Autopsy of a lake

"Aralkum: A Man-Made Desert" is a book dealing with one of the world's largest ecological disasters, the turning of the Aral Sea into a salt desert. The Aral Sea is, or rather was, situated in Central Asia. It used to be one of the largest lakes in the world, but Soviet irrigation projects diverted water from two of its largest tributaries, dramatically shrinking its size. From 1960 to 1990, about half of the Aral Sea disappeared, and in the two decades since the collapse of the Soviet Union, most of the rest has disappeared, as well. The resulting desert is known as Aralkum.

This book is somewhat less technical than other volumes in the "Ecological Studies" series. It's nevertheless difficult to read for the layman, due to the excessively detailed information it contains. "Aralkum: A Man-Made Desert" should be treated as a reference work, not something you can read from cover to cover, unless you are a budding scientist who absolutely wants to do research on salt deserts!

Chapters deal with subjects such as geology, history, climate, flora, fauna, and attempts to restore the environment for the benefit of the local population. While animal life in and around the disappearing lake has taken a heavy toll, 368 species of plants have managed to establish themselves on the former lake floor, suggesting that Mother Nature will always find a way. If humanity will is another thing entirely. As usual, the scientists take an optimistic approach, reporting on how their experiments with planting various grasses and shrubs have increased the quality of life in selected villages in the area. Thank you.

The one thing missing from "Aralkum: A Man-Made Desert" is the feeling of moral revulsion. The whole book reminds me of an autopsy of the victim of some horrible crime: dispassionate, clinical, objective. I suppose we can't expect anything else from a reference volume...