{"id":15865,"date":"2025-03-24T08:30:17","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T07:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ceab.csic.es\/?p=15865"},"modified":"2025-03-24T11:04:44","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T10:04:44","slug":"docuforums-mar-daral-el-laboratori-viu-mes-gran-del-mon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ceab.csic.es\/en\/docuforums-mar-daral-el-laboratori-viu-mes-gran-del-mon\/","title":{"rendered":"Docuforum on the Aral Sea"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the occasion of World Water Day, Casa Asia, CSIC, and CEAB are organizing docuforums on one of the greatest ecological disasters on the planet: the desiccation of the Aral Sea. The film Memories of a Sea<\/em> will be screened, exploring the devastating consequences of the desiccation of what was once the world’s fourth-largest lake, both for the population and for ecosystems. Afterward, there will be a discussion with the documentary\u2019s author and the scientists from the expedition that serves as its narrative thread.<\/h4>\n

Memories of a Sea<\/em><\/a> follows a team of scientists<\/strong> specializing in the carbon cycle who travel to Kazakhstan to carry out, together with the NGO Aral Tenizi of Aralsk, an expedition to the dry bed of the Aral Sea. Led by CEAB-CSIC researchers<\/strong> N\u00faria Catal\u00e1n and Rafael Marc\u00e9, the team confirms that the dry sediments of the former lake are a significant source of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and quantifies this contribution to climate change. The expedition, funded by the Spanish State Research Agency, also witnesses the broader impacts of desiccation and learns firsthand about the stories of three generations of women affected by this ecological disaster.<\/p>\n

From “Sea” to Toxic Desert<\/strong><\/p>\n

What was once a vast inland sea\u2014teeming with life, regulating the climate, and serving as a source of livelihood for local communities\u2014began losing water due to poor environmental management. The diversion of the rivers that fed it to irrigate land for intensive agricultural projects led to its gradual disappearance. This desiccation resulted in devastating consequences: environmental (e.g., the disappearance of most of the species that inhabited it and the release of vast amounts of greenhouse gases), socio-economic (e.g., the inability to fish or farm due to high salinity), and health-related (e.g., the inhalation of dust from the dry sediments, filled with chemicals and gases like methane, trapped beneath the great lake for centuries).<\/p>\n

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This documentary\u2014winner of the latest edition of the Catalan Association for Science Communication Awards<\/strong>\u2014brings us closer to this shocking reality, with a special focus on the consequences for girls and women in the region.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Its screening, along with the discussion with the filmmaker and the scientific expedition members, offers a unique opportunity to analyze lessons learned from this ecological disaster, reflect on the impact of environmental policy decisions, and explore solutions for sustainable water resource management and a better relationship between humanity and nature.<\/p>\n

The docuforum\u2019s timing coincides with renewed attention on the Aral Sea\u2014this time with positive news, as efforts by neighboring countries to restore it have once again made headlines<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Docuforum Madrid: 25 march\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n