The Aralkum Desert ( Uzbek: Orolqum choʻli, Оролқум чўли, Kazakh: Аралқұм шөлі, Russian: Пустыня Аралкум) is a

desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

that has appeared since 1960 on the seabed once occupied by the

Aral Sea The Aral Sea () was an endorheic lake lying between Kazakhstan to its north and Uzbekistan to its south, which began shrinking in the 1960s and had largely dried up into desert by the 2010s. It was in the Aktobe and Kyzylorda regions of Kazakhst ...

. It lies to the south and east of what remains of the Eastern Basin Aral Sea in

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

and

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

. It is currently the youngest desert in the world.

History

While the level of the Aral Sea has fluctuated over its existence, the most recent level drop since the 1960s was caused by the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

building massive irrigation projects in the region. The severely reduced inflow caused the water level in the Aral Sea to drop. While the North Aral Sea rose due to the Dike Kokaral, the South Aral Sea kept dropping, thus expanding the size of the desert, until 2010, when the South Aral Sea was partly reflooded. The water level of the South Aral Sea then began to drop again, this time more severely. In August 2021, British polar athlete Rosie Stancer led the first expedition on foot across the Aralkum desert.

Stranded boats

Before its

desertification Desertification is a type of gradual land degradation of Soil fertility, fertile land into arid desert due to a combination of natural processes and human activities. The immediate cause of desertification is the loss of most vegetation. This i ...

, the

sustained a large fishing industry that provided up to one-sixth of the Soviet Union's fish. As the water receded, many fishing vessels and other boats were left behind in the desert. In the former port of the city of

Moʻynoq Moynaq, also spelled as Muynak (; ; ), is a city in northern Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic in Uzbekistan. It is the seat of the Moʻynoq District, Moynaq district. Formerly a sea port on the Aral Sea, it is now 150 km from the water ...

, rusting vessels have become a tourist attraction and the site of the Stihia Festival, Central Asia's largest electronic music festival.

Airborne contaminants

The sands of the Aralkum and the dust that originates from it contain pollutants. The desert's location is on a powerful west–east airstream that carries its polluted dust around the globe. Aral dust has been found in the fields of

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

, the forests of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, and in the glaciers of

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

. Pesticides in the dust have been found in the blood of penguins in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

References

External links

Siegmar-W. Breckle: ''Combating desertification and rehabilitation of the salt deserts in the region at the Aral Sea''Walter Wucherer: ''Primary succession on the dry sea floor of the Aral Sea''
{{Uzbekistan topics Deserts of Central Asia Deserts of Kazakhstan Deserts of Uzbekistan Desertification Aral Sea

History

Stranded boats

Airborne contaminants

See also

References

External links