Large-scale desiccation of the Aral Sea due to over-exploitation after 1960

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 538-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Behzod Gaybullaev ◽  
Su-Chin Chen ◽  
Yi-Ming Kuo
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Aral Sea ◽  
Over Exploitation

Post-Soviet changes in irrigated crop production in the Amu Darya Basin

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Müller ◽  
Andrey Dara ◽  
Christopher Krause ◽  
Mayra Daniela Peña-Guerrero ◽  
Tillman Schmitz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Aral Sea ◽  
Crop Cultivation ◽  
Amu Darya ◽  
Crop Type ◽  
Water Scarce ◽  
Hydrological Droughts

<p>Water withdrawals for irrigated crop production constitute the largest global consumer of blue water resources. Monitoring the dynamics of irrigated crop cultivation allows to track changes in water consumption of irrigated cropping, which is particularly paramount in water-scarce arid and semi-arid areas. We analyzed changes in irrigated crop cultivation along with occurrence of hydrological droughts for the Amu Darya river basin of Central Asia (534,700 km<sup>2</sup>), once the largest tributary river to the Aral Sea before large-scale irrigation projects have grossly reduced the amount of water that reaches the river delta. We used annual and seasonal spectral-temporal metrics derived from Landsat time series to quantify the three predominant cropping practices in the region (first season, second season, double cropping) for every year between 1988 and 2020. We further derived unbiased area estimates for the cropping classes at the province level based on a stratified random sample (n=2,779). Our results reveal a small yet steady decrease in irrigated second season cultivation across the basin. Regionally, we observed a gradual move away from cotton monocropping in response to the policy changes that were instigated since the mid-1990s. We compared the observed cropping dynamics to the occurrence of hydrological droughts, i.e., periods with inadequate water resources for irrigation. We find that areas with higher drought risks rely more on irrigation of the second season crops. Overall, our analysis provides the first fine-scale, annual crop type maps for the irrigated areas in the Amu Darya basin. The results shed light on how institutional changes and hydroclimatic factors that affect land-use decision-making, and thus the dynamics of crop type composition, in the vast irrigated areas of Central Asia.</p>

scholarly journals Quantitative Soil Wind Erosion Potential Mapping for Central Asia Using the Google Earth Engine Platform

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 3430
Author(s):  
Wei Wang ◽  
Alim Samat ◽  
Yongxiao Ge ◽  
Long Ma ◽  
Abula Tuheti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Wind Erosion ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Geospatial Data ◽  
Aral Sea ◽  
Erosion Modeling ◽  
Soil Wind Erosion ◽  
Google Earth Engine

A lack of long-term soil wind erosion data impedes sustainable land management in developing regions, especially in Central Asia (CA). Compared with large-scale field measurements, wind erosion modeling based on geospatial data is an efficient and effective method for quantitative soil wind erosion mapping. However, conventional local-based wind erosion modeling is time-consuming and labor-intensive, especially when processing large amounts of geospatial data. To address this issue, we developed a Google Earth Engine-based Revised Wind Erosion Equation (RWEQ) model, named GEE-RWEQ, to delineate the Soil Wind Erosion Potential (SWEP). Based on the GEE-RWEQ model, terabytes of Remote Sensing (RS) data, climate assimilation data, and some other geospatial data were applied to produce monthly SWEP with a high spatial resolution (500 m) across CA between 2000 and 2019. The results show that the mean SWEP is in good agreement with the ground observation-based dust storm index (DSI), satellite-based Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), and Absorbing Aerosol Index (AAI), confirming that GEE-RWEQ is a robust wind erosion prediction model. Wind speed factors primarily determined the wind erosion in CA (r = 0.7, p < 0.001), and the SWEP has significantly increased since 2011 because of the reversal of global terrestrial stilling in recent years. The Aral Sea Dry Lakebed (ASDLB), formed by shrinkage of the Aral Sea, is the most severe wind erosion area in CA (47.29 kg/m2/y). Temporally, the wind erosion dominated by wind speed has the largest spatial extent of wind erosion in Spring (MAM). Meanwhile, affected by the spatial difference of the snowmelt period in CA, the wind erosion hazard center moved from the southwest (Karakum Desert) to the middle of CA (Kyzylkum Desert and Muyunkum Desert) during spring. According to the impacts of land cover change on the spatial dynamic of wind erosion, the SWEP of bareland was the highest, while that of forestland was the lowest.

Evidence for greater reproductive output per unit area in areas protected from fishing

2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (9) ◽  
pp. 1284-1289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel J Kaiser ◽  
Robert E Blyth-Skyrme ◽  
Paul JB Hart ◽  
Gareth Edwards-Jones ◽  
David Palmer
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Reproductive Potential ◽  
Adductor Muscle ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Fishing Gear ◽  
Mature Adults ◽  
Scale Experiment ◽  
Over Exploitation ◽  
Similar Body

Marine protected areas are advocated as an essential management tool to ensure the sustainable use of marine resources by providing insurance against over-exploitation and through the provision of refuge for a large biomass of sexually mature adults. Using a unique fishing gear-restriction, voluntary management system as a large-scale experiment, we found that adult scallops (Pecten maximus) within areas protected from towed bottom-fishing gear had heavier adductor muscle tissue and gonads that were 19%–24% heavier than those of scallops in fished areas, while other body and age characteristics were similar in both areas. The scallops within the protected area also occurred at a much higher abundance than adjacent, chronically fished (× 12.83) and wider commercially exploited (× 2.18) areas. These results provide evidence that the use of towed bottom-fishing gear can further exacerbate the effects of overfishing through the suppression of the reproductive potential of individuals of similar body size. These findings underline the utility of using closed areas as tools for fisheries conservation of sedentary species of commercial importance.

scholarly journals In Vitro Propagation via Organogenesis and Formation of Globular Bodies of Salvia Plebeia: A Valuable Medicinal Plant

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qinggui Wu ◽  
Honglin Yang ◽  
Yuxi Sun ◽  
Jinyao Hu ◽  
Lijuan Zou
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Shoot Tips ◽  
Direct Organogenesis ◽  
Ms Medium ◽  
Hypocotyl Explants ◽  
Cotyledonary Nodes ◽  
Over Exploitation

Abstract Background: As a highly valued medicinal plant, Salvia plebeia R. Brown belongs to the Lamiaceae family that has been subjected to over exploitation in its natural habitat for phytochemical and pharmacological studies. Alternative collection methods need to be developed for the large-scale propagation of Salvia plebeian. Results: Here, efficient and simple, direct organogenesis (from shoot tips and cotyledonary nodes explants) and Globular bodies (GBs) induction (from hypocotyl explants) systems were developed for the in vitro propagation of Salvia plebeia. The highest and number of regenerated shoots (7.0±0.82) per shoot tips was obtained on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with a combination of 0.1 mg L-1 indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and 1.0 mg L-1 6-benzyladenine (6-BA), the proliferation of shoots and shoots rooted were carried out on the same medium treatments almost synchronously. Similarly, MS medium supplemented with 0.1 mg L-1 IAA and 1.0 mg L-1 thidiazuron (TDZ) yielded the maximum number of shoots (37.5±1.34) with 100% shoot sprouting frequency. Simultaneously, a protocol was developed for GBs induction from hypocotyl explants, and it produced 17.4 GBs per explant with 82.7% response on MS medium supplemented with TDZ (1.0 mg L-1) and IAA (0.1 mg L-1), and produced GBs that were morphologically similar to globular embryos and successfully germinated on hormone-free MS medium. The acclimatized plantlets with well-developed root systems were successfully shifted to the natural soils with a 100% survival rate. Conclusions: Taken together, this protocol can be efficiently used for mass propagation, germplasm preservation and likely also for gene transfer of Salvia plebeia.

scholarly journals GROUNDWATER STORAGE CHANGE ESTIMATION USING GRACE SATELLITE DATA IN INDUS BASIN

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-15
Author(s):  
Muhammad Salam ◽  
Muhammad Jehanzeb Masud Cheema ◽  
Wanchang Zhang ◽  
Saddam Hussain ◽  
Azeem Khan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Table ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Indus Basin ◽  
Groundwater Storage ◽  
Grace Satellite ◽  
Over Exploitation ◽  
Flooding Events ◽  
Storage Change

Over exploitation of Ground Water (GW) has resulted in lowering of water table in the Indus Basin. While waterlogging, salinity and seawater intrusion has resulted in rising of water table in Indus Basin. The sparse piezometer network cannot provide sufficient data to map groundwater changes spatially. To estimate groundwater change in this region, data from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite was used. GRACE measures (Total Water Storage) TWS and used to estimate groundwater storage change. Net change in storage of groundwater was estimated from the change in TWS by including the additional components such as Soil Moisture (SM), Surface water storage (Qs) and snowpack equivalent water (SWE). For the estimation of these components Global Land Data Assimilation system (GLDAS) Land Surface Models (LSMs) was used. Both GRACE and GLDAS produce results for the Indus Basin for the period of April 2010 to January 2017. The monitoring well water-level records from the Scarp Monitoring Organization (SMO) and the Punjab Irrigation and Drainage Authority (PIDA) from April 2009 to December 2016 were used. The groundwater results from different combinations of GRACE products GFZ (GeoforschungsZentrum Potsdam) CSR (Center for Space Research at University of Texas, Austin) JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and GLDAS LSMs (CLM, NOAH and VIC) are calibrated (April 2009-2014) and validated (April 2015-April 2016) with in-situ measurements. For yearly scale, their correlation coefficient reaches 0.71 with Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) 0.82. It was estimated that net loss in groundwater storage is at mean rate of 85.01 mm per year and 118,668.16 Km3 in the 7 year of study period (April 2010-Jan 2017). GRACE TWS data were also able to pick up the signals from the large-scale flooding events observed in 2010 and 2014. These flooding events played a significant role in the replenishment of the groundwater system in the Indus Basin. Our study indicates that the GRACE based estimation of groundwater storage changes is skillful enough to provide monthly updates on the trend of the groundwater storage changes for resource managers and policy makers of Indus Basin.

scholarly journals Clonal Propagation of Valeriana jatamansi Retains the Essential Oil Profile of Mother Plants: An Approach Toward Generating Homogenous Grade of Essential Oil for Industrial Use

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahul Dev Gautam ◽  
Ajay Kumar ◽  
Ravi Kumar ◽  
Ramesh Chauhan ◽  
Satbeer Singh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pharmaceutical Industry ◽  
Essential Oil ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Clonal Propagation ◽  
Naphthalene Acetic Acid ◽  
Root Induction ◽  
The Third ◽  
Valeriana Jatamansi ◽  
Over Exploitation ◽  
Rhizome Biomass

Valeriana jatamansi Jones (Syn. V. wallichii DC.) is an aromatic, medicinal herb used as a tranquilizer and in treating sleep disorders. Rhizome is mainly used to extract essential oil (EO) and valepotriates. High quality and economic yield of rhizomes are available in the third year of growth. Therefore, the cultivation of V. jatamansi is not picking up, and over-exploitation of this plant from wild habitats to meet the increasing demand of the pharmaceutical industry is the cause of threat to the genetic diversity of the species. Further, collections from the wild are heterogeneous, resulting in variable produce. The development of clonal lines can ensure uniform quality and yield of rhizome biomass. An effective clonal propagation method was standardized using different hormonal concentrations of naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) on apical shoot cuttings from the selected clone CSIR-IHBT-VJ-05 for different time durations and raised over various planting media. NAA treatment of 50 ppm concentration for 30 min was found optimum for root induction in apical shoots of V. jatamansi. Variations for EO composition within the clone were non-significant, while samples of the control population were variable. The best quality EO (patchouli alcohol ∼62%) was available during the third year of plant growth. A propagation technique for large-scale quality plant material (QPM) production has been standardized to reduce the stress over natural resources and promote V. jatamansi for use in the aromatic and pharmaceutical industry.

Environmental Approaches to Soviet Central Asia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Central Asia ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Aral Sea ◽  
Biological Weapons ◽  
Soviet Regime ◽  
Cotton Production ◽  
Environmental Features ◽  
Soviet Central Asia ◽  
Bodies Of Water

The vast region known as “Soviet Central Asia” encompassed the territory of five Soviet republics, Kazakhstan, Kirgizia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Because of the region’s environmental features, particularly its aridity, historically there had been a close linkage between people and the environment in this region. But the Soviet regime set out to radically reshape this relationship, focusing on the fields of agriculture and animal husbandry, large-scale water engineering, nuclear and biological weapons testing, and medicine and public health. By focusing on the environmental impact of these policies, scholars can see how Moscow’s efforts brought many benefits to the region. Cotton production boomed, and Moscow declared the eradication of malaria. But they also left horrific scars. Josef Stalin’s program of agricultural collectivization devastated Kazakhstan, resulting in the death of more than 1.5 million people. The Aral Sea, once one of the world’s largest bodies of water, began to shrink dramatically during the Soviet era, a development due in large part to Moscow’s efforts to divert the waters that fed the sea to cotton production.

STUDY OF DESERTIFICATION PROCESSES IN THE ARAL SEA AND WAYS OF THEIR WARNINGS

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (8(77)) ◽  
pp. 17-18
Author(s):  
Vakhob Asomovich Rafikov ◽  
Nodiraxon Azamovna Rafikova
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Energy Resources ◽  
Aral Sea ◽  
Natural Phenomenon ◽  
Arid Zones ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Water Plant ◽  
Anthropogenic Processes ◽  
Land Water

Desertification as a negative natural phenomenon was especially aggravated in the 70s-80s of the last century and received a large-scale development in the arid zones of the world as a result of severe drought and the irrational use of land, water, plant, mineral and fuel-energy resources by humans. It has become one of the most dangerous natural and anthropogenic processes, with extremely serious environmental and socio-economic consequences.

scholarly journals Observations on trade in laughingthrushes (Garrulax spp.) in North Sumatra, Indonesia

2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRIS R. SHEPHERD
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Illegal Trade ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Over Exploitation ◽  
North Sumatra

SummaryThe trade in laughingthrush species native to Indonesia is not carried out in accordance with Indonesian legislation and regulations. During 65 surveys carried out in bird markets in 1997–2008, more than 11,000 laughingthrushes representing 10 species were observed, including all five species native to Indonesia. Bird dealers claim that these species are becoming increasingly scarce in Indonesia due to over-harvesting for trade, especially the Sumatran endemic Black-and-white Laughingthrush G. bicolor and the Javan endemic Rufous-fronted Laughingthrush G. rufifrons. Indonesia has legislation in place to protect these species from over-exploitation, yet the illegal trade continues on a large scale, carried out openly in city bird markets. Enforcement of this legislation is critical in order to prevent these species from becoming perilously threatened.

A High-resolution diatom-inferred palaeoconductivity and lake level record of the Aral Sea for the Last 1600 yr

2007 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Austin ◽  
Anson Mackay ◽  
Olga Palagushkina ◽  
Melanie Leng
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Lake Level ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Aral Sea ◽  
Diatom Assemblages ◽  
Inference Model ◽  
Aral Sea Basin ◽  
Lake Level Change ◽  
Level Change

AbstractFormerly the world's fourth largest lake by area, the Aral Sea is presently undergoing extreme desiccation due to large-scale irrigation strategies implemented in the Soviet era. As part of the INTAS-funded CLIMAN project into Holocene climatic variability and the evolution of human settlement in the Aral Sea basin, fossil diatom assemblages contained within a sediment core obtained from the Aral Sea have been applied to a diatom-based inference model of conductivity (r2 = 0.767, RMSEP = 0.469 log10 μS cm− 1). This has provided a high-resolution record of conductivity and lake level change over the last ca. 1600 yr. Three severe episodes of lake level regression are indicated at ca. AD 400, AD 1195–1355 and ca. AD 1780 to the present day. The first two regressions may be linked to the natural diversion of the Amu Darya away from the Aral Sea and the failure of cyclones formed in the Mediterranean to penetrate more continental regions. Human activity, however, and in particular the destruction of irrigation facilities are synchronous with these early regressions and contributed to the severity of the observed low stands.

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