At the beginning of the 20th century, the Aral Sea was the largest lake in Central Asia (Fig. 1). Starting from the second half of this century, as a result of the drying up of the sea, a new desert ecosystem—the Aralkum Desert—was formed at its bottom (Fig. 2). This area is currently considered one of the largest anthropogenic desert ecosystems in Central Asia. As a result of … [Read more...]