The Aral Sea’s Desertification: A Tragic Reality

This article presents an image obtained from a PRISMA satellite capture of the Aral Sea region in January 2021. The panel displays a visible band image and an infrared channel elaboration. Once one of the world’s largest lakes, the southern area has suffered significant water level decline and pollution due to overexploitation in agriculture in recent decades. While efforts are being made to restore the wetlands in the northern region, the large eastern desert area resulting from the lake’s drying up is now known as the Aralkum Desert. The data and information were generated by F. Serva and L. Ansalone under an ASI License to Use, using an original PRISMA product from ASI in 2021. The full frame image can be downloaded in jpg format.