Articles | Volume 29, issue 15
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-3569-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-3569-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
07 Aug 2025
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 07 Aug 2025
| 07 Aug 2025
Consequences of the Aral Sea restoration for its present physical state: temperature, mixing, and oxygen regime
Georgiy B. Kirillin
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Ecohydrology and Biogeochemistry, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany
Tom Shatwell
Department of Environmental Engineering and Applied Computer Science, Lemgo, Germany, Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Germany
Alexander S. Izhitskiy
Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
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Editorial statement
The Aral Sea represents both an example of large-scale environmental degradation caused by human activity and a message of hope through its partial restoration. This follow-up study emphasizes that while the system appears healthy at present, it lacks resilience and small perturbations could significantly alter the entire ecosystem. The topic of the paper is of broad interest and the results of the analysis are also important for the management of the region.
The Aral Sea represents both an example of large-scale environmental degradation caused by human...
Short summary
The Aral Sea is both an example of large-scale environmental degradation caused by human activity and a message of hope through its partial restoration. Our study shows that the restored part of the Aral Sea is now healthy in terms of vertical mixing and oxygenation. However, small perturbations of water level or transparency could significantly alter the entire ecosystem. The results contribute to understanding the consequences of large-scale lake management worldwide.
The Aral Sea is both an example of large-scale environmental degradation caused by human...
