The Aral Sea, located between the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, was once the world’s forth-largest lake. The Soviet government diverted the two main rivers that feed the sea in order to irrigate desert land and grow cotton. As a result, the sea’s surface area has shrunk by approximately 60%, and its volume by 80%. This change has greatly effected the ecology of the surrounding area. The shrinking Aral Sea has even been blamed for recent orange colored snowfall in Siberia.

Here are some interesting photos and satellite views of the Aral Sea.

The Aral Sea from space, August 1964.

Satalite views from 1973, 1987 and 2000 of the shrinking Aral Sea. Photo by NASA.

Dust Storm over the Aral Sea on June 13, 2006. Photo by NASA.

The Shipwreck of the Aral Sea. By Elena Senao.

Abandoned Fishing Boats. By Christopher Herwig.

Link: Wikipedia article on the Aral Sea
Link: The Aral Sea on Wikimapia

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