12 

 The Aral Sea 



I. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS 



The most easterly Sea in the system of large bodies of water of the south 

 Russian geosyncline is the Aral Sea, which is the fourth biggest enclosed sea 

 in the world. 



For the most part well heated in the summer and well aerated, the Aral 

 Sea has practically the same salinity as that of the Caspian and Azov Seas ; 

 but the ratio of the different salts approaches that characteristic of fresh 

 water, even more than in the case of the Caspian Sea. 



As result of a most complex geological history of alterations in its orography 

 and salinity the Aral Sea has qualitatively poor flora and fauna. However, a 

 small number of autochthonous Caspian forms still live in the Aral Sea, which 

 is the extreme point of the penetration eastwards of the most active immi- 

 grants of Mediterranean fauna. 



The Aral Sea is considerably inferior to other south Russian Seas in its 

 biological productivity ; however, it seems to offer very wide possibilities for 

 ameliorative measures aimed at an increase in the yield of fish by means of 

 fertilization, fish-breeding and acclimatization. 



II. HISTORY OF EXPLORATION 



First period 



The first data on the flora and fauna of the Aral Sea were collected in the 

 nineteenth century by several expeditions. Among them the following should 

 be noted : A. Butenev's expedition in 1841, in collaboration with the naturalist 

 A. Leman ; A. Butakov's expedition in 1848-49 and, finally, the Aral-Caspian 

 expedition of 1 874, with the participation of the zoologist V. Alenitzyn : the 

 materials obtained were worked up by I. Borshchov (1877), N. Andrussov 

 (1897), K. Kessler (1877) and others. 



A most comprehensive investigation of the Aral Sea was carried out by 

 L. Berg's expeditions in 1900 to 1902 and 1906; the result was the first com- 

 prehensive monograph describing the Aral Sea, published in 1908. 



Second period 



The next stage in the closer investigation of the Aral Sea with particular 

 reference to its commercial wealth is linked with the activity of the Aral 

 Fishery Station, which was inaugurated in 1929 in the town of Aralsk. 



A. Behning (1934, 1935), V. Nikitinsky (1933) and G. V. Nikolsky worked 

 at this station. The latter was responsible for a comprehensive monograph 

 (1940) which brought together all existing information on the Aral Sea, 

 particularly in regard to fish. 



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