Aral Sea's Eastern Basin Has Gone Dry

 In a landmark moment that will go without celebration, the eastern basin of the South Aral Sea has completely dried for the first time in modern history.

"This is the first time the eastern basin has completely dried in modern times," Philip Micklin, a geographer emeritus from Western Michigan University and an Aral Sea expert, told NASA. "And it is likely the first time it has completely dried in 600 years, since Medieval desiccation associated with diversion of Amu Darya to the Caspian Sea."

What was once the world’s fourth-largest lake is now split into several pieces:  the Northern and Southern Aral Seas, and further, the eastern and western lobes of the larger Southern Aral Sea.

 
http://www.weather.com/news/science/environment/aral-sea-eastern-lobe-20140927