Aral Sea's Eastern Lobe Dries Up Completely for First Time in Modern History

Since the 1960s, the Aral Sea in Central Asia has continued to shrink. Now, the summer of 2014 has marked a new milestone for the once-extensive lake. For the first time in modern history, the eastern basin of the South Aral Sea has completely dried.

"This is the first time the eastern basin has completely dried in modern times," said Philip Micklin, one of the researchers, in a news release. "And it is likely the first time it has completely dried in 600 years since Medieval desiccation associated with diversion of Amu Darya to the Caspian Sea."

The findings come after NASA's Terra satellite captured an image with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). This picture showed substantial changes from an image in 2000 and again from an image in 1960.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the government of the former Soviet Union diverted the region's two major rivers to irrigate farmland. This diversion began the lake's gradual retreat. In 2000, the lake had already separated into the North Aral Sea and the South Aral Sea. The South Aral Sea further split into western and eastern lobes.

Now, it appears that the eastern lobe has completely dried. This desiccation in 2014 likely occurred because there has been less snow and rain in the watershed that starts in the distant Pamir Mountains. This, in turn, has greatly reduced the water flow on the river, the Amu Darya. In addition, huge amounts of water continue to be withdrawn for irrigation.

"This part of the Aral Sea is showing major year-to-year variations that are dependent on flow of Amu Darya," said Micklin. "I would expect this pattern to continue for some time."

NASA satellite information is crucial when it comes to monitoring water sources that are used for irrigation. By examining these images, practices can be instituted in order to help agricultural practices or prepare for droughts and water shortages in the future.