Aral Sea

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/aral-sea

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How big is the Aral Sea?68,000 km² (26,300 sq mi), ranking as the fourth-largest lake globally
2. What is the location?Central Asia, straddling the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
3. What is the socio-economic impact?Devastation of fishing industry, unemployment, economic hardship, and severe public health issues
4. What was the Aral Sea and where was it located?The Aral Sea was a huge salt lake in Central Asia, between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. It used to be the world's fourth largest lake.
5. Why did the Aral Sea start shrinking?In the 1960s the Soviet Union built dams and diverted the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers for cotton farming. This cut the water that fed the sea, so it began to shrink.

Endorheic Basin: A drainage basin that retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans.
Salinity: The amount of salt dissolved in a body of water.
Toxic Dust Storms: Atmospheric events where wind carries fine particles of contaminated soil and chemicals over long distances.
Geopolitical Ramifications: The political consequences and international relations affected by geographical factors or events.