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CHANGING WATER

CHANGING WATER. The shrinking Aral Sea (2000-2011) - NASA http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v =cbSkRS8Ih7o. The Aral Sea:

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CHANGING WATER

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  1. CHANGING WATER

  2. The shrinking Aral Sea (2000-2011) - NASA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbSkRS8Ih7o

  3. The Aral Sea: Formerly the fourth largest lake in the world. Soviet irrigation projects diverted rivers in the1960’s for agriculture, and the lake began to steadily shrink. This is an example of poor water management. By 2007, the sea had declined to 10% of its original size, splitting into four lakes. Improvements began to take hold in the 2010s. The shrinking of the Aral Sea is one of the planet's worst environmental disasters.

  4. IMPACT CATEGORIES

  5. HUMAN USE Inhabitants once relied on abundant freshwater of the lake and a local water system. The water system has failed. Now, every secondary water source is contaminated: canals with bacteria or heavy metals, wells with saltwater, the lake with pollution. There are few sanitation systems. Most homes use pit latrines and cities dump untreated sewage back into the shallow lake.

  6. ECONOMY The drying of the Aral sea destroyed many traditional livelihoods, driving whole communities into poverty. Industries destroyed by lack of freshwater: Fishing Muskrat Breeding Cattle Ranching

  7. AGRICULTURE The cause of the Aral Sea disaster was water diversion for irrigation. The crops planted (cotton, rice) had high water needs. The system, however, was poorly maintained and lost much of its water to leaks and evaporation. Eventually, the water system only served to wash farming chemicals like pesticides back into the shrinking sea.

  8. HEALTH & SECURITY Loss of industry, food security and water displaced over 100,000 people. Over 5 million people were sick because of pollution, much of it to their water sources. The infant mortality rate (the rate at which young children die soon after being born) rose to 60 of every 1,000 babies (the highest in the region at the time.

  9. ECOLOGY Over 20 species of native fish are now extinct, unable to live in the salty sludge as the lake dropped. Every day, an estimated 200,000 tons of salt and sand are carried away by high winds for 100+ miles The local climate has changed dramatically. Lakes tend to have a moderating effect on climate. Summers are now hotter and drier; winters are more harsh.

  10. Lake Mead: The largest reservoir in the United States. Located on the Colorado River, formed by the Hoover Dam, and a central tool of water management. Lake Mead supplies Las Vegas and other cities with water and power. Changing rainfall, climate, evaporation, reduced snowmelt, and consumption have placed pressure on Lake Mead. The lake now stands at less than 40% of its capacity. It is believed that Lake Mead will no longer be able to produce hydropower in the 2020s.

  11. You can now see the white “bath tub ring” – or low water mark - around Lake Mead. The ring is caused by sediment build up over the years. Watch this video on Las Vegas urban expansion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPRGfyd93fo

  12. IMPACT CATEGORIES

  13. Photos via: Punbit.com Onthenorthriver.com Nytimes.com didierruef.photoshelter.com

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