a lot of times, some lakes die out due to natural causes, but in most cases, the human factor is the culprit. There is no other species on Earth that has changed the face of the earth with such great power as human beings. You must know that the area of the Aral Sea itself can be said to be very large, and at its peak, it was even necessary to introduce a special "Aral Sea Fleet" to patrol to prevent smugglers.
2
The vanishing "sea"
But the real reason for the complete demise of the lake was the policy chosen by the Soviet leader at that time, Nikita Khrushchev, or the forced implementation of a large-scale expansion plan for cotton cultivation in order to meet the huge demand for cotton in the Soviet Union at that time. After all, in the high-latitude land of the Soviet Union, cotton can be said to be a very important strategic material, which is very important for overall security. However, cotton was desperately thirsty for water at the seedling stage, and the Soviet Union did not have an abundance of water.
Faced with this dilemma, he did not hesitate to take measures to forcibly change the flow of the Amu Darya and Hill rivers, artificially creating a large "water source" to provide sufficient irrigation for the cotton fields, which of course led to a rapid increase in production in a short period of time. However, every harvest comes with a cost, and this overuse of water resources has left scars on the local ecology that will not heal.
The cost is dearly, and it means that an once thriving ecosystem is now under threat to its survival. Located in the heart of Eurasia, the Aral Sea has a typical temperate continental climate. Precipitation is unusually scarce due to the difficulty of reaching this region due to the warm and humid air currents of the Indian Ocean. As a result, it is more dependent on the two rivers for nourishment, so these agricultural initiatives have led to the deprivation of a large amount of water that would otherwise flow into the area, making it even more challenging to sustain the area.
As global warming intensifies, the earth's temperature continues to rise, and the rate of water evaporation accelerates, which is undoubtedly worse for the great lake. Saltwater lakes are inherently prone to rising salinity, and now the further reduction in water supply has put the Aral Sea in a desperate situation. Cutting off the Aral Sea from its water supply is tantamount to a death sentence, accelerating its shrinking size and deteriorating ecological environment.
In addition to the massive retreat of the "coastline", we can also see such a picture in a local museum, of children in the local city who have suffered a major disaster because of the disappearance of the Aral Sea. This is because as the water recedes, only a large amount of white salt particles and germs that should have been fixed on the seabed remain, and there are already residues of human pesticides and insecticides, which dry and blow to human living areas with desert winds.
These poor children are the victims of this disaster, but fortunately, thanks to a series of help and treatment work over the years, many children have come out of the shadow of the year one after another. Locals still paint their houses in blue and white to commemorate the "Aral Sea" that has left them and hope it will return. To this day, the fishing boats and anchors that once symbolized the waves of the Aral Sea are still left on the original riverbed.
Today, when we stand on the original "seabed", we can only see that the once vast lake has dried up, leaving only a desolate saline land. All this is the result of human overexploitation and destruction of the natural environment, and we must deeply reflect on our own actions and take measures to protect and restore the ecological environment of the Aral Sea, so that this beautiful lake can be revitalized and revitalized.
3
Protecting the only planet we have
In recent years, with the gradual improvement of the ecology and the increase in the amount of water, fish began to return to this former homeland. Kazakhs were pleasantly surprised to find that the climate of the Aral Sea was also quietly changing. The lake acts as a giant natural air conditioner, bringing a cool breeze in the summer to protect the surrounding area from the scorching heat, while in the winter it releases a warm breath and brings a touch of comfort to the cold earth. In addition, the lake can also create lake surface winds, which promote precipitation in nearby areas, bringing more life and vitality to the land.
While the North Aral Sea in Kazakhstan is gradually recovering, the South Aral Sea in Uzbekistan is once again facing a semi-dry crisis. The eastern lakes of the South Aral Sea are larger, but the western lakes are deeper but smaller due to severe water shortages. Unlike the North Aral Sea, the ecological situation in the South Aral Sea is even more severe: since the late 90s, the last salt-tolerant fish species has become extinct here. Perennial white storms have made it difficult to grow plants, and salinity has become increasingly severe.
More importantly, because they have not developed their own industry and commerce, their main economic activities are still dominated by traditional agriculture and animal husbandry, and it is true that until today the local people have mainly relied on pumping water from the Amu Darya River for their livelihood, and because they have developed a huge population by pumping water that should have been injected into the Aral Sea, if they were allowed to return the water directly to the Aral Sea, they would immediately start starving to death in their country, which can be said to be a dilemma.
The local population depends on growing some livestock fodder for their livelihood. By contrast, Uzbekistan has a population of more than 30 million, far more than Kazakhstan, although it is only one-fifth the size of Kazakhstan. The need for water in this agrarian country is extremely urgent, and irrigation of the Karakum Canal is of vital importance to Uzbekistan. So even now, many people still have to rely on pumping precious river water to grow cotton.
Dead Sea
The Aral Sea is not alone in the fact that many lakes around the world are facing dryness and severe degradation due to overuse of water resources. The Alar Sea, which straddles Iran and Turkmenistan, has also shrunk sharply due to agricultural irrigation needs. Although the Dead Sea has not completely disappeared, the water level is falling at a rate of about 1 meter per year, due to the large amount of water sources such as the Jordan River. China's Lop Nur, once the jewel of the ancient Silk Road, dried up in the mid-20th century due to the depletion of water resources due to climate change and human activities.
Lake Urumiye
A similar crisis is being faced at Lake Urumiyah in Iran, where water has plummeted due to the pumping of large amounts of water for irrigation. Canada's Great Slave Lake is not entirely caused by human activities, but it has been significantly harmed by mining, climate change and water pollution. Lake Thule in Africa has seen its water level drop dramatically due to climate change and mismanagement of water resources. And this is only a part of the distance, which can only be said to be the tip of the iceberg of the world's lake problems.
The transformation of these lakes not only destroys local ecology and biodiversity, but also threatens the survival and health of the human communities that depend on them. These problems are exacerbated by the twin pressures of global warming and population growth, and it is urgent to protect and restore these fragile inland water bodies. Environmental problems are severe, including overexploitation of water resources, deforestation, marine pollution, land degradation, air pollution, and biodiversity loss. These issues are interconnected and threaten the Earth's ecosystem. Global cooperation and integrated solutions are key to addressing environmental challenges.
Resources:
Study Times - The Death of the Lake: An Ecological Crisis in the Aral Sea
Beijing News - Interview with Zhang Yuanming: Launched the International Science Program on Ecological Governance in the Aral Sea to Serve the Belt and Road Initiative
Xinhua News Agency - China and Uzbekistan jointly tackle ecological challenges in the Aral Sea