Uzboy and the Aral regressions: A hydrological approach

• Published in: Quaternary international Vol. 173; pp. 125 - 136
• Main Authors: Létolle, René, Micklin, Philip, Aladin, Nikolay, Plotnikov, Igor
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2007
• Subjects: Freshwater; Asia; USA, Virginia, Dry R
• ISSN: 1040-6182; 1873-4553
• DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2007.03.003

The Uzboy is an enigmatic dry river channel in Western Central Asia. This 750 km long channel regained life on several occasions after the end of the Würm glaciation (about 11,000 years BC), due to climatic episodes more humid than today and/or human deviations of the main course of the Amu Darya towards the west. Much of the Amu annual flow was diverted elsewhere. The discharge of Amu Darya in the Zaunguz desert accounts for the tens of km 3 of water the Uzboy was unable to convey away. It appears reasonable to conclude that the Amu Darya could not carry more than 20–30 km 3 per year to the Sary Kamysh lake, due to the channel cross-section at Daryalyk and Daudan Darya, at a time when the total water output of Amu Darya to Aral was about 60–70 km 3 per year.