|
Cycle 9 (2020 Deadline)
The effects of excessive water use and agricultural intensification on Aral Sea shrinkage: socioeconomic-environmental systems (SES) dynamics within the Syr Darya River Basin
PI: Maira Kussainova (mairakussainova@gmail.com), Kazakh National Agrarian University
U.S. Partners: Ranjeet John, University of South Dakota, and Jiquan Chen, Michigan State University
Project Dates: April 2021 - December 2023
Project Overview
One of the most dramatic changes in the Earth’s surface over the past six decades has been the shrinking of the Aral Sea in Central Asia. This PEER project focused on the causes of reduced stream flows through analysis of land cover trends, agricultural development, water withdrawals, irrigation intensity trends, population density, economic development, and policy shifts. Concepts, principles, and methods from socioeconomic-environmental systems (SES) were applied for three districts (Aralskiy, Syrdariya, and Zhanakorganskiy) along the Syr River, the largest tributary for water supply to the shrinking Aral Sea. The long-term goal is to build a comprehensive database and knowledge to understand physical and socioeconomic changes, as well as their consequences on the ecosystems and societies within the Syr Darya River basin.
The PI Dr. Kussainova and her team sought to explore interdependent changes of food, energy, and water fluxes for the three districts with high-resolution data to understand of coupled changes between climate and land use, identify critical drivers (including policy shifts) on stream flows and evapotranspiration loss, as well as construct an open-access webpage to share data and findings with the public. The research team integrated databases from multiple sources, including satellite images, government statistics, past ground measurements, and their own field measurements, including the installation of three automatic weather stations and extensive surveys of the landscapes in Kyzylorda, which will fill some major data gaps.
The project is built upon the team’s past research in the Aral region, including an ongoing project on the food-water-energy nexus of Kazakhstan (working with NASA and USDA/ARS) and curriculum development for more than five universities in Kazakhstan (in conjunction with the American Council).
Final Summary of Project Activities
The PEER team conducted research on soil environmental issues, including the measurement of greenhouse gas concentrations in soil and the development of innovative methods for water use analysis in irrigation practices. The researchers collected soil samples from various agricultural sites across Kazakhstan and conducted comprehensive analyses to measure greenhouse gas concentrations in the soil.
On the outreach side, the PEER team organized capacity building workshops and training sessions for local farmers, agricultural extension workers, and policymakers to disseminate research findings and provide practical guidance on sustainable agricultural practices, soil conservation, and environmental management. The group also engaged with policymakers and government agencies to advocate for the integration of the findings into agricultural and environmental policies, including presenting their research findings at policy forums, workshops, and conferences.
During the project, the PEER team introduced several new courses and made changes to existing course curricula, including a new course titled "Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Conservation," which incorporates the latest research findings and methodologies from the PEER project. They also met with farmers and heads of peasant farms who focus on crop production and animal husbandry, as well as local agricultural departments and representatives of the higher educational universities in the Kyzylorda Region.
As part of the project, the PI made two extended collaborative visits to her U.S. partners, spending October-December 2021 at the University of South Dakota and August-October 2022 at Michigan State University (MSU). During her stays, she worked with her counterparts to use archival data from libraries, various literature, and data from the statistical bureau of Kazakhstan to analyze causal and non-causal relationships between the elements of the biophysical matrix and socioeconomic variables. Dr. Kussainova was awarded a Fulbright research visiting fellowship for the 2023-2024 academic year at MSU.
Publications
М.Д. Кусаинова, Т.Б. Таменов, М.Р. Тойшиманов, Ә.Б.Сыздық, Г. Искакова, Н.Д. Нұрғали. 2023. Динамический мониторинг ndvi в агрономических испытаниях агро культур с использованием беспилотного летательного аппарата [Dynamic monitoring of NDVI in agronomic testing of agro crops using an unmanned aerial vehicle]. Вестник науки Казахского агротехнического исследовательского университета им. С. Сейфуллина [Science Journal of the S. Seifullin Kazakh Agrotechnical Research University] 2(117): 148-161. https://doi.org/10.51452/kazatu.2023.2(117).1386
M. Kussainova, M. Toishimanov, T. Tamenov, A. Syzdyk, and Jiquan Chen. 2023. Изучение эффективности различных систем землепользования для смягчения климата посредством измерения эмиссии парниковых газов [Studying the climate mitigation efficiency of various land-use systems by measuring greenhouse gas emissions]. Central Asian Journal of Water Research 9(2): 17-34. https://doi.org/10.29258/CAJWR/2023-R1.v9-2/17-34.rus
Maira Kussainova, Maxat Toishimanov, Gulnaz Iskakova, Nursultan Nurgali, and Jiquan Chen. 2023. Effects of different fertilization practices on CH4 and N2O emissions in various crop cultivation systems: A case study in Kazakhstan. Eurasian Journal of Soil Science 12(4): 363-370. https://doi.org/10.18393/ejss.1344462
M. Kussainova, M. Toishimanov, A. Syzdyk, T. Tamenov, N. Nurgali, and Jiquan Chen. 2023. Influence of the conditions of the year and time of day on the soil temperature indicators in Kazakhstan. Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences 21(5): 1117-1122. https://doi.org/10.22124/CJES.2023.7399
Lulu Hou, Xiaoping Xin, Beibei Shen, Qi Qin, Ahmed Ibrahim Ahmed Altome, Yousif Mohamed Zainelabdeen Hamed, Ruirui Yan, Serekpaev Nurlan, Nogayev Adilbek, Akhylbekova Balzhan, Maira Kussainova, Amartuvshin Amarjargal, Wei Fang, Alim Pulatov, Wenneng Zhou, and Haixia Sun. 2023. Effects of long-term grazing on feed intake and digestibility of cattle in meadow steppe. Agronomy 13(7):1760. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13071760
F. Salehi and M. Kussainova. 2023. Assessment of the soil erosion and water quality state in the downstream portion of Syrdarya using the water quality index arithmetic method. Soil Science and Agrochemistry 4: 95-107. https://journal.soil.kz/jour/article/view/820/711
F. Salehi and M. Kussainova. 2023. Assessment of interdependent changes of NEXUS fluxes on the impact of climate change and land use on the example of the districts along the SyrDarya. 2023. Ізденістер, нәтижелер – Исследования, результаты 3(99): 171-180. https://doi.org/10.37884/3-2023/18
Back to PEER Cycle 9 Grant Recipients
|
|
|
|
