June 22nd, 2013 Category: Climate Change, Deserts, Lakes VIIRSSuomi-NPP

Kazakhstan and China – June 21st, 2013

In the last 15 years, all of the 22 glaciers around Lake Issyk Kul (center, between Lake Balqash and the Taklamakan Desert), in Kazakhstan, have retreated. There are a number of reasons for the degradation of glaciation in Issyk Kul, but the increase in surface pollution and climate change are the main ones.

Both contribute to more intense melting and therefore degrade the mass balance of the glacier. The average yearly temperature in the glaciation zone has risen by 0.2ºC; summers are warmer by 0.6ºC, evidenced not only by melting rates but by a longer ablation period. This continued warming trend will accelerate glacial collapse and, most important, lead to a change in the water volume in the rivers the glaciers help to feed (click here for more information).

Tags: China Kazakhstan Lake Balqash Lake Issyk Kul Taklamakan Desert | Comments |

June 11th, 2013 Category: Climate Change, Deserts, Image of the day, Lakes VIIRSSuomi-NPP

Kazakhstan and China – June 10th, 2013

Lakes in arid regions of Central Asia, such as Lake Balkhash, in Kazakhstan (upper left), northwest of China’s Taklamakan Desert (below), act as essential components of regional water cycles, providing sparse but valuable water resource for the fragile ecological environments and human lives.

Lakes in Central Asia are sensitive to climate change and human activities, and great changes have been found since 1960s. Mapping and monitoring these inland lakes can improve our understanding of mechanism of lake dynamics and climatic impacts. Satellite altimetry provides an efficient tool of continuously measuring lake levels in these poorly surveyed remote areas.

Scientists have shown that alpine lakes are increasing greatly in lake levels during 2003-2009 due to climate change, while open lakes with dams and plain endorheic lakes decrease dramatically in water levels due to human activities, which reveals the overexploitation of water resource in Central Asia (click here for more information).

Tags: China Kazakhstan Lake Balkhash Taklamakan Desert | Comments |

June 4th, 2013 Category: Lakes MODISTerra

Kazakhstan – June 4th, 2013

The ecosystem of Alakol Lake is located in unique natural and climatic conditions, which together with the favorable geographical location determine the attractiveness of this territory for a huge number of the globally valuable avifauna species. Main threats to the lake and its wetlands include uncontrolled poaching of water fowl and wild boars, which led to decline in the number of fauna species. Other threats include erosion, which needs to be prevented through introduction of sustainable water-saving irrigation technologies and training land users new alternative technologies, decreasing degradation processes in conditions of climate aridization.

Tags: Kazakhstan Lake Alakol | Comments |

January 18th, 2013 Category: Lakes

Caspian Sea- January 12th, 2013

Fresh snow covers the terrain of Kazakhstan by the Caspian Sea, and the northern part of the sea is covered in ice. Despite the inflow of the Volga River (upper left), the northern portion of the Caspian Sea averages only 17 ft in depth, and responds to the region’s continental climate, which is cold in winter and hot and dry in the summer. The southern part of the Sea is deeper and remains ice-free throughout the winter.

Tags: Caspian Sea Ice Kazakhstan Snow Volga River | Comments |