Amudarya and Syrdarya Rivers and Their Deltas

Asarin, A. E.; Kravtsova, V. I.; Михайлов, В. Н.

doi:10.1007/698_2009_8

Cited by 17 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…The ADRB lies within the borders of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan and has an extent of about 465,000 km 2 [ 25 ], which approximately corresponds to the area of Spain (see yellow area in Fig. 1 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanisms of Basin-Scale Nitrogen Load Reductions under Intensified Irrigated Agriculture

et al. 2015

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Irrigated agriculture can modify the cycling and transport of nitrogen (N), due to associated water diversions, water losses, and changes in transport flow-paths. We investigate dominant processes behind observed long-term changes in dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations and loads of the extensive (465,000 km2) semi-arid Amu Darya River basin (ADRB) in Central Asia. We specifically considered a 40-year period (1960–2000) of large irrigation expansion, reduced river water flows, increased fertilizer application and net increase of N input into the soil-water system. Results showed that observed decreases in riverine DIN concentration near the Aral Sea outlet of ADRB primarily were due to increased recirculation of irrigation water, which extends the flow-path lengths and enhances N attenuation. The observed DIN concentrations matched a developed analytical relation between concentration attenuation and recirculation ratio, showing that a fourfold increase in basin-scale recirculation can increase DIN attenuation from 85 to 99%. Such effects have previously only been observed at small scales, in laboratory experiments and at individual agricultural plots. These results imply that increased recirculation can have contributed to observed increases in N attenuation in agriculturally dominated drainage basins in different parts of the world. Additionally, it can be important for basin scale attenuation of other pollutants, including phosphorous, metals and organic matter. A six-fold lower DIN export from ADRB during the period 1981–2000, compared to the period 1960–1980, was due to the combined result of drastic river flow reduction of almost 70%, and decreased DIN concentrations at the basin outlet. Several arid and semi-arid regions around the world are projected to undergo similar reductions in discharge as the ADRB due to climate change and agricultural intensification, and may therefore undergo comparable shifts in DIN export as shown here for the ADRB. For example, projected future increases of irrigation water withdrawals between 2005 and 2050 may decrease the DIN export from arid world regions by 40%.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanisms of Basin-Scale Nitrogen Load Reductions under Intensified Irrigated Agriculture

et al. 2015

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“…According to previous studies, the shrinking of the Aral Sea has resulted from climate change and human activities; however, human activities were the main factor, with natural climate variability being responsible for approximately 25% of the observed level drop and the remaining 75% due to human impacts [1][2][3]. Human activities mainly include unsustainable irrigation methods and the expansion of cultivated land areas around the Amu Darya and Syr Darya River Basins [4][5][6][7], which have led to the overuse and waste of surface water resources and thus have indirectly affected the Aral Sea. For example, nearly all drainage of the Amu Darya River, which is the largest river in central Asia, is presently controlled and used for irrigation [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, Singh et al [13] used Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and MODIS Global Evapotranspiration Project (MOD16) data with a coarse resolution to analyze changes in water mass and ET in the lower Amu Darya River irrigation area. Nezlin et al [11] and Asarin et al [4] analyzed runoff from the Amu Darya River into the Aral Sea over decades. Conrad et al [14] studied crop water consumption by using coarse-resolution MODIS data.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As an important part of water balance, surface runoff, precipitation, groundwater recharge and evapotranspiration have a great influence on regional agricultural production and water resource management. The characteristics of the surface runoff of the Amu Darya River determine the water inflows to the Aral Sea and the irrigation area in the Amu Darya delta [4,16]. Accurate measurement of the region's inflow is essential and can be obtained from the several hydrological stations which located along the main stream of Amu Darya River, and variations of the runoff at the inlet station of the Amu Darya delta showed a significant decreasing trend from 1960 to 2006 [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Water Balance Analysis Based on a Quantitative Evapotranspiration Inversion in the Nukus Irrigation Area, Lower Amu River Basin

et al. 2020

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Human activities are mainly responsible for the Aral Sea crisis, and excessive farmland expansion and unreasonable irrigation regimes are the main manifestations. The conflicting needs of agricultural water consumption and ecological water demand of the Aral Sea are increasingly prominent. However, the quantitative relationship among the water balance elements in the oasis located in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya River Basin and their impact on the retreat of the Aral Sea remain unclear. Therefore, this study focused on the water consumption of the Nukus irrigation area in the delta of the Amu Darya River and analyzed the water balance variations and their impacts on the Aral Sea. The surface energy balance algorithm for land (SEBAL) was employed to retrieve daily and seasonal evapotranspiration (ET) levels from 1992 to 2018, and a water balance equation was established based on the results of a remote sensing evapotranspiration inversion. The results indicated that the actual evapotranspiration (ETa) simulated by the SEBAL model matched the crop evapotranspiration (ETc) calculated by the Penman–Monteith method well, and the correlation coefficients between the two ETa sources were greater than 0.8. The total ETa levels in the growing seasons decreased from 1992 to 2005 and increased from 2005 to 2015, which is consistent with the changes in the cultivated land area and inflows from the Amu Darya River. In 2000, 2005 and 2010, the groundwater recharge volumes into the Aral Sea during the growing season were 6.74×109 m3, 1.56×109 m3 and 8.40×109 m3; respectively; in the dry year of 2012, regional ET exceeded the river inflow, and 2.36×109 m3 of groundwater was extracted to supplement the shortage of irrigation water. There is a significant two-year lag correlation between the groundwater level and the area of the southern Aral Sea. This study can provide useful information for water resources management in the Aral Sea region.

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“…The Amu Darya arises in the Hindukush and Pamir mountains and delivers almost three times the flow of its sister, the Syr Darya, which has its origins in the Tian Shan range. Much has been written about these two waterways, which descend from higher elevations and approach the Aral Sea like pincers, the Amu Darya curving toward the southern extreme of the sea and the Syr Darya flowing northwards and gradually turning west toward the lake's northeastern shore [5,11,12]. Both rivers are subject to characteristic annual cycles of flow and periodic flood surges that determine when and where water is discharged.…”

Section: Water Dynamics In Central Asiamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Current Status and Future of Central Asia’s Fish and Fisheries: Confronting a Wicked Problem

Graham

Pueppke

Uderbayev

2017

Water

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Central Asia's arid lowland ecosystems are dependent on water that originates in nearby mountains and is carried by rivers to terminal lakes and freshwater seas with no outlets to the ocean. Fish traditionally thrived in these waterways, but they have become increasingly jeopardized by water impoundment and diversion for energy and crop production. Fish capture in the five new Central Asian republics consequently entered a period of long decline, a trend that was accelerated by removal of the centralized controls imposed by the former Soviet Union. Production levels have recovered during the past decade, but only in some countries. A similar trend is evident with aquaculture, which reached its lowest production levels in 2003-2008 but now is partially recovering. In both cases, progress is most evident in water-deficient Uzbekistan. Fish capture in Kazakhstan's Ili River ecosystem, including Kapchagay Reservoir and Lake Balkhash, is now dropping precipitously. Effects on the lake's fisheries have been magnified by the disproportionate rates of disappearance of valuable carp and pike-perch. The interrelationships between water, energy, and food underlie these threats to Central Asia's fish and define a classic "wicked problem" that must be addressed regionally with explicit attention given to fish as important components of the ecosystem. Recent developments, although not all positive, give reason for cautious optimism that the region's fisheries and aquaculture industries can be stabilized.

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Amudarya and Syrdarya Rivers and Their Deltas

Cited by 17 publications

References 1 publication

Mechanisms of Basin-Scale Nitrogen Load Reductions under Intensified Irrigated Agriculture

Mechanisms of Basin-Scale Nitrogen Load Reductions under Intensified Irrigated Agriculture

Water Balance Analysis Based on a Quantitative Evapotranspiration Inversion in the Nukus Irrigation Area, Lower Amu River Basin

The Current Status and Future of Central Asia’s Fish and Fisheries: Confronting a Wicked Problem

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