Drying of the Aral Sea

Background

The Aral Sea was once the world's fourth largest inland lake. it is between the border of Uzbekistan and Kazahkstan. The two rivers once flowing into it kept it from drying up in one of the driest places on Earth. Its fish stocks once formed a major source of income for those who lived around it. It is disappearing at an amazing rate and most experts doubt it will ever return to its past size.

Problem

Once a place of prosperity the sea is reduced to puddles. Its degradation began in 1960. With reduced water levels salinity has risen and fish stocks have disappeared. The economic prosperity of the region is gone with the water. Winds pick up the sand and dust and Central Asia is prone to dust storms. This are is now the Aral Karakum Desert.

Causes

The two rivers once flowing into it, Syr Darya and Amu Darya, were diverted in the 1960s by the Soviets. While the Syr Darya in Kazahkstan has been rediverted the three smaller lakes have been reduced to two as the southeastern lake dried up. Uzbekistan has yet to redivert its river as their economy relies so heavily upon cotton which requires vast amounts of water to grow.

This region has no future without the sea. The seasons have become more extreme. It expects about 90 days of dust storms. The decreasing water quality is affecting people detrimentally. The fishing villages are between 90-200 km away from current levels. The cotton which caused this environmental calamity has depleted the water and has driven all flora and fauna to die. Without water there is nothing.

Fixing the Problem

Rediverting the rivers and sustainable irrigation are the only solutions. Fish stocks are once again sustaining people in one of the remaining seas but it is still vanishing. Even if both rivers were rediverted it would take at least 75 years to refill the sea.

Sources

"And It's Good Night from the Aral Sea." Economist. 14 may 2012. Web. 8 March 2012.

Chameides, Bill. "The Aral Sea - Geoengineering Gone Awry." Nicholas School of the

Environment. Duke, 22 July 2009. Web. 8 March 2012.

"Factbox: Key Facts about the Disappearing Aral Sea." Reuters. Ed. Catherine Evans. 23 June 2008. Web. 8 March 2012.

Drying of the Ganges River

• The Ganges River is one of the most sacred rivers in all of India and provides more then 500 million people with drinking water.
• Along its 1568 miles of coastline, there are over 100 cities and countless villages
• It is fed during the summer months by the glacier melt from the Gangotri glacier (70%)
• This glacier is melting at the rate of 40yds per year, which is twice as fast as it was two decades ago
• As temperatures rise, the glaciers that feed the Ganges could disappear by 2030, causing a water shortage for the people in India
• The main cause for this increase in melt rate is global warming
• One way to combat this is to decrease the amount of greenhouse gasses being released into the air by industrialized nations.
• If the glacier was to completely melt, the Ganges would turn into a seasonal river, mostly controlled by seasonal monsoon rains
• Another social issue with the drying of the Ganges is that it is the center of the Hindu religion and thousands of pilgrims bathe in the river every day.

Works Cited

A Sacred River Endangered by Global Warming. (2007, June 17). Retrieved from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/16/AR2007061600461.html.

The Sinking of Venice

Venice has faced flood troubles for centuries, but it has never faced a problem like this.

According to studies throughout the twenty-first century, the sinking of the city has sped up.

Plans to protect the city with moveable dams will be ineffective despite what was previously thought.

• Venice sunk about seven centimeters each century for the past one-thousand years.
• In the past one hundred years, it has sunk nearly twenty-four centimeters.
• Some studies show that the city will sink twenty to fifty centimeters by 2050!
• One of the main causes for increase in sinking rate is the draining of ground water.
• This draining of ground water has forced the soil and dirt under the city to become more compact. This results in a lower ground level under the city. Thus, the city gets closer to sea level.
• A proposed solution, difficult as it may be, is to replace the ground water with another liquid.
• The project is still in the developing stages, but as of now, it is the best solution for the most pressing cause.

Works Cited

Venice Sinking Fast, Claims New Study. (2000, September 2). Retrieved from:

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/europe/09/02/italy.venice.reut/