Aral Sea's shrinkage boosts Central Asian dust emission by 7 percent

Aral Sea's shrinkage boosts Central Asian dust emission by 7 percent
by Robert Schreiber
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Apr 19, 2024

The desiccation of the Aral Sea has resulted in a 7 percent increase in dustiness across Central Asia over the past three decades. Research from the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) and Free University of Berlin indicates that annual dust emissions in the region nearly doubled from 14 million to 27 million tonnes from 1984 to 2015. These findings were presented at the Second Central Asian Dust Conference (CADUC-2), held in Nukus, Uzbekistan.

The escalation in dust emissions is largely attributed to the expansion of the Aralkum Desert, which formed from the dried lakebed of the Aral Sea. Once the fourth largest lake globally, the Aral Sea has drastically reduced in size due to extensive agricultural irrigation practices depleting its tributaries, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers. The emerging desert now ranks among the top anthropogenic dust sources worldwide.

The researchers utilized the COSMO-MUSCAT atmospheric dust model to assess the impacts of this increased dust production. According to their study, two-thirds of the dust is kicked up under cloudy conditions, making it difficult to detect via traditional satellite methods. This factor suggests that previous estimates of dust volumes may have been significantly understated.

Dust from the Aralkum Desert poses severe risks to public health and contributes to poor air quality even in distant capital cities like Ashgabat and Dushanbe, over 800 kilometers away. Furthermore, the dust is implicated in hastening glacier melt in the region, which exacerbates the ongoing water scarcity crisis.

The TROPOS and FU Berlin teams continue to investigate the broader climatic impacts of the increasing dust storms. Their research highlights the complex interplay of dust with radiative cooling and heating effects, which vary seasonally and influence regional weather patterns and climate dynamics.

Their ongoing studies aim to refine satellite monitoring and modeling techniques to better predict and mitigate the environmental consequences of dust emissions in Central Asia and beyond. Further insights into the optical properties of this dust will enhance remote sensing capabilities, crucial for addressing the challenges posed by the expanding desertification in the region.

Research Report:Second Central Asian Dust Conference (CADUC-2)

Research Report:Radiative cooling and atmospheric perturbation effects of dust aerosol from the Aralkum Desert in Central Asia

Research Report:Impacts of the desiccation of the Aral Sea on the Central Asian dust life-cycle