Literature Analysis/Article Summary

In the article Examining long-term natural vegetation dynamics in the Aral Sea Basin applying the linear spectral mixture model, authors Su et al. (2021) sought to analyze the causes of changes in vegetation cover in Aral Sea using ecological dynamics which are major contributors of social and economic development in the region. To analyze the said changes, the authors conducted a study between the years 2000 and 2018. Three steps were deployed. The first step involved the use of LSMM method to differentiate between natural and cultivated vegetation. In the second step, the authors monitored the long-term and large scale cover of the land cover. The third stage involved elimination of interference on vegetation coverage from cultivated land. To analyze the changes in vegetative cover as well as their characteristics, the authors used the Mann-Kendall trend test, Sen Trend analysis, and trend line analysis. In addition, the authors explored the factors that led to change using multi-source data.

From the study, the authors found that the Aral Sea basin had lower vegetative cover which only accounted for approximately 6.26% of the overall drainage. The results also showed that the vegetative cover and water bodies in the area had significantly increased from the year 2000. The authors also found that the desert area of the Aral Sea accounted for 62.85% of the overall basin while the water body area of the said sea accounted for only 5.15%. To a large extent, the desert was degrading - which made the temperatures in the area to be high, and the waters to evaporate quickly, effectively limiting crop growth.

One of the factors that contributed to lower vegetative cover was climate variability. According to Su et al. (2021), Aral Sea is located in a semi-arid area. For this reason, there were climatic changes in the Aral region which affected the physiology and composition of vegetative cover in the area. For instance, precipitation rate in the area was high and for this reason, only a small percentage of crops were rain-fed. Apart from climatic factors, the authors also found that human activities also contributed to degradation of the Aral Sea. Agriculture was one of the human activities that the authors found to be contributing to low vegetative cover as well as human production activities, migration, population distribution, and population coverage. With regard to agriculture, the authors found that as the irrigated farmland expanded, the natural vegetation degraded. As a consequence, the Aral Sea dried leading to migration of people to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

The article relates to ecological principles and sustainable practices given that while examining the dynamics in vegetation, the piece also shows how the said principles and practices were ignored. For instance, the article discusses how the flow of energy was ignored when the vegetative cover in the area decreased. The cycling of matter and population dynamics principles were also not taken into consideration. It is important to note that human activities contributed to the growth of industries. This resulted in economic growth as well as population growth which further led to decline of vegetative cover. It is also important to note that sustainable practices were not practiced. This is more so the case given that water conservation methods were not used in the area. In essence, Su et al. (2021) suggest that unreasonable irrigation of farmland was practiced and a third of river water was also used for cultivating land.

Case Study Final Report

Introduction

The Aral Sea - which is located in Central Asia - was the fourth largest lake in the world. According to Glantz (2007), the said lake was fed by river Syrdarya and river Amudarya. However, between 1960 and 1970, the two rivers that fed the said lake were diverted. As a consequence, volume of water at Aral Sea declined at a faster rate creating massive environmental problems in the Aral Sea area. As Crighton et al. (2017) found out, the environmental problems that were caused by degradation of Aral Sea significantly heightened health problems among the people living in the Aral Sea area. While degradation of the Aral Sea has largely impacted the lives of people in the area, there would be need to come up with ways of managing the said sea so as to address the ecological principles that were ignored during the degradation of the Aral Sea. Therefore, this case study aims to determine the activities that led to degradation of the Aral Sea as well as how the people in the area were impacted by the said degradation. In addition, the case study report would also address the tipping point in degradation of the Aral Sea, what has been done to restore the ecosystem, and what can be done to address the ecological principles that were ignored during degradation of the said sea. Towards the end, the study would also provide suggestions for restoration of the Aral Sea.

Human Activities that led to Degradation

It is important to note that human activities largely contributed to degradation of the Aral Sea. Su et al. (2021) found that large scale irrigation of agricultural land was one of the reasons the Aral Sea degraded. Various authors further agree with Su et al....

…the Aral farmland was abandoned. According to Su et al. (2021), the Aral Sea region became dry owing to reduced water and vegetative cover. As a consequence, people who were living in the said region migrated to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan which had better water supply and more vegetative cover than the Aral Sea.

Restoration of the Aral Sea

Despite the degradation of the Aral Sea, it would be prudent to note that some actions have in the past been taken to partially restore the said sea. For instance, attempts were made to preserve waters from Syrdayar whereby, using the local sand, a dam was built even though there was limited funding (Aladin et al., 2019). However, the said dam was destroyed after the sand was washed away by water owing to increased water pressure. Thereafter, the World Bank donated funds in 2005 for construction of a proper dam and since then, salinity levels decreased due to freshwater from Syrdayar River. In addition, trials were also made during this time to increase the productivity of fish in the region by introducing certain invertebrates and commercial fish species. However, Aladin et al. (2019) points out that the said plan was not successful given that the waters in the region were saline and, thus, could not be tolerated by the said species. Presently, there are plans to construct a dam at the belt of Bolshoy Sarycheganak Bay which will spill water into Small Aral. In addition, a channel would also be constructed from Aklak structure which will divert water from Sry Darya into the said bay.

Suggestions for a management Plan

My management plan for the Aral Sea would include the restoration of vegetative cover. For instance, restoring vegetation cover in the area would address the issue of energy flow in the ecosystem. This is more so the case given that plants are regarded primary producers in a food chain. For this reason, there would be consistent flow of energy in the food chain. This would also ensure that the ecological principle of community dynamics is addressed. Restoration of vegetative cover would also address the water cycle issue by reducing evaporation rate at Aral Sea. To ensure that the said plan is effective, I would require the cooperation of, and input from, all the relevant stakeholders.

Conclusion

The vegetative cover as well as the water levels in the Aral Sea area have significantly decreased owing to diversion of water form Syr Darya and Amu Darya. In essence, the diversion of the said rivers for irrigation purposes largely contributed to increased salinity and reduced inflow of freshwater. This affected the entire ecosystem. Further, this triggered a chain of events…