Human Environment Interaction : Aral Sea and Chernobyl

Copy this chart down in your ISN Where/ What? Causes of the Problems What’s Happening ? Aral Sea Chernobyl

Aral Sea: The Disappearing Lake The Aral Sea is located between the countries of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan The Aral Sea used to be the 4 th largest sea in the world…..

The Soviet government started irrigation policies that diverted (moved) the course of the Aral Sea’s water source to grow cotton and rice. The irrigation increased as the government saw an increase in the crop product. More Crops = More Food for the people and money for the country

Side Effects of the Irrigation Systems With less water flowing into the Aral Sea, the water level decreased. The SALINITY (amount of salt in water) increased due to an imbalance in the water. The salt made the water too toxic for fish or wildlife to live in or drink. The fishing industry (primary sector) suffered greatly since all the fish were dying.

More Side Effects The retreating waters exposed fertilizers and pesticides that polluted the area. Disease and illness increased as the population was exposed to the pollution. Jobs in the fishing and shipping industry disappeared too.

Chernobyl

April, 28, 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant is located near Kiev, Ukraine. A reactor exploded in the power plant due to a poorly planned safety experiment design.

Effects of the Explosion The explosion contaminated 100, 000 sq. miles of land in Ukraine and Russia. People had to be evacuated from villages and forced to resettle in new areas. Radiation was spread all over Europe, Asia, and North America. Ariel View of the Burning of Toxic Gases

Your Turn….. In your ISN, Trace both of your hands. Label each hand on the palm: Aral Sea and Chernobyl For each finger, label the following: Aral SeaChernobyl Where What is it? What Happened Causes Prevention Where What is it? What Happened Causes Prevention