Aral sea

Question	Answer
What natural resource does the Aral sea have?	Water
Where is the Aral sea?	Between Kazakstan and Uzbekistan
What are the physical impacts of the use of the water in the Aral sea?	The Aral sea itself began to shrink Increased salinization (10g/l - 40g/l) which is poisonous to most species of fish and wildlife in the Aral sea By 1990 95% of wetlands and marshes has become desert Therefore dust storms are frequent
What are the causes of shrinkage of Aral sea?	Population doubled to 27 million by the 1980s Rivers that feed the Aral sea were used to irrigate rice and cotton fields Vast amounts of water were diverted from these rivers Pesticides were used but no sufficient irrigation system put in place (unlined pits)
What were the social impacts of this?	Health issues: chemicals and salts were in the ground water supply's TB, cancers, heart problems, asthma and blood diseases increased dramatically Drinking water was not safe Increased mortality rate (especially children)

Resource summary

	Created by Daisy Jones almost 8 years ago