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This book summarizes the outcomes of research results based on field works and recent studies related to soil cover of the dried Aral seabed in Kazakhstan. The purpose of the work was to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the current state of the soil cover in the dried bed of the Aral Sea in order to study the processes that are occurring in the local soils as a result of anthropogenic impacts inducing soil degradation and desertification (e.g., soil salinization and deflation). Additionally, the book analyzes morphological characteristics and chemical-physical properties of soils in the dried bottom of the Northern Aral Sea in order to know how material properties can be transported during soil deflation in dust/sand/salt storms in the region, as well as to identify changes in long-term dynamics of aridization and climatic parameters such as temperature, precipitation and evapotranspiration in the Aral Sea region.
The novelty of this research is reflected in the latest information on the vertical and spatial distributions of soils and their chemical properties in the region containing the dried bed of the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan. Consequently, an updated soil map (soil salinization and salinization degree, land degradation) of the seabed was obtained according to the collected field data and satellite-derived images such as those recorded by Landsat-8. The book is mainly addressed to scientists and researchers who study soil cover in the dried Aral Seabed and its region, as well as soil degradation and desertification in the dried lake playas and aridization in other arid regions. The book will also be useful for students and planners who feel responsible for the sustainable development and sustainable use of natural resources in Central Asian countries.
Chapter 1: Introduction and background on environmental changes in the dried aral sea region
Chapter 2: Environmental conditions of the aral sea region
Chapter 3: Origin of the aralkum desert (dried aral seabed)
Chapter 4: Soil cover of the dried aral seabed (aralkum)
Chapter 5: Formation, degradation and mapping
Chapter 6: Conclusions
Chapter 7: Recommendations for the rational use of the land and water resources in the dried Aral Seabed region
Gulnura Issanova holds a doctorate degree in Natural Sciences from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences (China) and is an associate professor at the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, scientist, and researcher at U.U. Uspanov Kazakh Research Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry and a scientific secretary at the Research Centre for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia (Almaty), Kazakhstan. Her research interest is focused on problems of soil degradation and desertification. She participates regularly in the International Scientific Activities on Environmental Problems as well as writes articles on the subject and takes part in local and international projects. She published more than 70 articles in international and domestic journals and 6 books: Aeolian Processes as Dust Storms in the Deserts of Central Asia and Kazakhstan (2017), Man-made Ecology of East Kazakhstan (2018), Hydrology and Limnology of Central Asia (2019), Geomechanical Processes and Their Assessment in the Rock Massifs in Central Kazakhstan (2019), Current and Future Trends of Rainfall Erosivity and Soil Erosion in Central Asia (2021) and Tourism in the Kyrgyz Republic (2021) by Springer Nature. Gulnura Issanova became a Laureat of the International Award "Springer Top Author" and awarded in the Nomination "Springer Young Scientist Awards" for high publication activity in scientific journals published by Springer Nature, 2016 and the best young scientist of the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, 2019 and Owner of the State scientific scholarship for talented young scientists by the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan (2019-2020) and Winner of the personal scholarship of the President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (PIFI) for Postdoctoral Researcher (2020-2022).
Jilili Abuduwaili is a professor and deputy director at the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences (China) and an Executive Director of the Research Center of Ecology and Environment of Central Asia (Almaty). He holds a doctoral degree from the Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia. He is a member of a council of the China Natural Resources Society and the Xinjiang Geographical Society as well as a deputy chairman of the Xinjiang Natural Resources Society. Jilili Abuduwaili is an associate editor of the Journal of Arid Land and editor-in-chief of the journals Arid Land Geography and Arid Land Research (both in Uyghur language). He is also an editorial board member of the journals "Arid Ecosystem" in Russia and "Soil Science and Agrochemistry" in Kazakhstan. He is a Supervisor for postgraduate students. Since 2015, he has been a foreign academician at the Academy of Agriculture of Kazakhstan. His main fields of work and expertise are in the areas of natural resources and environments, ecological safety, lake environments, disaster, and landscape changes in arid lands. Jilili Abuduwaili has built international cooperation in research between Russia and Central Asian countries. He has published more than 200 papers in international and domestic journals and 7 books: Lakes and Salt Dust Storms in Arid Lands (in Chinese), Overview of Central Asian Environments (in Chinese), Climate Change Effects to the Ecological System in Tianshan Mountains (in Russian), Natural Geography of Kyrgyzstan (in Russian), Water Resources and Utilization in Uzbekistan (in Russian), Arid Soil in Kazakhstan: Current States and Utilization (in Russian), Salt Dust Storms: Special Disaster in Arid Lands (in Uyghur).
Kuralay Tynybayeva is a PhD in soil science and agrochemistry. She is a Researcher in the Soil Ecology Department at the U.U. Uspanov Kazakh Research Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry. She regularly takes part in scientific internships (University of Putra, Malaysia, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia) and in research projects dealing with soil salinization in the desert zone of Kazakhstan. Her scientific interests cover a wide spectrum, as she participated in various projects that investigated the soils of different regions in Kazakhstan. She has published over 20 scientific articles related to her studies.
