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17-732: Due to the shrinking of the Aral Sea, the island became connected to the mainland in the 1960s at its western end, and became the Kokaral Peninsula. From 1987 on it became connected to the surrounding land also at its eastern end, over the Berg Strait, turning the peninsula into an isthmus separating the North Aral Sea and the South Aral Sea . In 2005 the Dike Kokaral across the Berg Strait

34-520: A second dam further north, halfway between Kokaral and Aralsk , this city would thus regain its maritime space. The lake would then be in two parts, only the upper level, corresponding to the Saryshyganak bay, would return to the level before 1970. A supply channel would be necessary, for this several options are possible : a canal of around sixty km long coming from the Syr Daria, a channel coming from

51-507: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . North Aral Sea The North Aral Sea ( Kazakh : Soltüstık Aral teñızı ) is the portion of the former Aral Sea that is fed by the Syr Darya River. It split from the South Aral Sea in 1987–1988 as water levels dropped due to river diversion for agriculture. In 1925 a large site containing numerous fossils of the Oligocene

68-471: The Kamyslybas or even a chanel coming from upper north avoiding arid regions. Aralsk Aral , also known as Aralsk or Aral'sk , ( Kazakh : Арал , Aral , ارال; Russian : Аральск , Araljsk ) 46°47′N 61°40′E  /  46.783°N 61.667°E  / 46.783; 61.667 is a small city in south-western Kazakhstan , located in the oblast (region) of Kyzylorda . It serves as

85-527: The North Aral Sea and save its fisheries failed twice, but in 2005, the government of Kazakhstan was able to fund a more robust design. Since then, water levels have risen faster than expected and fish stocks have increased. Plans to build a second dike to increase water levels further were due to begin in 2010, but have so far not materialized. There is now an ongoing effort in Kazakhstan to save and replenish

102-571: The North Aral Sea. As part of this effort, a dam project was completed in 2005; in 2008, the water level in this lake had risen by 12 m (39 ft) from its level in 2003. Salinity has dropped, and fish are again found in sufficient numbers for some fishing to be viable, especially mackerel introduced at the Syr Darya river delta, though attempts to introduce tuna in 2009 failed. The Kokaral dam could be raised by several meters, which would restore this lake to its pre-1970 level. A discharge on

119-457: The Shevchenko Bay, in the former Auzykokaral Strait, west of the former Kokaral Island, would allow available water to be used towards the other remnants of the Aral Sea, Barsakelmes Lake and the western basin, preventing this water from being lost in the sandy desert that the eastern part of the ancient sea has become, as is currently the case. Another project would be the construction of

136-464: The administrative center of Aral District . Aral was formerly a fishing port and harbour city on the banks of the Aral Sea , and was a major supplier of fish to the neighboring region. Population: 29,987 (2009 Census results); 30,347 (1999 Census results). In 1817, there was a village Alty-Kuduk (Six Wells) near the present city of Aralsk. This is currently a railway passing-track in the southern part of

153-565: The city. Since the 1870s, this was recorded as the Aralsky settlement. The development of Aralsk began when the Orenburg-Tashkent railway was being constructed (1899-1905). In 1905, the railway station was constructed and continues to operate. The official history of Aralsk began that same year. In 1905, Russian merchants organized large fishing companies and formed a joint-stock firm in Aralsk. This

170-654: The disease was recognized as resulting from the release of weaponized smallpox from a nearby biological weapons test site. In less than 2 weeks, approximately 50,000 residents of Aral were vaccinated. Household quarantine of potentially exposed individuals was enacted, and hundreds were isolated in a makeshift facility at the edge of the city. All traffic in and out of the city was stopped, and approximately 54,000 square feet of living space and 18 metric tons of household goods were decontaminated by health officials. The original outbreak sickened ten people in Aral, of whom 3 died. Aral has

187-409: The last 25 years it has not been possible to see the sea from the town. There are also serious health problems for the local population caused by airborne toxic chemicals exposed to the wind by the retreating waters and, possibly, from chemical and biological agents unsafely stored on the island of Vozrozhdeniya . In 1971, a massive public health response to a smallpox outbreak in Aral ensued once

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204-470: The mouth of the Syr Darya . In either 1848 or 1853 or 1855 Raimsk was abandoned and Fort Aralsk moved upriver to Fort Number One, or Kazalinsk . Further upriver were forts No. 2 and 3 which were the old Kokandi forts of Karmaktschy and Kumish-Kurgan. Fort Aralsk was used to launch ships to map the Aral Sea and as a base to attack Ak Mechet . Since the retreat of the Aral Sea since 1960, due to diversion of

221-461: The rivers flowing into it for irrigation , mainly of cotton , during the Soviet era , Aral is now completely landlocked about 12 km from the northern remnant of the Aral Sea , though this is less than the 100 km distance observed before the completion of a dam in 2005. Aral has greatly diminished in population and socioeconomic significance, resulting in high levels of unemployment . For

238-629: The southern part was the former South Aral Sea . After the fall of the Soviet Union , the government of independent Kazakhstan decided to restore the northern lake fed by Syr Darya . In 2003, the lake was 30 m (98 ft) in depth and 2,550 km (985 sq mi) in area ( JAXA source: 3,200 km (1,240 sq mi)); by 2008 it had reached 42 m (138 ft) in depth and 3,300 km (1,270 sq mi) in area ( JAXA source: 3,600 km (1,390 sq mi)). The poorly built Dike Kokaral intended to contain

255-481: Was completed. The dike stops water from the North Aral Sea from spilling over into the South Aral Sea, and thus contributes to maintaining and increasing the water level in the northern sea. Since then, the water level of the North Aral Sea has risen. 46°14′30″N 60°44′10″E  /  46.2416666667°N 60.7361111111°E  / 46.2416666667; 60.7361111111 This Kazakhstan location article

272-584: Was discovered near the village of Akespe by the northern shore of the Aral Sea. The Aral Sea began shrinking in the 1960s, when the Soviet Union decided that the two rivers feeding it, the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya , would be diverted to irrigate cotton and food crops in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan . In 1987–1988, due to an accelerated loss of water, the Aral Sea split into northern and southern parts;

289-539: Was the beginning of fishery in the Aral Sea and shipbuilding plants soon followed in Aralsk. After the Revolution, the station “Aralskoye more (sea)” with the adjoining settlement received the name Aralsk. In 1938, Aralsk and the Aralsky district became a part of newly formed Kzyl-Orda oblast of Kazakh SSR and turned into the town. Aralsk is not to be confused with Fort Aralsk which was about 120 km south. In 1847 Russia built Raimsk, later called Fort Aralsk, near

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