SPACEPHOTOS

Parts of three independent republics (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan), former members of the Soviet Union, are shown in this synoptic, low-oblique, northeast-looking photograph of the Aral Sea. One feature of this springtime photograph is the Amudar’ya River that flows northward into the southern end of the partially ice-covered Aral Sea. The river’s multibraided stream channels, ditches, and canals form a maze of interconnected waterways throughout the extensive delta south of the sea. A major concentration of cultivated, irrigated agricultural features (browns and tans) are evident south of the Amudar’ya delta. Cotton is the primary agricultural product on both sides of the Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan border. Because this entire region is classified as a desert, proper water management is a key concern in planning. As in other desert regions of the world, loss of moisture through evaporation produces a dry, nonvegetated environment. This sea, which straddles the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan border, has lost more than one-half of its water surface since 1960 because streams that previously fed the sea have been diverted for irrigation. Other near-vertical photographs show more detail of the rapidly receding water level of the Aral Sea.