Scientists Launch Joint Expedition to Northern Aral Sea

From August 29 to September 9, a joint expedition, led by the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), surveyed the northern Aral Sea in Kazakhstan. The expedition mobilized 28 scientists from 13 research institutions across China, Kazakhstan, and Germany, aiming to foster green innovation and bolster regional cooperation.

The expedition officially launched on August 29 in Kazakhstan's Kyzylorda Region, coinciding with the opening of the “International Symposium on Ecology and Sustainable Development of Aral Sea.” Zebeshev Ardak Temirkhanovich, Deputy Akim of Kyzylorda Region, and ZHANG Yuanming, Director of XIEG, attended the event and delivered speeches. The event was chaired by Academician Espolov Tlektes Isabayevich, President of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan (NAAS).

Zebeshev Ardak Temirkhanovich conveyed his appreciation for the continuous and robust support from the Chinese government in bilateral scientific collaboration. He expressed hope that the expedition would deepen participants' understanding of the Aral Sea's complex issues, with the expectation that its scientific findings would contribute to the region's future development and the welfare of its local communities.

ZHANG Yuanming detailed the expedition's context, significance, schedule and expected outcomes. He highlighted that this joint expedition, following a similar one in southern Aral Sea in Uzbekistan in 2024, will focus on biodiversity, soil, hydrology, and geomorphology within the dried-up basin, with the goal of identifying the drivers of ecological degradation and formulating a "roadmap for restoration and green development for the Aral Sea".

Discussions during the symposium included insights from Kazakh officials and scientists, alongside representatives from XIEG. The participants collectively voiced optimism for a productive expedition and expressed anticipation for in-depth academic dialogue once the findings are disseminated, aiming to provide practical guidance for the Aral Sea's ecological management.

Following the launch ceremony, the expedition team commenced their fieldwork. Prof. YANG Weikang from XIEG led the terrestrial survey, while Prof. GAO Guang from the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, CAS, directed the aquatic investigations. Together, they completed surveys at 35 distinct sites, collecting over 1,000 samples.

Over the past two years, XIEG in collaboration with research institutions from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Germany, has conducted expeditions covering the whole region of the Aral Sea across multiple scientific disciplines.

The joint expedition is a key component of XIEG's "Green Aral Sea Science Initiative" and its "International Program for Sustainable Development of the Aral Sea Region", Which was endorsed as a program of the United Nations Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (IDSSD) in April 2025.

Launch ceremony

Group photo

Fieldwork

Contact

LONG Huaping

Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography

E-mail: longhp@ms.xjb.ac.cn

Web: http://english.egi.cas.cn