This book offers a concise description of the environment and water resources in Turkmenistan. The focus is on the water bodies of Turkmenistan - the Caspian Sea, Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay, Sarykamysh Lake, Amu Darya River, and the Karakum Canal. Respected experts from six different countries cover the landscape-geographical features, the Karakum Desert, biodiversity (especially of birds and fishes) and ecosystems, as well as regional climate change. Special attention is paid to the Altyn Asyr Lake water reclamation project, to the morphometric characteristics of the Karashor Depression, and to the four-year-long satellite monitoring of the construction area in the vicinity of the Karashor Depression. The information presented is based on observational data and scientific literature, mainly published in Russian. This is the first English book on the Altyn Asyr Project. It addresses specialists working in various fields of environmental problems and ecology, water resources and management, land reclamation and agriculture, regional climate change, and international cooperation in the water sector in Turkmenistan and Central Asia.

Inhalt

Introduction Zonn I.S., Kostianoy A.G.

Turkmenistan: Landscape-geographical features, biodiversity and ecosystems Rustamov E.A.

The Karakum Desert Zonn I.S., Essenov P.E.

Climate change in Turkmenistan Lioubimtseva E., Kariyeva J., Henebry G.M.

Water resources of Turkmenistan Zonn I.S.

The Caspian Sea and Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay Kosarev A.N., Kostianoy A.G., Zonn I.S., Zhiltsov S.S.

The Karakum Canal Zonn I.S.

Sarykamysh Lake - collector of drainage water: the past, the present and the future Orlovsky L., Matsrafi O., Orlovsky N., Kouznetsov M.

Groundwaters and salinization of soils in Turkmenistan Esenov P.E.

Forecast of the Water-Salt Balance in the Turkmen Lake Altyn-Asyr Pyagay E. T.

The Turkmen Lake Altyn Asyr Zonn I.S., Kostianoy A.G.

Three-Dimensional Digital Elevation Model of Karashor Depression and Altyn Asyr Lake Kostianoy A.G., Lebedev S.A.

Satellite monitoring of the Caspian Sea, Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay, Sarykamysh and Altyn Asyr Lakes, and Amu Darya River Kostianoy A.G., Lebedev S.A., Solovyov D.M.

Present-day condition of ichthyofauna in reservoirs of Turkmenistan Shakirova F.M.

Waterbirds of hydrographic network of Altyn Asyr Rustamov E.A., Belousova A.V.

International cooperation of Turkmenistan in the water sector Church J.M.

Conclusions Zonn I.S., Kostianoy A.G.