Issues in managing water ressources in semiarid regions
Water ressources in many arid and semiarid regions are being overexploited and some important groundwater aquifers are nearing economic exhaustion. Many regions are also experiencing conflict over the reallocation of limited supplies, particularly
Aral Region ; Drinking water ; Ecological catastrophe ; Ecosystem ; Epidemiology ; Former USSR ; Health ; Hydrology ; Pesticide ; Pollution ; Salinity ; Soviet Central Asia ; Water quality
The Aral region is taken as an example of a region of ecological disaster. The processes and phenomena of people's health deterioration caused by the deformation of the environment in connection with hydrological changes are discussed. The situation
in Aral region is regarded as a model of large-scale ecological disaster with a medical-ecological dominant.
Changes in biota of the Aral region as a result of anthropogenic impacts between 1950 and 1990
Aral Region ; Biocenosis ; Biota ; Ecosystem ; Former USSR ; Human impact ; Irrigation ; Salinisation ; Soviet Central Asia ; Vegetation degradation
salinization, which becomes main ecological factor at some coastal areas. At present the area affected by ecotonization of ecosystems in the Aral region is likely to exceed half of the total region's area.
Aral Region ; Biodiversity ; Ecosystem ; Fauna ; Fish ; Former USSR ; Mollusca ; Plankton ; Salinity ; Soviet Central Asia
ecosystem apparently experiences a third shock by the salinity increase over 23 to 24 g/l. Intensive investigations must be renewed and complex research programs of the Aral, and the Aral region must be ellaborated.
Aral Region ; Degradation ; Former USSR ; Human impact ; Sea level ; Soviet Central Asia ; Stream flow ; Water ; Water balance ; Water resources
. Shows up the tendences of structural changes and efficiency of water resources usage of the region, presents their present-day spacial-geographical peculiarities. On the basis of temporal analysis of water balance structure of the Aral Sea, a conclusion
to those from other Far Eastern Russia regions. The following methods of paleographical investigations were used: geomorphological, lithological, pollen-and-spores and radiocarbon. The results are interpreted using archaeological and paleogeographical