The Aral Sea

After seeing the change in size of the Aral Sea and listening to how it happened, I was quite sad to see this environmental tragedy.  The plan to restore the sea has stabalized the northern part of the sea, and even expanded it, although the expansion has damaged the level of salinity and therefore the types of fish that can call it home.  Introduced carp and flounder are now being caught by fishermen who are willing to drive the 25 extra miles to reach what is now the seashore from the where the old seaport was located.  The sea is not without hope, but those hopes are for the long term development.  People have lost their livelihood and it seems to be the government who made poor, cheap choices who are to blame for this environmental disaster. 

(If this is too hard to read, try looking at this picture at the following: 

http://www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/images/AralSeaChronology.jpg )

For a more detailed explanation of how and why it happened, please read the following article.
http://euroheritage.net/sovietcollectivization.shtml

Perhaps the most interesting part to me, is what the land that was once underwater looks like.  I've always been one to be fascinated by things that used to be and how they look now that some circumstance has changed them.  Ghost towns, shipwrecks, and any abandoned place is likely to be on my list of places I'd like to see before I die. 

Here are some of the images of the former Aral Sea that I enjoyed:

These are both photographs of abandoned ships.

This was the airport terminal, now overgrown and abandoned.  Fishing merchants used to fly in and out frequently to the seaport of Muynak.  Clearly, there is no need for these visits now and the airport closed. 

Salt crystals formed here. As the sea evaporates, the salinity level increases and the saltier the Aral Sea becomes.  When it evaporated further, these crystals were left behind.

This was a dock installed by an oil company exploring for oil.  As you can see, much of the dock is now above water. 

And finally, what was once the fourth largest inland sea is now in large part a desert inhabited by fellows like in the photo above: Although quite cute in my opinion, a fish he most certainly is not.