JonesRussell-The+Aral+Sea+Tragedy

__ The Aral Sea __ //An entire sea dried up. . .//

Within the past century large scale irrigation projects have led to the disappearance of many inland bodies of water across the world, destroying entire ecosystems as they’ve been diminished. These loses have had drastic effects on larger ecosystems as well as inland bodies of water are essential for water supply and fishing. The Aral Sea is a particularly disturbing example of the current issue.
 * The Problem**

The Aral Sea is located in modern day Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, or was located there. Before the Aral Sea had shrunk into three small lakes, it was the fourth largest inland salt-water body. In the twentieth century the Soviet Union began to irrigate from rivers that fed the sea for farming purposes without any speculation as to what could result from diverting the Aral Sea’s water supply. This cut in the water supply to the sea has caused its levels to drop dramatically destroying the great fishery that was once located there as well as the means for the success of a civilization that surrounds the sea. Also nearby farmlands have been ruined by the use of salt water as well as the land where the seabed once was.
 * The Aral Sea Tragedy**

The disappearance of this endorheic lake like many other inland bodies of water could have been prevented through environmental education and cooperation between civil and environmental engineers and environmental scientists. Lessons can be learned from this particular case as well as other cases involving irrigation projects and dams in order to prevent the destruction of inland lakes in the future. Civil Engineers today are beginning to consider environmental consequences much more than in previous years. However future large-scale projects will have to be orchestrated with the cooperation of civil engineers, environmental engineers, and environmental scientists. These projects must be designed while taking the histories of previous projects and each project’s consequences into serious consideration.
 * How We Can Fix It**


 * References:**

Conant, Eve. “A Sea of Misery.” (Aral Sea water receding)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included). Newsweek International, September 2, 2002. Copyright 2009.

Ibragimov, Leonid. “Aral Sea 4.” []. OrexCA. Date Visited February 8, 2010

Qadir, Manzoor, et al. "Salt-induced land and water degradation in the Aral Sea basin: A challenge to sustainable agriculture in Central Asia." //Natural Resources Forum// 33.2 (2009): 134-149. //Academic Search Premier//. EBSCO. Web. 8 Feb. 2010. [|Salt-induced land and water degradation in the Aral Sea basin: A challenge to sustainable agriculture in Central Asia.]

//How We Can Fix It: References and Articles for further Interest//

Cai, Ximing. "Implementation of holistic water resources-economic optimization models for river basin management – Reflective experiences." //Environmental Modelling & Software// 23.1 (2008): 2-18. //Academic Search Premier//. EBSCO. Web. 8 Feb. 2010. [|Implementation of holistic water resources-economic optimization models for river basin management – Reflective experiences]

Heng, Liu, et al. "Restoration of Pastureland Ecosystems: Case Study of Western Inner Mongolia." //Journal of Water Resources Planning & Management// 131.6 (2005): 420-430. //Academic Search Premier//. EBSCO. Web. 8 Feb. 2010. [|Restoration of Pastureland Ecosystems: Case Study of Western Inner Mongolia.]

McDonnell, Rachael A. "Challenges for Integrated Water Resources Management: How Do We Provide the Knowledge to Support Truly Integrated Thinking?." //International Journal of Water Resources Development// 24.1 (2008): 131-143. //Academic Search Premier//. EBSCO. Web. 8 Feb. 2010. [|Challenges for Integrated Water Resources Management: How Do We Provide the Knowledge to Support Truly Integrated Thinking?]