The Ocean. Global Perspective.

By Dr.Aizhan Aisha Ussenaliyeva

"And why is it that you are so drawn to the sea!?" many of my colleagues keep asking me. George Mallory was once asked the very similar question why he wanted to conquer Everest so much, to which he answered: "Because it exists!". I am haunted by the ocean strata waiting to be explored. Lakes, rivers, seas and the global ocean contain not only aquatic but also historical depth with a lot of evidence, refutations and questions about our past.

This is not the reason of why I started the Save Lake Balkhash International Research Project in 2017, but it is the main objective of my life-long passion towards lakes, rivers, ocean and water in general.

Water is the common denominator for all religions, generations, states, economies and political structures. It is the basis for everything.

Every day I work with water, its physics, chemistry, history, biology and math. In my experiments it has been calculated that as one glass of water while flowing through your body's estimated 80,000 miles of blood capillaries satisfies the needs of 50 trillion cells. Only once you are properly hydrated, your blood will be able to carry up enough oxygen to your brain and body cells.

And in some parts of the world there is not enough drinking water. People suffer and die because they are not hydrated. Just think about this in terms of an excess of rather sophisticated and widely disseminated opinions about wars, discrimination, repressions and global economic crisis.

People die because there is not enough good quality water.

The reason why I have decided to address the issue of Balkhash lake desertification to the wide international academia is obvious, yet complex. In “Academia needs a reality check: Life is not back to normal” written by June Gruber, Jay J. Van Bavel, William A. Cunningham, Leah H. Somerville, Neil A. Lewis, Jr. I found words of wisdom and moral support which I needed and didn’t find anywhere else: “We cannot fully understand everyone’s experiences during this period of crisis. However, by sharing our own vulnerabilities and challenges, we can open the door for discussion. Even a small amount of empathy and accommodation can go a long way”. It is a phase of global changes we are experiencing now. And by all means that time is not normal. Old structures and ways of doing things are not effective. We all are looking for new visions, new options and new solutions to everything that we become uninvited witnesses of.

On the territory of Kazakhstan, sits one of the largest inland endorheic lakes in the world - lake Balkhash. While being a citizen of Kazakhstan I witnessed its unstoppable disappearance. This lake is just 6 hours drive away from my hometown. My father used to go fishing there and as a child I always accompanied him. I am 38 now and Balkhash lake, which some geologists and geomorphologists have scientifically established with a history of 35,000 years, is dying. The uniqueness of this lake is that the western and eastern parts differ in the degree of water mineralization, as its western basin is fresh, and the eastern one is salty. The phenomenon of Balkhash location in a desert area, without runoff, with a dry continental climate and very little precipitation, continues to amaze scientists from all over the globe.

The flora and fauna of Balkhash is diverse. There are about 20 species of fish in the lake and more than 120 bird species, of which 12 are listed in the Red Book. The flora includes up to 60 species of unique plants. The Lake is a natural habitat for Pelecanus onocrotalus which is also included in the Kazakhstani Red Book. One of the unique fauna species inhabiting lake Balkhash ecosystem is Ondatra Zibethicus, or the muskrat. It was imported as a gift by Canadian Government in early 1960s becoming the first bio-bridge between lake Balkhash and Lake Louise. For those who never saw a muskrat, it is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitats. Lake Louise ecosystem is home to this wonderful creature which has important effects on the ecology of wetlands, and is a resource of food and fur for humans.

While reading the article “Global efforts to protect biodiversity fall short” by Erik Stokstad I thought about why it is so hard to save the nature. “A major report card on the state of biodiversity gives failing grades to the world's nations. The United Nations’ Global Biodiversity Outlook 5, released several years ago, concludes the world has not met ambitious targets set 10 years ago to protect nature. The new assessment finds some bright spots, such as a substantial rise in the extent of protected areas. But only six of the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity 20 targets have been even partially reached and some indicators are headed the wrong way.” As per my humble opinion the reason of failure is lack of persistence and collaboration.

In 2000, in the city of Alma-Ata (Almaty), a significant ecological conference "Balkhash 2000" was held, which brought together environmental scientists from all over the world, as well as the representatives of business and governments. Since 1970, a significant decrease in the Ili river runoff has led to a drawdown, the shallowing of Balkhash is especially noticeable in its western part. Out of the original 16 lake systems around Balkhash, only 5 are left. But the number one reason of lake Balkhash disappearance is the construction of Qapshaghay Bogeni Reservoir to the southeast of lake Balkhash ordered by the USSR state. The 140 km-long Qapshaghay was created by a dam on the Ili River and the water level drawn from that date has never being replenished.

It was projected that the reservoir would become a major water feeder for the dry arid soil in the Almaty region to increase crop production; however, the complete filling of the Kapchagay reservoir started to affect the water level in lake Balkhash. Filling of the reservoir discontinued in 1982. By 1986, Kapchagay reservoir was still only half full. According to my research, there is a 3-year prognosis of Balkhash accelerated desertification starting from 2022. If the case stays unmanaged, in 10 years lake Balkhash will lose 70% of its current water volume. The concrete signs of Balkhash lake desertification process are visible from the space. You can get a satellite data but in order to do so you need to have governmental access to contact NASA or any other national space company. So, because of certain political risks nobody in Kazakhstan required that data and I have developed a nature based solution - algae factor as I call it. You can observe the desertification process by monitoring algae habitat on the depth level of 5,8 - 2,8 meters. The suggested period of observation and morphological monitoring is 3 years.

As I have also discovered in 2020 that the Ili-Balkhash basin holds the largest underground water reservoir in Kazakhstan and the lake surface possesses second highest thermal inertia index in the country which is enough to save local climate from advancing deserts. SROI ( Social Return on Investment ) of the Project is 10 of 10. To save this lake international cooperation is strongly advised. Let’s review several historical examples of international cooperation in the field of global water preservation.

• 1986 Lesotho Highlands Agreement: South African financing of infrastructure in Lesotho in

exchange for drinking water for Johannesburg;

• 1995 Mekong Agreement: five-year cross-national project for collaborative data collection;

• 1999 Danube Pollution Reduction Program: transnational ecological project man- aged by a

specially created international commission;

• 1995 Golan Heights Peace Park Plan: Proposal to create a special ecological zone in disputed

areas where water resources management could be carried out by an international commission

with the participation of the UN;

• Nepal-India Agreements, 1959 and 1966: Tree Planting in Nepal to Reduce Silt Downstream.

Given the rising water security risks and overall Central Asian high water stress indicator, lake

Balkhash needs a full range attention and urgent protection measures to be protected from further shallowing. Save Lake Balkhash International Research Project can become a new standard for the effective, high-quality international cooperation. Amid the global water crisis and current state of political turbulence and economic setbacks, saving a lake in the center of Eurasia, might be something everyone needs to feel human again.

So, while working for the government in 2020 I suggested the following steps to preserve the lake and the climate of the whole country of Kazakhstan:

1. Full-scale environmental international conference and signing up a memorandum on the

conservation of the lake water area

2. Providing lake Balkhash with a status of National Treasure and Cultural Heritage.

3. Constant update and further compliance of the local water legislative norms for the

regulation of industrial exploitation of the lake water area.

4. Active international promotion of the idea of environmental awareness among the

population of the country through mass media (articles, interviews, video and photo

reports)

5. The creation of International Coordination Center for ensuring the environmental safety

of Lake Balkhash and the Balkhash Natural Territory - it is necessary to understand that

regional, legislative, law enforcement authorities, science, the public sector, socially

responsible business and the world community all work together, since the problem is

complex and needs to be addressed in an integrated manner.

6. Creating and adapting the set of industrial and scientific water preservation methods

discovered by me during the course of my research work.

While conducting my research I was engaged in several international studies and expert interviews where my Canadian research fellows shared their cases. It was inspiring and very fruitful collaboration. Lake Louise case became one of my favorites. Unlike lake Balkhash in Kazakhstan, lake Louise is historically guarded and cherished by local people and government. Located in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies, known for its turquoise, glacier-fed waters overlooked by high peaks of beautiful mountains, this amazing water body creates an awe atmosphere when you first see it. Settled in 1884 as a Canadian Pacific Railway construction camp, the city around the lake was known as Holt City and later Laggan until it was renamed in 1914 for the lake Louise. Another name for this lake is an Emerald Lake. That term was also used to describe lake Balkhash in 1970s when the first global energy crisis hit causing the 1 st wave of ecological disaster. The color of Lake Louise is unique due to glacial wash. The rock flour carried in the glacial melt trickles down to the lake. The sun reflects off these particles, refracting blue and green wavelengths of light. The color of lake Balkhash highly depends on Algae factor too, it has almost the same turquoise shade because of the diatom algae inhabiting the water. This is how the Algae builds the ecosystem bridge between lake Louise and lake Balkhash.

The link between lake Balkhash and the Red Sea.

Recently I studied the case of the Farasan Islands in Saudi Arabia. The Red Sea always excited my imagination. As a child, I read books by Henri de Monfred about pearl divers, pirates and smugglers. This narrow deep water reservoir with which so many biblical myths are associated is filled with rich marine life and treacherous reefs. The northern edge of this sea is not very rich in fish and corals, but in the middle part off the coast of Saudi Arabia and Sudan there is an abundance of all kinds of organisms on picturesque coral shallows, which are second in length only to the Great Barrier Reef and perhaps surpass in beauty many other world-famous locations. The most deserted shores have the purest water, dazzling colors and rich fauna.

Geologists say that the growth of a coral island begins when its builders settle on the rock, reaching the photosynthesis zone where there is food for them. As the rock sinks deeper, tiny organisms that rely on light and heat build it up on top with their skeletons. The speed of construction depends on the speed of immersion. When the subsidence of the earth crust stops, the polyps complete their work: a reef lurks under the surface of the water - a potential coral island.

Of all the reef structures, the Farasan Islands are the wildest. To see the rich underwater world, you don’t need to dive here; the local long-snouted garfish jumps out of the water flying over three hundred feet. The top layer of water near the shores is filled with transparent fish that serve as food for bonitos and trevally. Pelicans, gannets, waders, herons and hoopoes chose this place as a huge bird sanctuary. Not everyone knows that on land, most of the flora and fauna are concentrated in a layer with thickness extremely small - less than human height. The living space of the oceans, at an average depth of 12,000 ft ( 3.7 km ), is a thousand times greater than the volume of the terrestrial biosphere based on the studies of the Save Lake Balkhash International Research Project. The world's population is growing and land resources are being depleted. I believe the sea can easily supply us with vital meat and vegetables. And the role of the sea’s mineral and chemical resources is eloquently demonstrated by the intense political and economic battles for the right to own it. This interlink between energy, food, security and nature becomes a unifying factor that draws a similar future for the Red Sea and lake Balkhash. Similar in policies, global trade, politics and the need to preserve the nature.

The long-term impacts of climate change are still largely unknown, intermittently triggered by global hydrological processes. We, as a global community have an unparalleled chance to establish and implement a strong global water policy that will benefit everyone despite region, race, religion, gender, age or income.

Save Lake Balkhash, Forests R Us and Ash 2

McGill University