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1.) 1 thing that surprised me was that salt is increasing in the Aral Sea

2.) 1 thing i learned was that The sea is shrinking due to the dams

3.) i wonder would the shrinking problem ever stop

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One thing that surprised me is that salt in the Aral Sea is increasing. One thing that I learned was that the Aral Sea is shrinking. One thing I want to learn about is whether or not the shrinking problem will disappear.

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1. One thing that surprised me is that the salt in the Aral Sea is increasing, as I didn't expect there to be an increase in salt by a decreasing lake.
2. One thing that I learned was that the Aral Sea is shrinking from the dams.
3. I wonder about whether the solution to fix this will become available in the near future.

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Landsat imagery timelapse of the shrinking Aral Sea spanning 1985 to 2015.

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One factor that affects how much water a region uses for growing crops is population density. The more people in a region, the more food farmers need to grow. Another factor is climate. Areas that get more rain need less water for their crops but those with less rain need more water. A third factor is the type of crop being grown. Some crops require more water than others. Areas that are most likely to experience water stress are areas with high population and dry climates. An area with a higher population needs more water for crops, but having a dry climate will make it difficult. People can make choices to reduce water stress such as reducing water needs. Farmers can grow less crops that need a lot of water. Switching from cotton to wheat can cut water use by more than half. Families can also help by using less water for daily living.

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The Aral Sea is not the only part of the world facing water stress. Everyone needs water, no matter where you live. But many places don't get enough rainfall for the right amont of water they need. People use other sources for water such as rivers and lakes.

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Strong winds pick up sand from the bottom of the Aral Sea. This is a sign of the declining life in the Aral Sea region. Before the 1960's, there was enough water for crops and small farms. Today, the region faces severe water stress. The water in the Aral Sea is too salty to drink so peole get water from lakes and rivers nearby. But most of that water can't be filtered because it has become too polluted by sewage and toxic chemicals from people. Several people become ill from drinking the polluted water. Repairing the Aral Sea will cost billions of dollars because farmers will need to plant less thirsty crops like grapes and fruit trees. That means farmers will make less money. The government can help lower the cost by improving their water management. Building water systems to provide safe drinking water to residents is an idea. Another idea can be to build a water treatment plant to reduce water pollution. Central Asia has lots of oil. Countries around the Aral Sea may be able to use money earned by selling oil to improve the quantity of life in this region.

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In 2001, several rusted fishing boats are scattered across the desert. There's also a lot of junk everywhere because they are reminders of when the Aral Sea was home to many fisheries. Before it began to shrink, the Aral Sea was home to several fish. Around 90 million pounds of fish were harvested each year. This industry had jobs for about 35,000 workers. The shrinking of the Aral Sea destroyed the fishing industry. The water that is left in the sea is very salty. Many fishing crews lost their jobs because the fish died due to such salty water. Most workers go somewhere else to work and leave their families behind. They also send their families money to buy the things they need. Of the 40,000 people who once lived in Moynaq, only 3,000 remain.

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Cotton is sometimes called "white gold" because it's a crop that earns farmers a lot of income. Finding a place to grow cotton is difficult because some areas had enough rain but were too cold, and others were warm enough but too dry. The solution to their problem was to plant cotton in a desert in Central Asia. The Soviet Government got water to cotton farms by building dams in rivers. Having a desert to grow cotton worked well because the new crop provided jobs for people. About 90% of the water was stored from the dams but only 10% reached the sea. The Aral Sea began to shrink because the water evaporated. The shrinking of the Sea changed the weather. Before it was cool summers and winters, and now the regions climate changed to hotter summers and colder winters. The use of water degraded the land.

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In 1960, Moynaq was a fishing town in the Soviet Union. It was almost completely surrounded by the Aral Sea.  A lot has changed since then. For example, today, Moynaq is surrounded by dust. Now, the water's edge is 90 miles from Moynaq. Moynaq suffers from water stress, this occurs when an area needs more water than it has. Water stress has increased because the Aral Sea has shrunk.