Figure 18.23

The shrinking Aral Sea. Satellite image of the Aral Sea in 2014. The remaining portions of the lake are dark green. The extent of the Aral Sea in 1960 is shown by the traced outline. The original lake bed was about 400 km (250 mi) in length and was roughly the size of Wisconsin. Hundreds of rusting boats (inset), now resting tens of kilometers from water, are a reminder of the fishery that once sustained local economies and people.

(Right: NASA; inset: Kelly Cheng Travel Photography/Flickr RF/Getty Images)