The Aral Sea Encyclopedia

ISBN-13: 9783642098772 / Angielski / Miękka / 2010 / 290 str.

Springer

Opis

The Aral Sea Encyclopedia is the first one in the new series of encyclopedias about the seas of the former Soviet Union. Preparing it we faced certain difficulties. The thing is that this encyclopedia is a monument to the sea that is disappearing during our lifetime. The world community considers the situation with the Aral Sea and all changes that occurred in its whereabouts in the recent decades as one of the most serious, if not disastrous anthropogenic environmental crises of the 20th century. Before 1960, this was a water-abundant sea-lake that was fourth among world lakes after the Caspian Sea (USSR, Iran), the Great Lakes (USA, Canada) and Victoria Lake (Africa). This was a real pearl among the sands of the largest deserts, the Karakums and the Kyzylkums. Navigation between the sea ports Muinak and Aralsk and fisheries famous for the Aral breams, barbells, sturgeons, shemaya, and others were developed here. One could find beautiful recreational zones and beaches here. The deltas of the Amudarya, the major river of Central Asia, and the Syrdarya bringing their waters into the Aral Sea were famous for their biodiversity, fishery, muskrat rearing, reed prod- tion. The local population found occupations related to the water infrastructure."

Recenzje

From the reviews:

"The Aral was something between a sea and a lake: a large inland body of salty water surrounded by semi-desert, fed by two great rivers ... . Now, in some seasons, the two rivers do not even reach the Aral ... . As a result the Aral is now a shrinking collection of shallow saline lakes, interspersed with dry salt pans. ... University libraries catering for academic programmes in environmental sciences, geography or East European/Central Asian studies may find it worth acquiring this ... ." (Martin Guha, Reference Reviews, Vol. 23 (6), 2009)

"This encyclopedia documents the environmental devastation of Central Asia's Aral Sea region. Contributors have synthesized the principal research about the Aral Sea, chronicling the events and actors involved in its dramatic decline. Most entries provide a succinct, clearly written narrative; some include black-and-white photographs, diagrams, or maps. ... Included is a time line of Aral Sea events from the 16th to 21st centuries. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers." (G. P. Clement, Choice, Vol. 47 (2), October, 2009)

Spis treści

A.- B.- C.- D.- E.- F.- G.- H.- I.- J.- K.- L.- M.- N.- O.- P.- R.- S.- T.- U.- V.- W.- Y.- Z.

Blurb

The situation of the Aral Sea is known as one of the worst man-made environmental crises of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Many have seen the satellite photos evidencing the startling shrinkage and deterioration of the sea, as it was a few decades ago and how it appears today. Whereas the Aral Sea was the world’s fourth-largest inland body of water in 1960, it has now shrunk to a small fraction of that within three increasingly saline and polluted parts, primarily due to the diversion of waters for agricultural irrigation. The Aral Sea Encyclopedia is devoted to the remarkable phenomenon of the possibility of Aral Sea’s imminent disappearance from the Earth in the time span of a single human generation.

It first describes the sea before it started drying-out, and then the actions and efforts of the Central Asian countries, as well as the international community, to mitigate the socioeconomic and environmental hazards caused by this desiccation and increasing salinity. This comprehensive reference not only addresses the key environmental issues and presents national and international programs. It also documents the history of the related research studies, the involvement of prominent historical figures, and the chronology of events over three centuries, which became the milestones in the economic development of the Aral Sea and its subsequent diminution.

The publication of the Aral Sea Encyclopedia initiates a group of similar valuable references that gather multi-disciplinary perspectives on the world's seas, including planned volumes on the Caspian and Black Seas and the Sea of Japan.