The Disappearance of the Aral Sea
The Aral Sea, located between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, was once the fourth largest body of inland water on the planet. However, over the last 60 years, human activity has drained it almost completely due to the irrigation of cotton plantations, leaving behind a salt plain the size of Ireland. The loss of the Aral Sea has been seen as an ecological and humanitarian problem, but new research reveals that it is also a significant contributor to climate change.
Why This Matters
The importance of the Aral Sea goes beyond its ecological function. When a body of water is full and functioning correctly, organic matter accumulates at the bottom, where it remains stored for centuries or millennia. These bodies of water act as carbon sinks. However, when the water dries up, the stored carbon is released, transforming these sinks into sources of greenhouse gas emissions.
The Mechanism Behind the Problem
The research team, led by Rafael Marcé, from the Centre for Advanced Studies in Blanes, Spain, discovered that the Aral Sea emitted around 748 million metric tons of carbon dioxide between 1960 and 2022. This is three times the annual emissions of Spain. Most of these emissions occurred in the first 15 years after a section of the lake was exposed. Additionally, nearly a fifth of the emissions came from the wind blowing sediment away, an aspect of the drying process that had not been adequately studied before.
Broader Context
The study of the Aral Sea is not isolated. Other bodies of water around the world, such as Lake Chad in West Africa, Lake Poopó in Bolivia, and the Caspian Sea, which is the largest body of inland water in the world, are experiencing a similar phenomenon of "dry flow". This also includes the Salton Lake in California and the Great Salt Lake in Utah, which is releasing more than 4 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year.
What Happens Next
The research team plans to return to the Aral Sea with heavier equipment to learn more about what is happening in the deeper layers of the lake bed. The study also highlights the importance of considering carbon emissions from the drying of bodies of water as a significant contribution to climate change. The idea that these bodies of water can be protected and that the carbon stored in them can be preserved offers an opportunity to address the problem of climate change in a more holistic way.
Consequences and Perspectives
The loss of the Aral Sea and the subsequent release of carbon into the atmosphere have significant implications for the global climate. The research team estimates that there are still around 605 million metric tons of carbon dioxide that can be released from the lake, making the salt plain a carbon time bomb. However, this also offers an opportunity to reverse course and protect the stored carbon, which could be equivalent to around $18 billion in carbon credits.
Source / Reference
This story was originally published by Grist with the title The Aral Sea isn’t just an ecological nightmare – it’s a carbon bomb on July 16, 2026.