A review of the impact of the Aral Sea drought on the vulnerability of the natural and human environment around it with the aim of pathology of the impact of the drying of Lake Urmia

Pouladi, Naser; Didevar Tabrizi, Sama; Ravanbakhsh, Reyhaneh

doi:10.22111/jneh.2024.47478.2013

A review of the impact of the Aral Sea drought on the vulnerability of the natural and human environment around it with the aim of pathology of the impact of the drying of Lake Urmia

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

¹ Associate Professor of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran

² MSc Student in Cellular and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran

³ Department of Aquatic Biotechnology, Artemia and Aquaculture Research Institute, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran

10.22111/jneh.2024.47478.2013

Abstract

The Aral Sea was one of the four largest lakes in the world. In the past six decades, the drying of the Aral Sea has caused environmental changes and increased water salinity. Considering that Lake Urmia has been exposed to widespread drought in recent years, the main objective of this article is to study the environmental hazards created around the Aral Sea after its drying. In addition, the aim is to better understand the tensions that affect Iran and other neighboring countries with the drying up of Lake Urmia. In this study, researchers conducted on the changes in climatic and social conditions of the population of the Aral Sea basin were identified using databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar between 2000 and 2022, and several articles were reviewed. According to studies, the Aral Sea was 11 times larger than Lake Urmia in the mid-20th century. Due to excessive agricultural development, it began to dry up. The government's solution was to revive it on a smaller scale, of which two parts have been revived. Most studies have reported a significant relationship between the drying up of the Aral Sea and various diseases, including respiratory diseases, types of cancer, fertility dangers, and mental and neurological disorders. Considering the environmental problems and the spread of various diseases among the inhabitants of the dried-up Aral Sea, the revival of Lake Urmia is more necessary than before. Moreover, Kazakhstan's successful experience in Aral restoration can be a model for the revival of Lake Urmia.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Environmental Contamination

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