Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa, 2018, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 148-156
On ice conditions of the Small Aral Sea in the modern period according to 2008–2017 satellite data
1 Marine Hydrophysical Institute RAS, Sevastopol, Russia
Accepted: 17.05.2018
DOI: 10.21046/2070-7401-2018-15-3-148-156
In the present work, the images of the northern part of the former Aral Sea (the Northern Aral Sea) received in 2008–2017 from the AQUA/TERRA satellites by the MODIS scanner are analyzed. For the analysis the region of the Northern Aral Sea is chosen in which salinity began to decrease quickly after construction of the Kok-Aral dam through the Berga Strait. The period (2008–2017) is chosen so that the salinity of the Northern Aral Sea approximately coincides with salinity of these waters during the pre-desiccation period (1940–1960, 50 years ago). For each of these years, the moment of formation of the first ice and the moment when ice has completely thawed are identified. The corresponding tables are compiled and compared with tables of the pre-desiccation period.
The following conclusions are drawn: 1) early, average and late dates of formation of the first ice in the Gulf Sary-Cheganak (the Northern Aral Sea) during the pre-desiccation period well coincide with early, average and late dates of formation of the first ice during the modern period (2008–2017); 2) early, average and late dates when ice has completely thawed during the pre-desiccation period well coincide with early, average and late dates when ice has completely thawed during the modern period (2008–2017). Thus, the analysis of the AQUA/TERRA MODIS images of 2008–2017 indicates no climate change near the Northern Aral Sea, neither towards warming nor cold snap.
The formula for the determination of salinity in remote areas of the sea is obtained based on the freezing temperature derived from satellite data and the table of freezing temperature dependence on salinity. It is shown that the accuracy of salinity definition equals 1 ‰ when the accuracy of satellite temperature measurement equals 0.05 °C (with the current accuracy of 0.6–1 °C).
Keywords: Northern Aral Sea, salinity, ice, climate, AQUA/TERRA satellites, MODIS
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