Title: The Aral Sea Crisis
Headings: The Aral Sea Crisis
The Aral Sea Crisis
Environmental Impacts
Water Levels
Correlation of Salinity with Water Level
SST Changes
Desertification
Salinization of Soil
Dust Storms
Climate Change
Melting Glaciers

Content: Similar effects have been observed in Australia as well (Australian Academy of Science). SST Changes
The desiccation of the Aral Sea has been accompanied by the change in the Sea Surface Temperature. We see that the summer SSTs have been increasing, while winter SSTs have been decreasing (Zavialov 2005). This is expected because as the sea looses volume, it's heat capacity is reduced, therefore it can warm up and cool off faster than before. The day to night variations in SSTs, which are responsible for the sea breezes, have also increased. In a sense, Aral sea has started to exhibit a monsoon climate, which is characterized by seasonal climate change due to warming & cooling of the sea. The desiccation period was also characterized by less ice covering of the sea (Zavialov 2005). This can be explained by the fact that increased salt concentration lowers the freezing point of water; therefore the temperature would now need to be lower for the water to turn into ice. Desertification
The Aral Sea region experienced significant desertification during the desiccation period.