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Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop "Critical Scientific Issues of the Aral Sea Basin: State of Knowledge and Future Research Needs", held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, May 2-5, 1994

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The Aral Sea Basin, which is located in the central Asian part of the former Soviet Union, is undergoing dramatically rapid and intense environmental change. Pervasive human misuse and overuse of its water, land, and other critical natural resources have led to severe degradation of key ecological systems. This book analyses the environmental, human and economic problems that have arisen and presents recommendations for future research needs. Primary focus is on the drying of the Aral Sea, but related issues of diminished river flow, land and water pollution, and degradation, ecosystem deterioration, and adverse effects on humans are also examined.

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Preface.- I: Overview of the Aral Problem.- ´Introductory Remarks on the Aral Issue´.- ´Review of the Scientific and Environmental Issues of the Aral Sea Basin´.- II: The Aral Sea.- ´Changes in the Water-Level and Hydrological Balance of the Aral Sea´.- ´Changes in the Form and Biota of the Aral Sea Over Time´.- ´The Aral Sea: A Limnological Perspective´.- III: Ecological Changes Around the Aral Sea.- ´Current Changes in the Vegetation of the Amu Dar´ya Delta´.- ´The Ecological Restoration of Delta Areas of the Aral Sea´.- ´Ecosystem Changes in the Northern (Kazakhstan) Area of the Former Aral Sea (Priaralie)´.- IV: Climatic and Hydrologic Changes Around the Aral Sea.- ´Dust and Salt Transfer from the Exposed Bed of the Aral Sea and Measures to Decrease its Environmental Impact´.- ´Climatic and Ecological Effects of the Environmental Changes in the Aral Sea Zone on Karakalpakstan´.- V: Water Management Issues.- ´The Problem of Water Resources Management in Central Asia with Regard to the Aral Sea Situation´.- ´Hydrochemistry of River, Collector and Drainage Waters in the Aral Sea Basin´.- ´Transferability of Environmental Assessments in the Salton Sea Basin, California, and Other Irrigated Areas in the Western United States to the Aral Sea Basin, Uzbekistan´.- VI: Contemporary Technologies for Studying the Aral Problem.- ´Environmental and Landscape Changes in the Aral Sea Region as Detected from Remote Sensing´.- ´Monitoring of Recent Area and Volume Changes of the Aral Sea and Development of an Optimized Land and Water Use Model for the Amu Dar´ya Delta´.- ´Water Resources Monitoring in the Aral Sea Basin´.- ´Real-time Monitoring of the Changing Environment of the Aral Sea Region: the Role for Low-cost, Local Reception of Satellite Data´.- ´Problems of Space and Satellite Monitoring of the Aral Sea Basin´.

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