Skip to content

Environment

Picturing life in the dust bowl remains of the once mighty Aral Sea

Photographer Kristina Varaksina has documented the lot of people living near what was once the fourth-largest freshwater lake in the world, the Aral Sea, much of which has become a barren desert

29 November 2023

Quat is an artemia collector. Artemia is a primitive arthropod also known as brine shrimp, it is used as a rapidly growing food source for farm fish. The salinity level of the water in the Aral Sea does not allow any other life to exist in or near it. A tiny creature you can?t see with the naked eye is all the sea is willing to give. — A portrait of a lone fisherman catching Artemia (a primitive arthropod also known as brine shrimp)
Kristina Varaksina

ONCE the fourth-largest freshwater lake in the world, the Aral Sea has now shrunk from 68,000 square kilometres to just 10 per cent of its former size.

Photographer Kristina Varaksina travelled to the Republic of Karakalpakstan, an autonomous region of Uzbekistan where the southern part of the lake is. She has documented those living in the area in her picture series The Land Beyond The River, taking elegant portraits and vibrant landscapes.

[caption id="attachment_2405519"…

View introductory offers

No commitment, cancel anytime*

Offer ends 28th October 2023.

*Cancel anytime within 14 days of payment to receive a refund on unserved issues.

Inclusive of applicable taxes (VAT)

or

Existing subscribers

Sign in to your account

1

Get ready to see a total solar eclipse in 2024 – here's how

2

Encryption upgrade in 2024 will keep data safe from quantum computers

3

Much of North America may face electricity shortages starting in 2024

4

Aloe vera plants turned into energy-storing supercapacitors

5

Human cells have a resonant frequency – and it’s just barely audible

6

Why tending your oral microbiome is the secret to a long, healthy life

7

Quantum state of matter made with 'dipolar' molecules for first time

8

How did Paranthropus, the last of the ape-people, survive for so long?

9

Mathematicians found a guaranteed way to win the lottery in 2023

10

How bad is vaping for your health? We’re finally getting answers