|
|
Aral Sea Evaporation (WMS)
| Title |
Aral Sea Evaporation (WMS) |
| Abstract |
The Aral Sea is actually not a sea at all, but an immense fresh water lake. In the last thirty years, more than sixty percent of the lake has disappeared because much of the river flow feeding the lake was diverted to irrigate cotton fields and rice paddies. Concentrations of salts and minerals began to rise in the shrinking body of water, leading to staggering alterations in the lake's ecology and precipitous drops in the Aral's fish population. Powerful winds that blow across this part of Asia routinely pick up and deposit the now exposed lake bed soil. This has contributed to a significant reduction in breathable air quality, and crop yields have been appreciably affected due to heavily salt laden particles falling on arable land. This series of Landsat images taken in 1973, 1987 and 2000 show the profound reduction in overall area at the north end of the Aral, and a commensurate increase in land area as the floor of the sea now lies exposed. |
| Completed |
2005-02-15 |
|
Aral Sea Evaporation (WMS)
| Title |
Aral Sea Evaporation (WMS) |
| Abstract |
The Aral Sea is actually not a sea at all, but an immense fresh water lake. In the last thirty years, more than sixty percent of the lake has disappeared because much of the river flow feeding the lake was diverted to irrigate cotton fields and rice paddies. Concentrations of salts and minerals began to rise in the shrinking body of water, leading to staggering alterations in the lake's ecology and precipitous drops in the Aral's fish population. Powerful winds that blow across this part of Asia routinely pick up and deposit the now exposed lake bed soil. This has contributed to a significant reduction in breathable air quality, and crop yields have been appreciably affected due to heavily salt laden particles falling on arable land. This series of Landsat images taken in 1973, 1987 and 2000 show the profound reduction in overall area at the north end of the Aral, and a commensurate increase in land area as the floor of the sea now lies exposed. |
| Completed |
2005-02-15 |
|
Aral Sea Evaporation (WMS)
| Title |
Aral Sea Evaporation (WMS) |
| Abstract |
The Aral Sea is actually not a sea at all, but an immense fresh water lake. In the last thirty years, more than sixty percent of the lake has disappeared because much of the river flow feeding the lake was diverted to irrigate cotton fields and rice paddies. Concentrations of salts and minerals began to rise in the shrinking body of water, leading to staggering alterations in the lake's ecology and precipitous drops in the Aral's fish population. Powerful winds that blow across this part of Asia routinely pick up and deposit the now exposed lake bed soil. This has contributed to a significant reduction in breathable air quality, and crop yields have been appreciably affected due to heavily salt laden particles falling on arable land. This series of Landsat images taken in 1973, 1987 and 2000 show the profound reduction in overall area at the north end of the Aral, and a commensurate increase in land area as the floor of the sea now lies exposed. |
| Completed |
2005-02-15 |
|
Aral Sea Evaporation (WMS)
| Title |
Aral Sea Evaporation (WMS) |
| Abstract |
The Aral Sea is actually not a sea at all, but an immense fresh water lake. In the last thirty years, more than sixty percent of the lake has disappeared because much of the river flow feeding the lake was diverted to irrigate cotton fields and rice paddies. Concentrations of salts and minerals began to rise in the shrinking body of water, leading to staggering alterations in the lake's ecology and precipitous drops in the Aral's fish population. Powerful winds that blow across this part of Asia routinely pick up and deposit the now exposed lake bed soil. This has contributed to a significant reduction in breathable air quality, and crop yields have been appreciably affected due to heavily salt laden particles falling on arable land. This series of Landsat images taken in 1973, 1987 and 2000 show the profound reduction in overall area at the north end of the Aral, and a commensurate increase in land area as the floor of the sea now lies exposed. |
| Completed |
2005-02-15 |
|
Dramatic Evaporation of the
…
| Title |
Dramatic Evaporation of the Aral Sea (with dates) |
| Abstract |
Disapearing Water: The Aral Sea Over Time (From 1973 to 2001) A time series is a powerful illustrative tool. Where in the case of Las Vegas we see the direct effects of people on the land, in the case of the Aral Sea, separating the countries of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, we see indirect, but no less dramatic effects on a different part of the world. The Aral Sea is actually not a sea at all. It is an immense lake, a body of fresh water, although that particular description of its contents might now be more a figure of speech than practical fact. In the last thirty years, more than sixty percent of the lake has disappeared. As you'll see in the visualization, the change over time is dramatic. In the 1970s, farmers and state offices opened significant diversions from the rivers supplying water to the lake, sending millions of gallons to irrigate cotton fields and rice paddies. So voluminous were these irrigation sluices that concentrations of salts and minerals began to rise in the shrinking body of water. That change in chemistry has led to staggering alterations in the lake's ecology, causing precipitous drops in the Aral's fish population. A secondary effect of this reduction in the Aral Sea's overall size is the rapid exposure of the lake bed. Powerful winds that blow across this part of Asia routinely pick up and deposit tens of thousands of tons of now exposed soil every year. This has not only contributed to significant reduction in breathable air quality for nearby residents, but also appreciably affected crop yields due to those heavily salt laden particles falling on arable land. In the following sequence of images, we see a series of Landsat scenes taken several years apart. As the years pass, we see the profound reduction in overall area covered by the Aral, and a commensurate increase in land area as the floor of the sea now lies exposed. |
| Completed |
2001-04-19 |
|
Dramatic Evaporation of the
…
| Title |
Dramatic Evaporation of the Aral Sea (with dates) |
| Abstract |
Disapearing Water: The Aral Sea Over Time (From 1973 to 2001) A time series is a powerful illustrative tool. Where in the case of Las Vegas we see the direct effects of people on the land, in the case of the Aral Sea, separating the countries of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, we see indirect, but no less dramatic effects on a different part of the world. The Aral Sea is actually not a sea at all. It is an immense lake, a body of fresh water, although that particular description of its contents might now be more a figure of speech than practical fact. In the last thirty years, more than sixty percent of the lake has disappeared. As you'll see in the visualization, the change over time is dramatic. In the 1970s, farmers and state offices opened significant diversions from the rivers supplying water to the lake, sending millions of gallons to irrigate cotton fields and rice paddies. So voluminous were these irrigation sluices that concentrations of salts and minerals began to rise in the shrinking body of water. That change in chemistry has led to staggering alterations in the lake's ecology, causing precipitous drops in the Aral's fish population. A secondary effect of this reduction in the Aral Sea's overall size is the rapid exposure of the lake bed. Powerful winds that blow across this part of Asia routinely pick up and deposit tens of thousands of tons of now exposed soil every year. This has not only contributed to significant reduction in breathable air quality for nearby residents, but also appreciably affected crop yields due to those heavily salt laden particles falling on arable land. In the following sequence of images, we see a series of Landsat scenes taken several years apart. As the years pass, we see the profound reduction in overall area covered by the Aral, and a commensurate increase in land area as the floor of the sea now lies exposed. |
| Completed |
2001-04-19 |
|
Dramatic Evaporation of the
…
| Title |
Dramatic Evaporation of the Aral Sea (with dates) |
| Abstract |
Disapearing Water: The Aral Sea Over Time (From 1973 to 2001) A time series is a powerful illustrative tool. Where in the case of Las Vegas we see the direct effects of people on the land, in the case of the Aral Sea, separating the countries of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, we see indirect, but no less dramatic effects on a different part of the world. The Aral Sea is actually not a sea at all. It is an immense lake, a body of fresh water, although that particular description of its contents might now be more a figure of speech than practical fact. In the last thirty years, more than sixty percent of the lake has disappeared. As you'll see in the visualization, the change over time is dramatic. In the 1970s, farmers and state offices opened significant diversions from the rivers supplying water to the lake, sending millions of gallons to irrigate cotton fields and rice paddies. So voluminous were these irrigation sluices that concentrations of salts and minerals began to rise in the shrinking body of water. That change in chemistry has led to staggering alterations in the lake's ecology, causing precipitous drops in the Aral's fish population. A secondary effect of this reduction in the Aral Sea's overall size is the rapid exposure of the lake bed. Powerful winds that blow across this part of Asia routinely pick up and deposit tens of thousands of tons of now exposed soil every year. This has not only contributed to significant reduction in breathable air quality for nearby residents, but also appreciably affected crop yields due to those heavily salt laden particles falling on arable land. In the following sequence of images, we see a series of Landsat scenes taken several years apart. As the years pass, we see the profound reduction in overall area covered by the Aral, and a commensurate increase in land area as the floor of the sea now lies exposed. |
| Completed |
2001-04-19 |
|
Dramatic Evaporation of the
…
| Title |
Dramatic Evaporation of the Aral Sea (with dates) |
| Abstract |
Disapearing Water: The Aral Sea Over Time (From 1973 to 2001) A time series is a powerful illustrative tool. Where in the case of Las Vegas we see the direct effects of people on the land, in the case of the Aral Sea, separating the countries of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, we see indirect, but no less dramatic effects on a different part of the world. The Aral Sea is actually not a sea at all. It is an immense lake, a body of fresh water, although that particular description of its contents might now be more a figure of speech than practical fact. In the last thirty years, more than sixty percent of the lake has disappeared. As you'll see in the visualization, the change over time is dramatic. In the 1970s, farmers and state offices opened significant diversions from the rivers supplying water to the lake, sending millions of gallons to irrigate cotton fields and rice paddies. So voluminous were these irrigation sluices that concentrations of salts and minerals began to rise in the shrinking body of water. That change in chemistry has led to staggering alterations in the lake's ecology, causing precipitous drops in the Aral's fish population. A secondary effect of this reduction in the Aral Sea's overall size is the rapid exposure of the lake bed. Powerful winds that blow across this part of Asia routinely pick up and deposit tens of thousands of tons of now exposed soil every year. This has not only contributed to significant reduction in breathable air quality for nearby residents, but also appreciably affected crop yields due to those heavily salt laden particles falling on arable land. In the following sequence of images, we see a series of Landsat scenes taken several years apart. As the years pass, we see the profound reduction in overall area covered by the Aral, and a commensurate increase in land area as the floor of the sea now lies exposed. |
| Completed |
2001-04-19 |
|
Dust Storm in Central Asia
| Title |
Dust Storm in Central Asia |
| Description |
A massive dust storm blew through central Asia on May 7, 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite took this picture the same day, capturing the dust sweeping in a counterclockwise direction east of the Aral Sea. In this image, the dust appears as a pale beige swath immediately south of a large bank of clouds. The dust mimics the movement of the clouds, and both clouds and dust may have resulted from the same weather system. Although a few plumes originate to the west, most of the dust plumes originate along the shores of the South Aral Sea. The dry lake beds surrounding the South Aral Sea provide ample material for dust storms. The sea began retreating [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=4819 ] in the 1960s. Although the North Aral Sea had rebounded [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17634 ] somewhat by the spring of 2007, thanks to conservation efforts, the southern portion of this massive lake continued to decline. You can download a 250-meter-resolution Central Asia KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/May2007/centralasia_amo_2007127.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
|
Retreating Aral Sea Coastlin
…
| Title |
Retreating Aral Sea Coastlines |
| Description |
The arrow-shaped island in the Aral Sea (lower-right view, taken in 1988) used to be a 35-kilometer-long visual marker, indicating the Aral Sea to astronauts. An image from the present International Space Station increment (top) shows how much the coastline has changed as the sea level has dropped during the last three decades. Arrows indicate the northern shoreline of the original island. This 2005 image shows that the island is now part of the mainland. Deep blues and greens indicate the water-covered areas. The exposed sea floor is characterized by old shorelines (parallel lines surrounding the island) and outlines of ancient deltas. An intermediate stage in the falling sea level is documented in a view taken in 1996 (lower left), in which the island appears larger and elongated towards the eastern shore of the sea. Since the 1960s, sea levels have dropped drastically as rivers that maintained the level of the Aral Sea were divertedĀcompletely in later yearsĀfor agricultural purposes, especially for growing cotton. A thriving fishing industry in the world's then fourth-largest lake was largely eliminated as the area of the sea shrank by more than 60 percent. Salts and pesticides that accumulated from agricultural runoff were subsequently exposed on the dry parts of the sea floor. Winds now transport these pollutants into surrounding fields and towns. Although the Kazakhstan government made a concerted effort to increase river inflow into the sea starting in 2003, it will take years before sea levels begin to rise. Astronaut photograph ISS011-E-7865 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS011&roll=E&frame=7865 ] was acquired June 3, 2005, with a Kodak 760C digital camera with a 180 mm lens. The 1996 photograph NM23-746-24 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=NM21&roll=746&frame=24 ] was acquired on May 14, 1996, with a Hasselblad camera fitted with a 100 mm lens. The 1988 photograph STS27-34-39 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=STS027&roll=34&frame=39 ] was acquired on December 5, 1988, with a Hasselblad camera fitted with a 250 mm lens. The images are provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group at the Johnson Space Center. The International Space Station Program [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/home/index.html ] supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov ] |
|
North Aral Sea Recovery: Ima
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
In 2000, the Aral Sea was in
…
ge_07645
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-04-14 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA images created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
| identifier |
ge_07645 |
|
North Aral Sea Recovery: Ima
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
In 2000, the Aral Sea was in
…
ge_07645
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-04-14 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA images created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
| identifier |
ge_07645 |
|
North Aral Sea Recovery: Ima
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
In 2000, the Aral Sea was in
…
ge_07645
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-04-14 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA images created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
| identifier |
ge_07645 |
|
North Aral Sea Recovery: Ima
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
In 2000, the Aral Sea was in
…
ge_07645
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-04-14 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA images created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
| identifier |
ge_07645 |
|
Spring in Kazakhstan: Natura
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Spring was clearly settling
…
ge_19750
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-03-30 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ge_19750 |
|
Dust Storm in Central Asia:
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A massive dust storm blew th
…
centralasia_amo_2007127
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-05-07 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
centralasia_amo_2007127 |
|
Windswept Shores of the Aral
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
As recently as the 1960's th
…
PIA04324
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2002-12-03 |
| creator |
NASA -- Image courtesy NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, www-misr.jpl.nasa.gov/ MISR Team. |
| identifier |
PIA04324 |
|
Dust Storm, Aral Sea, Kazakh
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
Astronauts aboard the Intern
…
ISS015-E-07874
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-05-12 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ISS015-E-07874 |
|
Aral Sea: Image of the Day
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
…
aral_sea_1989_2003
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-08-12 |
| creator |
NASA -- Image obtained from the glcf.umiacs.umd.edu/index.shtml University of Maryland Global Land Cover Facility . |
| identifier |
aral_sea_1989_2003 |
|
Aral Sea Expansion: Image of
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
Once the fourth largest lake
…
aral_tmo_2006099
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-04-09 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/ Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC |
| identifier |
aral_tmo_2006099 |
|
Shrinking Lake Chapala: Imag
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
Resting in a tectonic basin
…
guad-chapala_20010329
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003 |
| creator |
NASA -- The false color composite images shown here were produced from multi-spectral data acquired by the Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (1986) and the Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper (2001). This text was provided by Kathryn Mauz (University of Arizona) with contributions from Justus Hauser (Sociedad Amigos del Lago de Chapala) and Salvador Peniche-Camps (Universidad de Guadalajara). |
| identifier |
guad-chapala_20010329 |
|
Windswept Shores of the Aral
…
PIA04324
Sol (our sun)
Multi-angle Imaging SpectroR
…
| Title |
Windswept Shores of the Aral Sea |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
. The Little Aral Sea is located near the left-hand edge of these images, and the eastern portion of the Large Aral is below image center. Of the two major rivers that once fed the Aral Sea, the freshwater contribution from the Amu Darya River is now negligible. The Syr Darya River now only feeds the Little Aral. Depletion of the Aral Sea has led to soil and water salination and agrochemical contamination. The retreating shoreline leaves the surface encrusted with salt and with agrochemicals brought in by the rivers. As the Sea's moderating climatic influence has diminished, temperature variations in the region have altered, resulting in colder winters and hotter, drier summers. When strong westerly winds occur, large quantities of saline dust (and agrochemical toxins) can travel several hundred kilometers. In these images, several groups of low cumulus clouds are clustered over open bodies of water and are identifiable in the stereo view by their height above the surface. A number of large white streaks extend eastward toward the Kyzylkum desert. Although their altitude cannot be ascertained from the nadir image, the stereo anaglyph shows that they are close to, or at, the surface. Several of these features originate from the eastern edge of the Large Aral, and may be associated with windblown snow and/or salt particles carried aloft. The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer observes the daylit Earth continuously and every 9 days views the entire globe between 82 degrees north and 82 degrees south latitude. These data products were generated from a portion of the imagery acquired during Terra orbit 15741. The panels cover an area of about 370 kilometers x 300 kilometers, and use data from blocks 53 to 56 within World Reference System-2 path 160. MISR was built and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC. The Terra satellite is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center,Greenbelt, MD. JPL is a division of the California Institute ofTechnology., As recently as the 1960's the Aral Sea of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan was the fourth-largest inland sea in the world. Since then, its water volume has dropped by about 80% due to extensive irrigation systems developed during the Soviet era to produce cotton and other crops. What was once a single body of water has now separated into several smaller seas. Since the separation of the Little Aral from the Large Aral in 1987, the shores of what had once been an island in the middle of the Large Aral (Vozrozhdeniya Island) have expanded to form a land bridge that almost completely separates the eastern and western parts of the Large Aral. These views from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) portray the Little Aral and the eastern Large Aral at the onset of winter, on December 3, 2002. A natural-color view from MISR's nadir camera is shown at top, while the bottom panel is a 3D stereo anaglyph in which red-band data from the 60-degree forward-viewing camera is combined with green and blue-band data from the nadir (vertical-viewing) camera. To facilitate stereo viewing, the images have been rotated so that north is toward the left and east is toward the top. Viewing the anaglyph in 3D requires the use of red-blue glasses, with the red filter placed over your left eye. Information on ordering glasses can be found at http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/Help/VendorList.html#Glasses [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/Help/VendorList.html#Glasses ] |
|
| General Description |
STS-106 Shuttle Mission Imagery |
|
| General Description |
International Space Station Imagery |
|
Aral Sea, North End, Kazakhs
…
| Title |
Aral Sea, North End, Kazakhstan, CIS |
| Description |
This detailed scene of the Aral Sea, Kazakhstan, CIS (46.5N, 60.5E) shows a surrealistic view of the fractured frozen shallow waters at the north end of this salt lake. Fed mainly from waters of the Amu Darya River, mostly with snowmelt runoff from the distant Tyan-Shan Mountains near the Afghanistan- China border, the lake has been slowly disappearing as more and more of the river water has been diverted to support agriculture in the region. |
| Date Taken |
1990-03-04 |
|
Aral Sea, Kazakhstan,CIS
| Title |
Aral Sea, Kazakhstan,CIS |
| Description |
Situated in the middle of an immense desert, much like the Great Salt Lake of Utah, the Aral Sea (45.0N, 59.0E) is landlocked in the center of a broad basin. Rivers flow in but not out, water escapes only by evaporation. In recent years, river water has been diverted for agricultural irrigation and the lake level has fallen 40 to 50 ft., its surface has shrunk by almost 40 % and the salinity has almost tripled. Twenty species of fish are now extinct. |
| Date Taken |
1992-04-02 |
|
Aral Sea in Uzbekastan seen
…
| Title |
Aral Sea in Uzbekastan seen from STS-59 |
| Description |
View northeastward across Uzbekastan to the partly-ice-covered Aral Sea and Kazakhstan. The irrigated fan-delta of the Amu Darya extends from the right side of the photograph to end in extensive salt flats at the south end of the sea. The Aral was the fourth-largest inland sea or lake in the world, until diversion and over-use of the river water for irrigation led, in this arid climate, to the sea's decline. |
| Date Taken |
1994-04-14 |
|
|
