The impact of political ideology on creeping environmental changes in the Aral Sea basin

Global change brings great uncertainty to the fragile ecological environment of arid area. In order to understand the driving role of climatic factors and socio-economic activity on changes, the distribution and change of vegetation in the Aral Sea basin were examined using data from remote sensing, population data sets from 2000 to 2015, transfer matrix, and the centre of gravity model. The salient results of the analysis were as follows. (1) Although the index increased slightly in the past 20 years overall, it fluctuated greatly over that time. From 2000 to 2015, the NDVI decreased in approximately 62% of the area; increased in 24%; and remained unchanged in 14%. (2) From 2000 to 2015, the geographic centre of the area under forest land to the northeast, marking the advancement of urbanization upstream. The geographic centre of grassland moved to the west. (3) The overall impact of precipitation on vegetation was greater than that of temperature. Areas showing a strong correlation were mostly concentrated in forest land; the impact of precipitation on grasslands was weak. (4) The distribution of vegetation was adversely affected by the increase in population and in GDP. The present study is of particular significance to the restoration and reconstruction of the Aral Sea basin ecosystem.

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Environmental changes in the Uzbek part of the Aral Sea basin

Creeping Environmental Problems and Sustainable Development in the Aral Sea Basin ◽

10.1017/cbo9780511535970.013 ◽

1999 ◽

pp. 245-260

Author(s):

Anatoly N. Krutov

Keyword(s):

Environmental Changes ◽

Aral Sea ◽

Aral Sea Basin

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Implementing the nexus at various scales: Local and regional perspectives

Change and Adaptation in Socio-Ecological Systems ◽

10.1515/cass-2015-0015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Eefje Aarnoudse ◽

Jan Leentvaar

Keyword(s):

Policy Making ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Local Level ◽

Aral Sea ◽

Aral Sea Basin ◽

Electricity Use ◽

Energy Politics ◽

Critical Issues ◽

The Impact ◽

Local Farmers

AbstractMany issues in the water, energy and agricultural sector are in fact crosscutting issues, which can only be solved by a nexus approach. A nexus approach means that management solutions account for synergies and tradeoffs between the sectors. Critical issues emerging across the three sectors ask for different policies at different governance levels. However, at each level of policy making the impact at local level should be an important point of reference. In line with this, the case of the Aral Sea Basin in Central Asia exemplifies how international energy politics affect local farmers’ access to irrigation water. Moreover, a comparative study of three states in India shows that local differences in the implementation of the nexus approach can lead to different outcomes in terms of groundwater and electricity use for agriculture. These two examples underline that to implement a nexus approach; the local perspective should not be overlooked, even when policies are designed at higher governance levels.

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Land cover-adjusted index for the former Aral Sea using Landsat images

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202122702005 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 227 ◽

pp. 02005

Author(s):

Ilhomjon Aslanov ◽

Sayidjakhon Khasanov ◽

Yakhshimurad Khudaybergenov ◽

Michael Groll ◽

Christian Opp Ch ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Vegetation Indices ◽

Dust Storms ◽

Ecological Crisis ◽

Aral Sea ◽

Landsat Images ◽

Desert Ecosystems ◽

Aral Sea Basin ◽

Remote Sensing Methods

The Aral Sea was the fourth largest inland lake on the globe until 1960, with a surface area of about 68,000 km2. Mainly, the huge irrigation projects in many parts of its transboundary catchment were responsible for the catastrophic desiccation and ecological crises of the Aral Sea after second part of 20th century. Ecological crisis surrounding the Aral Sea (lake) regions is one of the critical environmental problems of Central Asia. As a result, monitoring of desertification processes and determining the aerosol concentration in the atmosphere are highly relevant for any attempts to mitigate environmental changes in the Aral Sea basin. Remote sensing is the most appropriate method for studying desertification and dust storms as it easily covers large areas with a high spatial and temporal resolution. Satellite images provide detailed multispectral information about the earth’s surface features, which proves invaluable for the characterization of vegetation, soil, water, and landforms at different scales. Vegetation cover, biomass, and soil properties were analyzed with remote sensing methods (NDVI, SDVI). It is emphasized that vegetation indices have little sensitivity at low leaf area which is common to all desert ecosystems.

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