The
South Aral Sea is a lake in the basin of the former
Aral Sea which formed in 1987 when that body divided in two, due to diversion of river inflow for agriculture. In 2003 the South Aral Sea itself split into western and eastern basins, connected by a narrow channel (bottom at an elevation of 29m) that balanced surface levels but did not allow mixing, and in 2005 the
North Aral Sea was dammed to prevent the collapse of its fisheries, cutting off the only remaining inflow to the southern lakes. In 2008 the eastern portion of the South Aral Sea split again, with most of its area reduced to a wet salt pan. The west basin is 43 meters deeper than the east basin,
[2] has some replenishment from groundwater in the northwest,
[3] and so is likely to avoid desiccation for some time.
In 2007, the western basin had a salinity of 70 g/l and the eastern basin 100 g/l. Once the water level falls below the connecting channel (elevation 29m), the salinities can be expected to diverge further. Under current conditions, the eastern basin may receive water from the Amu Darya in wet years, fluctuating in salinity and flooding the area in salt water, which would preclude any economic activity in the area, while the western basin becomes increasingly saline. Water diversion from the Amu Darya directly to the deeper western basin could lower its salinity enough to allow resumption of local fisheries, while allowing the eastern basin to desiccate almost entirely and avoiding the problems of flooding.[4]
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