| South Aral Sea | |
|---|---|
 The Aral Sea in mid-August 2014. The two remaining lakes to the south and west are the remains of the South Aral Sea. | |
  South Aral Sea  South Aral Sea | |
| Location | Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan, Central Asia |
| Coordinates | 45°00′N 58°30′E / 45°N 58.5°E |
| Type | endorheic, natural lake |
| Primary inflows | groundwater only (previously the Amu Darya) |
| Basin countries | Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan |
| Surface area | West Aral Sea: 3,500 km2 (1,350 sq mi) (2005) (fluctuating area of Eastern Sea) 42,100 km2 (16,250 sq mi) (1989) |
| Average depth | 14–15 m (46–49 ft) (2005) |
| Max. depth | 37–40 m (121–131 ft) (2005) |
| Surface elevation | 29 m (95 ft) (2007) |
| References | [1] |
The South Aral Sea was 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 eastern and western basins, the Eastern Sea and the West Aral Sea, connected by a narrow channel (channel bed at an elevation of 29 m (95 ft)) 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 Sea split again, and in May 2009 had almost completely dried out, leaving only the small permanent Barsakelmes Lake between the Northern and Western Seas and increasing the expanse of the Aralkum desert.[2][3] In 2010, it was partially filled again by meltwater,[4] and by 2014 was once again dry. The West Aral Sea has some replenishment from groundwater in the northwest.[5]
- ^ "Seen from Space – South Aral Sea shrinking but North Aral Sea expanding". EORC. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- ^ Harald Frater (10 August 2009). "scinexx | Aralsee: Ostbecken ist jetzt Wüste: Satellitenaufnahmen dokumentieren dramatische Austrocknung der letzen Jahre – Wüsten, Aralsee, Desertifikation, Wasser, Bewässerung, Landschaft, Landwirtschaft, Flüsse". Scinexx.de. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- ^ "Freshwater Ecoregions of the World". Feow.org. 26 February 2013. Archived from the original on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- ^ "The Shrinking Aral Sea Recovers : Image of the Day". Earthobservatory.nasa.gov. 30 October 2010. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1770.2010.00437.x. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Jarsjö, Jerker; Destouni, Georgia (2004). "Groundwater discharge into the Aral Sea after 1960". Journal of Marine Systems. 47 (1–4): 109–120. Bibcode:2004JMS....47..109J. doi:10.1016/j.jmarsys.2003.12.013.