Poof - 4-3-11 --- Be Vigilent!

[misisipiflyer]

Greetings and Salutations,

I made up a term many years ago, 'synchronistic vibrosity', it just means that when certain conditions reach a certain point no matter how diverse, the vibration comes together. and stuff happens. I don't know how many people realized it but the fed res bank had a 100 yrs lease to run the us banking system. Legally it was never going to last or be in power indefinitely. A fiat system always has failure built into it's construction, it's against nature. Anytime you keep feeding the top to the detriment of the foundation upon which it stands, nature says you will fall over. The folks in charge of the thing, tried to defy nature, which proved to be a losing proposition, their insistence on trying to remain relevant in time was almost as pathetic as trying to reverse the flow of the mississippi river. What has stood the test of time and the rise and fall of nations? Precious metal!

Upon this foundation sits the New Global Banking system, created by 'common sense' 'if you got it use it'. The fight was coming from they who had no resources to continue their facade, awww poor babies, they wanted their cake and eat it too. Unless, they could create miracles, they were always staring down the pipe at failure. You heard me say many years ago, the us doesn't run the world, it just thinks it does. We are living in the time when that becomes painfully obvious. People can scarcely believe what they are seeing and hearing now so I'm watching smart people running around with their hair on fire, almost to the point of giving up to the vagaries of the military industrial complex, the Corporation, the Machine, call it what you want. Be glad others joined this war, that weren't struck dumb by the cabals' power. 200+ years ago they got their chance to run the planet, time has proven how inept they were. Very simple problem with their concepts, they could never drop the greed and control, from their constructs. Couldn't see a world operating without them being in positions of power and control. The longer they tried to hang on they had greater volumes of entropy working against them, nature again.

A great event in modern history took place thurs night at the stroke of midnight now this long wait ends. Zeus reached down from Mt Olympus Or perhaps, it was Odin from Valhalla, and put an end to the incessant dealings and negotiations. No, is a hard word for children to deal with and in a world where elders do exist, it amazes me how little these talking heads realize about who runs this world and how easy it is for them to raid the game, where one is wealthy beyond believe one day and dust poor the next. Well last week some of these folks realized how easy it was for that to happen to them. Like they say in the southland 'some folks don't believe fat meat's greasy'. How many times you gonna tell that child to stop something before a parental action enforces the word? Some young parents are figuring that out right now. Some one over in china said, until the bad guys figure out who's in charge dates will come and go, maybe under normal circumstances, but these are unusual times which calls for unusual methods, and that is what has happened, I'll be listening, I'm sure Mr Cheney has some choice words for us to explain how, the rats continue on and are taking us all to hell in a hand basket.

All is handled, things you didn't even know needed handled have been put on the chess table and dealt with. Lot of moving parts require great vision and hands of a surgeon to fix...much wisdom. Much will be put on the table when you get your invitation to come to the bank. Some have already presented their plan of how they will help this world go back to it's pristine state. As I said, this is about ending world poverty, preserving the children, taking care of the elderly, and causing life to be worth living...for everybody! What a novel concept. This is what's on the other side of the Omega door way, a brave new world. There's a lot more to the lybia question than it's leader, there are massive plans for the sahara desert than are readily apparent. And it's way past oil. Take your time, clear out the years of limited thinking and false limits offered in some of the education and by talking heads, you are free to move about the cabin and into the world at large. Consultations remain available to those needing one, as I said I'm here until the last minute.

Love and Kisses,

"Poofness"

www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=201291

[sandi66]

Not sure how many paid attention to the movie, "Sahara" - excellent and falls in line with energy

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Solar supergrid in Sahara Desert could power Europe in the future

July 26, 2008

.slideshows gallery // . .allgadgetsarchitecturetechnologyartstransportationTourismdiyGreen News.Next
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.Solar supergrid in Sahara Desert could power Europe in the future
0Share.AsmitaJul 26 2008Solar supergrid.
Speaking at the Euroscience Open Forum in Barcelona (ESOF), the European Commission’s Institute for Energy Arnulf Jaeger-Waldau expressed a belief that the creation of solar farms in the Sahara desert could produce enough energy to meet all of Europe’s energy needs. With Power generated by photovoltaic cells or by using the sun’s heat to boil water and power turbines, a ‘supergrid’ could transmit electricity along high voltage direct current cables and potentially allow countries to export their wind energy during periods of surplus, as well as import energy from other sources. Since the Sahara dessert receives more sunlight than Europe on average, photovoltaic panels there could potentially generate three times more energy than panels in northern Europe and harnessing just 0.3% of the sunlight falling on the desert could meet all of Europe’s needs. Even though an investment of around €450bn would be needed to get the project started, the proposal brings a fresh lease of life to the dream of using sustainable energy as the main source of power in the future.

www.ecofriend.com/entry/solar-supergrid-in-sahara-desert-could-power-europe-in-the-future/

[sandi66]

Sahara Desert: the future of energy.

posted November 10, 2009 -

Europe is facing a tough battle, the threat of energy shortfall. There’s a growing gap between demand for electricity and capacity of power stations to supply it. Technological innovation holds a great promise and solutions, and it’s already exits. But it will take decades for clean technologies to be distributed on a large scale. That’s doesn’t mean that we are powerless we got some options, adopting combined heat and power systems switching from coal to clean energy technologies, embracing renewable energy. One potential target is nuclear energy, Europe got a well developed nuclear technology one of the best in the world, it’s the most reliable source of energy but Europe’s environmental opposition is growing stronger and it’s supported by the environment wings of Europe’s governments. A nuclear energy proponent could always expect a fierce and strong opposition. Nuclear energy costs also a lot of money and takes along time to operate partly because of the safety standards that have to be met. In Europe a nuclear power station would take a long time just to get a planning application approved. Coal fired power station is another solutions and its a lot cheaper to burn coal than to make nuclear or solar power, but coal is an unpopular idea for most of the European , for them its not an option. The European governments have already committed itself to a mandatory reduction of carbon and greenhouse gases emissions. Today’s demand for Europe’s power is expanding at such extraordinary rate that it can only be satisfied by the combustion of vast quantities of coal, oil and natural gas, which are not considered by European governments as an alternative solutions. Europe is already looking hard and rushing to fund clean energy deals as an alternative energy developments. Well the rush has not yet reached dotcom boom proportions but Europe thinks that clean technologies can do the right job And Europe has also see big opportunities and solutions to cut pollution and meet its soaring power needs with clean technologies. Clean technologies could also helped Europe cope with its horrendous pollution problems. For the next 5 to 10 years Europe’s demand for energy may outstrip supply. Europe need to do something and its must act quickly. Europe has a very high level of vulnerability when it comes to energy security, its too dependent to Middle East to fuel its power stations. Middle East is one of the most unstable region in the world. It’s an unreliable source of primary energy for Europe. Energy issues in Europe today tends to be dominated by what are described as environmental issues, chiefly the question of carbon emissions and global warming. Scientists think Europe needs to figure out a better way to fuel its energy needs. Scientists turn to Sahara desert, a vast land and emptiness and wasteland double the size of Western Europe. Sahara desert with its vast size located just south of Europe holds great promise and could be one day a potential power source. How? Sahara desert is not just a desert, it’s long considered by some energy expert as a potential solar storehouse, its vast size and constant sunshine makes the Sahara a powerhouse. Its a 3.32 million square miles ( 8.6 million sq. km. ) of desert, its long regarded as a liability, but now that’s thing is about to change Sahara is no longer the vast wasteland of Africa, its holds the future of energy that one day will power most of Europe. A huge potential energy sources waiting to be unlocked. Some areas of the Sahara could reach 45 Celsius making it a huge natural storehouse of solar energy. We got the technology, its all within reach. What we need to do here is to turn Sahara’s sunlight into major electrical source. Sounds crazy? Scientists have just calculated that a small chunk of Sahara smaller than Portugal could be able to yield the same amount of electricity as all the world’s power plants combined. A smaller square of 6000 sq. miles or about the size of Connecticut is well enough to power Europe. But this kind of technological ambition require huge amount of money- a solar energy is an expensive power source a potentially unpopular idea for European governments. Currently no one in this world have proposed about creating a solar power house the size of Portugal or the state of Connecticut, its quite risky, expensive and ridiculous idea. It will also take years to build the transmission grid require to transmit energy from Sahara to Europe, a huge daunting tasks. Building solar plants is just part of the whole challenge. The drawbacks in this kind of technology is that it works at maximum efficiency and reliability only in sunny hot climates and the distance from population center has also to be consider. Europe needs to rewire or if necessary build a new electrical grid, to supply Europe; we need to lay more than 12000 miles of high voltages direct current cables. Well we have a well developed technology and it’s well tested. The concentrating solar power (CSP) could be the answer. CSP works simple it utilizes mirrors to focus light on water pipes or boilers generating superheated steam to turn the turbines of generators. But scaling up the solar technology needed to produce meaningful quantities of energy to power a region like Europe is expensive; we have to build arrays of mirrors and pipes that stretched several hundred miles of desert, a huge painstaking job. Recently an international consortium of solar power scientists DESERTEC has already made some study on Sahara’s potential energy, they said it will cost about $59 billion to begin the project of generating solar power for Europe! Its is true that the vast solar fields of Sahara could one day become the biggest sustainable energy source the world has ever seen, powering the whole Europe.

www.xomba.com/sahara_desert_future_energy

[sandi66]

Sahara Desert Project to Power Half the World with Solar by 2050

December 4, 2010

The Sahara Solar Breeder Project aims to begin by building a silicon manufacturing plant in the desert to transform silica in the sand into silicon of sufficiently high quality for use in solar panels. Solar power plants will be constructed using the solar panels, and some of the electricity generated will supply the energy needed to build more silicon plants to produce more solar panels, to produce more electricity.

Leader of the Japanese team, Hideomi Koinuma from the University of Tokyo, said while no one has tried to use desert sand as a source of high-quality silicon before, it is the obvious choice and will be of high enough quality.

The energy generated by the solar power plants will be distributed as direct current via high-temperature superconductors, a process that Koinuma said will be more efficient than using alternating current. He envisages a large network of supercooled high-voltage direct current grids capable of transporting the expected 100 GW of electricity at least 500 kilometers. Even if the grid needs to be cooled with liquid nitrogen, Koinuma said it could still be cost-competitive. (High-temperature superconductors operate at about -240°C.)

The Sahara Solar Breeder Project (dubbed the Super Apollo Project by Koinuma) is being developed as part of the International Research Project on Global Issues by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The team expects to have to overcome many problems, including frequent sandstorms, the need to use liquid nitrogen to cool cables and to bury them in the sand to minimize fluctuations in temperature, and so on.

The initial aims of the research will be focused on tackling the expected challenges and demonstrating the project’s viability. Training engineers and scientists from Africa in the entire research and development process is also a goal of the project.

Another project aiming to harness solar power in the Sahara was launched last year. The Desertec Foundation aims to supply 15 percent of Europe’s electricity requirements by 2050 using high-voltage direct current transmission lines without superconductors.

www.21stcenturyfamily.org/2010/12/sahara-desert-project-to-power-half-the-world-with-solar-by-2050/

[sandi66]

Secret river found under Sahara desert

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Somehow much of the water of the Sahara region was covered with sand in time and a desert evolved.

But now CBBC reports that a secret underground river has been discovered in the Sahara desert.

A team of Russian scientists came across the water when they were looking at satellite images from space.

The river is buried under layers of volcanic rock 500m below the dry and dusty town of Atar in Mauritania, in north Africa.

The river is large enough to provide all the town's 50,000 people with water every day.

One member of the team said the find was a "world miracle".

news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/wo...00/2176293.stm

[sandi66]

Sahara Water:

Fossil water in the Sahara is a well-established fact. Here's a URL: magma.nationalgeographic.com/...urces_who.html

Look on Google for many more references if interested.

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In certian areas of the Saharaa desert they are tapping the brackish underground water and setting up one of the best shrimp breeding farms. As the brackish water does not have the bacteria and viral infections as natural sea water has for the shrimp.

It has been also known for a long time the Nile also flowed once into the Sahara to replenish it before the forest had been cut down. The usual end result of black culture. There too is reports of large underwater lakes under the Sahara which could be tapped and re bioform the Sahara desert, Why can't the oil drilling rigs be used to do this and once more make the Sahara a fertile land and bread basket it once was around 6,000 years ago to feed the world?

At those fertile Sahara times the Mediterrean Sea was like a wide river going into part of Greece, lower Europe and etc. until further quakes rendered it a sea as it is today. It was not connected to the Atlantic Ocean until the fateful earth quake that opened up the Gibralter area and also that connecting to the Black Sea of which once more created vast changes there as well pushing our many of our Nordic ancestors to return to Europe once more and other areas to the eastern areas of Asia in present theories.

Areas to the south in Africa like the Congo basin and many other areas surrounding of Africa were alleged to been submerged underwater at these early times, so where did the blacks come from if they were confined to areas such as present day Kenya and local surrounding areas?

www.stormfront.org/forum/t338493/

[sandi66]

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This has of course been going on for ages, but it's just so epic I think we should have a discussion on it. There is huge amounts of water deep deep below the Sahara desert. Since the revolution and Libya's industrialisation, the government has been building an absolutely huge system to bring this water up to the surface. If this succeeds (it has so far) the desert could be transformed into prosperous land with plants and so on.

Quote:
The Man Made River
Libya

Libya's Great Man-Made River Project
The 1st of September marks the anniversary of the opening of the major stage of Libya's Great Man-Made River Project. This incredibly huge and successful water scheme is virtually unknown in the West, yet it rivals and even surpasses all our greatest development projects. The leader of the so-called advanced countries, the United States of America cannot bring itself to acknowledge Libya's Great Man-Made River. The West refuses to recognize that a small country, with a population no more than four million, can construct anything so large without borrowing a single cent from the international banks.
Up until recently, Libya's supply of water came from underground aquifers or desalination plants on the coast. Water derived from desalination or aquifers near the coast was of poor quality and sometimes undrinkable. This problem also meant that little water was available to irrigate land for agriculture, which is vital in this largely desert country.


digger used to create the trench
In the 1960s during oil exploration deep in the southern Libyan desert, vast reservoirs of high quality water were discovered in the form of aquifers. The most important of these aquifers, or water bearing rock strata, were laid down during a geological time when the Mediterranean sea flowed southward to the foot of the Tibesti mountains, that are situated on Libya's border with Chad. During that period the Mediterranean sea frequently varied in level, as a result of which, various sedimentary deposits were formed.
Geological activity caused the up thrust of mountainous formations (Jabal Nefussa and Jabal Al Akhdar) and the associated downward movement formed natural underground basins. Between 38,000 and 10,000 years ago the climate of North Africa was temperate, during which time there was considerable rainfall in Libya. The excess rainfall infiltrated into porous sandstone and was trapped between layers, forming reservoirs of underground fresh-water.
In Libya there are four major underground basins, these being the Kufra basin, the Sirt basin, the Morzuk basin and the Hamada basin, the first three of which contain combined reserves of 35,000 cubic kilometres of water. These vast reserves offer almost unlimited amounts of water for the Libyan people.


one of the reservoirs
The people of Libya under the guidance of their leader, Colonel Muammar Al Qadhafi, initiated a series of scientific studies on the possibility of accessing this vast ocean of fresh water. Early consideration was given to developing new agricultural projects close to the sources of the water, in the desert. However, it was realized that on the scale required to provide products for self sufficiency, a very large infrastructure organization would be required. In addition to this, a major redistribution of the population from the coastal belt would be necessary. The alternative was to 'bring the water to the people'.
In October 1983, the Great Man-made River Authority was created and invested with the responsibility of taking water from the aquifers in the south, and conveying it by the most economical and practical means for use, predominantly for irrigation, in the Libyan coastal belt.
By 1996 the Great Man-Made River Project had reached one of its final stages, the gushing forth of sweet unpolluted water to the homes and gardens of the citizens of Libya's capital Tripoli. Louis Farrakhan, who took part in the opening ceremony of this important stage of the project, described the Great Man-Made River as "another miracle in the desert." Speaking at the inauguration ceremony to an audience that included Libyans and many foreign guests, Col. Qadhafi said the project "was the biggest answer to America... who accuse us of being concerned with terrorism."
The Great Man-Made River, as the largest water transport project ever undertaken, has been described as the "eighth wonder of the world". It carries more than five million cubic metres of water per day across the desert to coastal areas, vastly increasing the amount of arable land. The total cost of the huge project is expected to exceed $25 billion (US).


pipes on the way to extend the system
Consisting of a network of pipes buried underground to eliminate evaporation, four meters in diameter, the project extends for four thousand kilometres far deep into the desert. All material is locally engineered and manufactured. Underground water is pumped from 270 wells hundreds of meters deep into reservoirs that feed the network. The cost of one cubic meter of water equals 35 cents. The cubic meter of desalinized water is $3.75. Scientists estimate the amount of water to be equivalent to the flow of 200 years of water in the Nile River.
The goal of the Libyan Arab people, embodied in the Great Man-Made River project, is to make Libya a source of agricultural abundance, capable of producing adequate food and water to supply its own needs and to share with neighboring countries. In short, the River is literally Libya's 'meal ticket' to self-sufficiency.
Each pipe of the river project is buried in a trench approximately seven metres deep, excavation of which requires the removal of some 100,000 cubic metres of material each working day. Excavation is carried out by large hydraulic excavators fitted with 7.6 cubic metre buckets. Once the trench has been prepared, prestressed concrete cylinder pipes 7.5 metres long and weighing up to 80 tons are brought to the site using a fleet of some 128 specially designed transporters.


pipe being delivered
Pipes are placed in the trench using large cranes, capable of lifting up to 450 tons, and joined to the already laid pipe by pushing them into place with a bulldozer. The joint between the pipes is sealed using a rubber ring seal installed in a special groove on the end of the pipe and this joint itself sealed, both inside and outside the pipe, with cement grout. The trench is then backfilled, covering the pipe with a minimum of 2 metres of material and restoring the desert surface.
After backfilling, the pipe is adequately supported by the soil and can be hydrostatically tested. This requires the fitting of specially designed steel bulkheads at each end of the test section and filling of the line with water from wells drilled adjacent to the conveyance. Up to 8 kilometre lengths of the conveyance are tested at a time, and, after allowing adequate time for the concrete lining of the pipe to absorb water, the line is pressurised to test both the pipe and its joints.


large hydraulic excavator
The plant, equipment and logistical support for this project are also on a vast scale. Some 10,000 people and 4,500 pieces of equipment are employed on the work. Two thousand five hundred tons of cement per day are supplied by the Libyan Cement Company and hauled in a fleet of 127 cement tankers to the pipe plants at Brega and Sarir.
The Great Man-Made River Project is bringing water to the people and providing water for municipal, industrial and agricultural use. The strategy of the responsible Libyan authority is aimed at increasing both crop and livestock production to a level that achieves the highest possible rate of self-sufficiency and reduces dependence on imports from foreign markets to the lowest possible level. It also aims at increasing the productive capabilities of the labor force and of the capital investments in the sector, and at producing raw materials for food processing industries.


land of desert and camels
According to the writer Ali Baghdadi, "the river is a new lesson and an example in the struggle to achieve self-sufficiency, food security and true independence. No nation that depends on a foreign country to feed its people can be free. The Great River is a triumph against thirst and hunger. It is a defeat against ignorance and backwardness. It reflects the determination of Libyans to resist colonial pressure, to acquire technology, to develop, to improve their lives, and to control their own destiny in accordance with their own free will."

Text from New Dawn Magazine

www.galenfrysinger.com/man_made_river_libya.htm

A great example of a planned economy, and what humanity can achieve when we are not confined by private profit or delusions about some untouchable nature. Libya of course is not perfect, but this is undoubtedly an awesome project. If the whole world could operate in this way humanity would be so much better off. We are capable of so much.


www.revleft.com/vb/libyas-fossil-water-t145421/index.html?s=87b8f95b3f4506ed57aa2c3436c12f80&t=145421

[sandi66]

February 17, 2011 ¡¤ 7:00 am Fossil Water And Depleted Natural Lakes As Climate Forcings ¨C A Review By Wondmagegn Yigzaw and Faisal Hossain
In response to the post

The Role Of Fossil Water On Climate ¨C An Important Climate Forcing Whose Influence Has Not Yet Been Properly Assessed

and discussion on this subject with Professor Faisal Hossain of Tennessee Technological University, he assigned a student, Wondmagegn Yigzaw, to explore this subject. Below, with permission, is a report of what was found

Summary of readings from materials on the web by Wondmagegn Yigzaw and Fasial Hossain

1. Lake Chad

Lake Chad is a shallow lake found in the Sahara Region of Africa. It borders four countries; Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria. It is a source of water for a population of about 20 million.

a. History

The lake is believed to have been a result of an inland sea which has shrunk to a lake form due to climate effect over a very long time. It was one of the largest lakes in the world in the early 1900¡¯s. The shrinkage of the lake has begun in 1960¡¯s due to the use of water by the surrounding population. By this time the size of the Lake was 26,000 Km2. According to the United Nations its size has shrunk by 95% between 1963 and 1998.

b. Use

The lake is a vital source of water for human, livestock and wildlife community in the surrounding area (Eric et.al, Campbell et.al). Other activities near the lake include Soda-mining, fishing, and farming (Campbell et.al). The Nigerian Southern Chad Irrigation Project (SCIP) is the largest irrigation scheme that was constructed depending on the Lake water. The project was fully commissioned in the year 1979, but it failed to function up to its design after 6 years due to level variation of the river. During this period the contribution of overall irrigation practice was only 5 out of the 30% shrinkage (Coe et.al).

c. Shrinkage

50% of the shrinkage is due to natural climate effects while the remaining 50% is as a result of human interference in the form of irrigation and deforestations (Coe et.al). Between the periods 1953-1979, the contribution of overall irrigation practice was only 5 out of the 30% shrinkage (Coe et.al).

d. Climate Effects

The deforestation and overgrazing have impacted the lake severely. The evaporation from the lake is greater than four times the rainfall rate (Eric et.al). Rainfall in the area has decreased considerably which led to a warmer climate and in turn high water extraction.

e. Socio-economic Effects

The decrease in level of the lake has impacted largely the farmers, fishermen, and herders living in the region. Crop failure, dying of livestock, and collapsed fisheries have resulted. Conflicts have emerged between nations and dwellers of the lake area. Two big projects; the South Chad Irrigation Project (SCIP) in Nigeria and the MAMDI Polder Project in Chad have been abandoned due to the shrinkage of the lake.

f. Hydrological Effects

The main tributary of the lake (90%) is the Chari River (Chad) which is fed by the Logone (Chad/Cameroon border) River. The remaining 10% is from the Yobe River (Niger/Nigeria). The Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) has proposed an interbasin water transfer scheme from the Ubangi River. The shrinkage of the lake has affected the flows in the major rivers by decreasing it and the lowering of the groundwater table. Ground water is a major source of water in the area. As this source is also a challenge to harness, groundwater management is necessary (Mallam , 1999).

References:

i. Campbell, Robert Wellman, ed. 2008. ¡°Lake Chad, West Africa: 1963, 1973, 1987, 1997, 2007.¡± Earthshots: Satellite Images of Environmental Change. U.S. Geological Survey. earthshots.usgs.gov.

ii. Coe, M., and J. Foley (2001), Human and natural impacts on the water resources of the Lake Chad basin, J. Geophys. Res., 106(D4), 3349-3356.

iii. Eric O. Odada, Lekan Oyebande, Johnson A. Oguntola, Lake Chad, Experience and lessons Learned Brief

iv. Shrinking African Lake Offers Lesson on Finite Resources, National Geographic News by Hillary Mayell, April 26, 2001 news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/04/0426_lakechadshrinks.html

v. Lake Chad Evaporation 1963 to 1997, NASA, svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a002000/a002064/index.html

vi. A Shadow of a Lake: Africa¡¯s Disappearing Lake, NASA www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/20010227lakechad.html

vii. Lake Chad, www.solcomhouse.com/africalchad.htm

viii. Lake Chad to be fully protected as international wetlands, National Geographic Blog, February 02, 2010.

ix. NASA websites

x. Shrinking African Lake Offers Lesson on Finite Resources, National Geographic News, By Hillary Mayell, April 06, 2006.

xi. Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

xii. Groundwater Management Perspective for Borno and Yobe States, Nigeria, Journal of Environmental Hydrology, Mallam Zaji Bunu, Hohai University Nanjing, China, 1999

2. Aral Sea

a. History

The Aral Sea is a saline basin in Central Asia lying between the countries of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. It had an area of 68,000km2 before it was shrunk to 10% by 2007. In 1960 it was the fourth largest sea in the world. The shrinkage of the Sea has resulted in the formation of four lakes; North Aral Sea, Eastern Basin (South Aral Sea), Western Basin (South Aral Sea), and a smaller lake between the North and South Aral Sea. Of these four lakes, the Eastern Basin has already disappeared in 2009 and the Western Basin has decreased to a thin strip. The main reason for the shrinkage is attributed to the diversion of the river that fed the Sea by the former Soviet Union for the purpose of cotton irrigation since the 1960s. Two major rivers flow into the Sea, the Syr Darya (from Kazakhstan) and the Amu Darya (from Uzbekistan). The Sea has a catchment area of 1,549,000 km2. The Sea basin lies in five countries; Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

b. Use

Fishing was the major activity. It was responsible for the jobs of about 40,000 people. The rivers flowing into the Sea were used for cotton irrigation. Both rivers have been diverted signiifcantly in order to increase cotton production.

c. Shrinkage

The main reason for the shrinkage is attributed to the diversion of the river that fed the Sea by the former Soviet Union for the purpose of cotton irrigation since the 1960s. In addition to the abstraction of water irrigation, canals are not properly lines. This inefficiency will cause the loss of huge volume of water which otherwise would have in flowed to the Sea. The Kazakhstan government has built a restoring project for the North Aral Sea by constructing the Kokaral Dike in 2005. The construction of this dike has increased the level of water in the North Aral Sea by 24m in the year 2007.
d. Climate Effects

The local climate has changed, the summer becoming hotter and drier while the winter has become colder and longer.

e. Socio-economic Effects

The fishing industry that has been a job opportunity for over 40,000 people is already closed due to the shrinkage. The Sea area has a serious health problem. The Sea is highly polluted with toxic chemicals from weapon testing, fertilizers and pesticides. The dry land that resulted from the shrinkage of the South Aral Sea has given an opportunity for oil and gas exploration since 2006. The restoration of the North Aral Sea by the construction of theKokaral Dike has increased the number of fishes which increased the fishing activity. Accumulation of salt has also led to the loss of cultivable land.

f. Hydrological Effects

The South Aral Sea is disappearing even though ground water recharges it. The construction of the Kokaral Dike has brought changes such as the recovery of sea level in the North Aral Sea, a rain cloud presence and micro climate change in the area. On the contrary, South Aral Sea is decreasing. The eastern part of the South Aral Sea is hit by intermittent flooding which makes it difficult for vegetation. Natural effects have been slower on the Sea while human factors are rapid.

General summary:

¡öThe Sea shrunk to 2/5 of its original size
¡öWater level dropped by 16m
¡öIts volume decreased by 75%
¡öAll the fish species are extinct
¡öIt is estimated that 75M tons of toxic dust and salt are spread across central Asia each year
g. Researches undertaken

Different research has been completed on the Aral Sea. The major areas of focus are, optimization of water use, chemical and biological characteristics of the Sea, and rehabilitation of the Sea. Different optimization models have been developed. Multi objective model analysis framework has been considered as part of negotiations by taking the case of the Syr Darya River (Ximing Cai and Daene C. McKinney).

h. Institutions formed

There are number of institutions formed to alleviate the problem of the Sea shrinkage.

¡öInterstate Commission for Water Coordination of Central Asia (ICWC)
This institution is formed between Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan.

¡öInternational Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS)
This is the result of the ICWC member countries which is formed to raise fund for any Aral Sea based program.

References:

i. A Multiobjective Analysis Model for Negotiations in Regional Water Resources Allocation, Ximing Cai and Daene C. McKinney,

ii. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aral_Sea

iii. www.worldlakes.org/lakedetails.asp?lakeid=9219

iv. www1.american.edu/ted/aral.htm

v. Results of Aral Sea studies, Nick Aladin, Philip Micklin, Dietmar Keyser, Igor Plotnikov, Rene Letolle, Alexey Smurov and Jean-Francois Cretaux, 2006

vi. Sustainable Water Management in The Aral Sea Basin, Daene C. McKinney, Department of Civil Engineering The University of Texas at Austin, 1997

vii. The rehabilitation of the ecosystem and bioproductivity of the Aral Sea under conditions of water scarcity, INTAS Project ¨C 0511 REBASOWS, Summary Report, December 2006/revised August 2007

viii. Water security and ecosystem services: The critical connection, Ecosystem Management Case Studies, United Nations Environment Program, Nairobi, Kenya May, 2009

3. Fossil Water

Fossil water is a non-renewable resource which is also called paleowater.

a. Reserves

¡öThe most notable fossil water reserve is in the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System (NSAS) (covering the northeastern part of Africa). This aquifer system borders four countries; Chad, Egypt, Libya, and Sudan. Its area covers a little above 2 million square kilometers. The geology of the aquifer is generalized as hard ferrugios sandstone with great shale and clay interaction
¡öLake Vostok (in Antarctica). It is the largest sub glacial lake. It is confined by an ice cape which has a depth greater than 3km. This overburden pressure keeps the water liquid even at a temperature below freezing point. The lake is thought to be the most unspoiled lake on earth. Life is thought to be supported in the lake.
¡öGreat Artesian Basin (in Australia)
¡öSahara and Kalahari Deserts.
b. Exploration

¡öThe fossil water in the NSAS was largely explored in Libya while drilling for oil purpose in the 1950s.
¡öThe existence of Lake Vostok was first noted by the scientists from Scott polar Research Institute (SPRI) in 1973. It was delineated in 1996 by Russian and British scientists. A joint Russian, French, and U.S. drilled a core to analyze the lake water characteristics. In this drilling, the age of the lake was estimated to be between 500, 000 and one million years while it was also suggested that the lake supports life. Recently the Russian Antarctic Expedition is drilling using new equipment to the lake body (as the previous drills were abandoned 100m before reaching the lake to avoid any contamination of the lake.
¡öIn addition to the above specific studies, NASA has taken images of aquifers which are the major tools for any study to follow and which are still going on.
c. Use

Of all the fossil water reserves that have been identified, the following countries use it for different purposes like:

¡öLibya-Water supply, Irrigation
¡öEgypt-Irrigation
¡öIsrael-Irrigation
¡öJordan-Water Supply ( in the future, not at present)
¡öAustralia-Irrigation, Horticulture, Mining, Water Supply
d. Projects

Different projects are ongoing and some are proposed for the future. The followings are some examples;

¡öLibya
The Great Man-Made River Project (GMMR) has been in place since 1984. The project costs US$20 Billion which consists of a network of pipes (4,000km in length and 4m diameter) and reservoirs. The water will be drawn from 1, 300wells. The daily discharge conveyed is 6.5Mm3.

¡öEgypt
The Dakhleh Oasis Project (DOP) is underway in the Dakhleh Oasis since 1978. It studies the interaction between environmental change and human activities. This project doesn¡¯t have a direct use/abstraction objective.

¡öChad, Egypt, Libya, and Sudan
An international project is underway which involves the NSAS Countries, IAEA, UNDP/GEF (Global Environment Facility), and UNESCO.

¡öJordan
Jordan has proposed to transport water from its Disi Desert to Amman with a project named Disi Water Conveyance Project. The project will convey 100Mm3 of water annually to the capital. But, the water quality from this source has a high level of radiation (20 times higher than the normal level).

¡öIsrael
The use of fossil water in Negev Desert is ongoing as an alternative to using sewage water.

References:

i. ¡°Fossil Water¡± in Libya, NASA,

ii. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil_water; www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_562.html

iii. The Role Of Fossil Water On Climate ¨C An Important Climate Forcing Whose Influence Has Not Yet Been Properly Assessed, a blog on Climate Science by Dr. Roger Pielke Sr., pielkeclimatesci.wordpress.com/ , October 2010.

iv. Underground ¡°Fossil Water¡± Running Out, National Geographic News, news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/05/100505-fossil-water-radioactive-science-environment/ , by Brian Handwerk, May 6, 2010

v. The Water Resources of Israel, Past, Present, and, Future, A review prepared for The Palestinian Center for Regional Studies (PCRS), A comprehensive outline, By Arie S. Issar, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, April 2000.

pielkeclimatesci.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/fossil-water-and-depleted-natural-lakes-as-climate-forcings-a-review-by-wondmagegn-yigzaw-and-faisal-hossain/

[expectaion]

Thank you Sandi what I read so far is very informative, I didn't know there are vast amounts of water under the Sahara desert. It was a surprise for me.