Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Climate Change in Turkmenistan

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Turkmen Lake Altyn Asyr and Water Resources in Turkmenistan

Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 28))

Abstract

More than 80% of Turkmenistan is desert; thus, key environmental issues are associated with redistribution and supply of limited water resources. Turkmenistan is projected to become warmer and probably drier during the coming decades. Aridity is expected to increase in all republics of Central Asia, but especially in the western part of Turkmenistan. The temperature increases are predicted to be particularly high in summer and fall but lower in winter. Especially significant decrease in precipitation is predicted in summer and fall, while a modest increase or no change in precipitation is expected in winter months. These seasonal climatic shifts are likely to have profound implications for agriculture, particularly in western Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, where frequent droughts are likely to negatively affect cotton, cereals, and forage production, increase already extremely high water demands for irrigation, exacerbate the already existing water crisis, and accelerate human-induced desertification. The Amudarya is the most water-bearing river in Central Asia; its endorheic drainage basin includes the territories of Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. Fed by seasonal snowmelt of snowpacks and glaciers, the flow of the Amudarya may increase due to intensified melting of the glaciers and snowpacks under a warming climate, which could further contribute to expansion of agricultural land use at the expense of converted natural areas. During the last few decades, Turkmenistan has experienced widespread changes in land cover and land use following the socioeconomic and institutional changes in the wake of the disintegration of the USSR in 1991, and subsequently followed by a decade of drought and steadily increasing temperatures. These changes in the vegetated landscape are sufficiently broad to be detectable from orbital sensors at multiple scales.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Hanmamedov MA, Rejepov OR (2007) On rational water use in Turkmenistan. Problems Deserts Dev 1:26–27 (in Russian)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Qi J, Evered KT (eds) (2008) Environmental problems of Central Asia and their economic, social and security impacts. Springer, Dordrecht

    Google Scholar 

  3. The World Bank Data (2012) http://www.worldbank.org. Accessed Apr 2012

  4. Glantz M (1999) Creeping environmental problems and sustainable development in the Aral Sea Basin. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  5. Saiko TA, Zonn IS (2000) Irrigation expansion and dynamics of desertification in the Circum-Aral region of Central Asia. Appl Geogr 20(4):349–367

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Rahmatulina GG (2008) Current state of intergovernmental relationships with regards to water resources in Central Asia. In: Chufrin GI (ed) Current state and perspective of use of water resources in Central Asia. Asia Strategy Foundation for Strategic Studies of the Central Asian Region, Almaty-Bishkek-Tashkent

    Google Scholar 

  7. Adger WN, Agrawala S, Mirza MMQ et al (2007) Assessment of adaptation practices, options, constraints and capacity. In: Parry ML, Canziani OF, Palutikof JP et al (eds) Climate change 2007: impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. Contribution of working group II to the fourth assessment report of the IPCC. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  8. Parry ML, Canziani OF, Palutikof JP et al (2007) Climate change 2007: impacts, adaptations and vulnerability. Contribution of working group II to the fourth assessment report of the IPCC. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  9. Barnet J, Adger WN (2007) Climate change, human society and violent conflict. Polit Geogr 26(6):639–655

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Lioubimtseva E (2008) Climate change in Turkmenistan. In: Philander SG (ed) Encyclopedia of Global Warming and Climate Change. Ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2008. 988-89. SAGE Reference Online. Web. 11 Jul. 2012 http://www.sage-reference.com/view/globalwarming/n644.xml?rskey=vSQsa8&result=1&q=Lioubimtseva

  11. Small EE, Sloan LC, Hostetler S, Giorgi F (1999) Simulating the water balance of the Aral Sea with a coupled regional climate-lake model. J Geophys Res 104(D6):6583–6602

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Lioubimtseva E (2003) Arid environments. In: Shahgedanova M (ed) Physical geography of Northern Eurasia. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  13. Orlovsky N (1994) Climate of Turkmenistan. In: Fet V, Atamuradov KI (eds) Biogeography and ecology of Turkmenistan. Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht

    Google Scholar 

  14. Maman S, Blumberg DG, Tsoar H et al (2011) The Central Asian ergs: a study by remote sensing and geographic information systems. Aeolian Res 3:353–366

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Barlow M, Cullen H, Lyon B (2002) Drought in central and Southwest Asia: La Niña, the Warm Pool, and Indian Ocean precipitation. J Climate 15:697–700

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Syed FS, Giorgi F, Pal JS, King MP (2006) Effect of remote forcings on the winter precipitation of Central Southwest Asia, part 1: observations. Theor Appl Climatol 86(1–4):147–160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Kariyeva J (2010) Land surface phenological responses to land use and climate variation in a changing Central Asia. Dissertation, The University of Arizona

    Google Scholar 

  18. Kostianoy AG, Lebedev SA, Solovyov DM (2012) Satellite monitoring of the Caspian Sea, Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay, Sarykamysh and Altyn Asyr Lakes, and Amu Darya River. In: Zonn IS, Kostianoy AG (eds) The Turkmen Lake Altyn Asyr and water resources in Turkmenistan. Springer, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  19. Kes AS, Mamedov ED, Khondkaryan SO et al (1993) Plains of Northern Central Asia during the late Pleistocene and Holocene: stratigraphy and palaeogeography. In: Velichko AA (ed) Evolution of landscapes and climates of the Northern Eurasia. Nauka, Moscow

    Google Scholar 

  20. IPCC (2007) In: Solomon S et al (eds) Climate change 2007: the physical science basis. Contribution of working group I to the fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  21. Schlüter M, Rüger N, Savitsky A et al (2006) Tugai: an integrated simulation tool for ecological assessment of alternative water management strategies in a degraded river delta. Environ Manage 38(4):638–653

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Thevs N, Zerbe S, Schnittler M et al (2008) Structure, reproduction and flood-induced dynamics of riparian tugai forests at the Tarim River in Xinjiang, NW China. Forestry 81(1):45–57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Alamanov SK, Lelevkin VM, Podrezov OA, Podrezov AO (2006) Climate change and water problems in Central Asia. United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Moscow-Bishkek (in Russian)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Boomer I, Aladin N, Plotnikov I, Whatley R (2000) The palaeolimnology of the Aral Sea: a review. Quat Sci Rev 19(13):1259–1278

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Boroffka N, Oberhänsli H, Sorrel Ph et al (2006) Archaeology and climate: settlement and lake-level changes at the Aral Sea. Geoarchaeology 21(7):721–734

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Lioubimtseva E, Cole R, Adams JM, Kapustin G (2005) Impacts of climate and land-cover changes in arid lands of Central Asia. J Arid Environ 62(2):285–308

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Lioubimtseva E, Cole R (2006) Uncertainties of climate change in arid environments of Central Asia. Rev Fish Sci 14(1–2):29–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Micklin P (1988) Desiccation of the Aral Sea: a water management disaster in the Soviet Union. Science 241:1170–1176

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Vinogradov AV, Mamedov ED (1991) The Aral Sea in the Holocene. In: Andrianov BV et al (eds) Aral crisis. USSR Academy of Sciences, Moscow

    Google Scholar 

  30. Lioubimtseva E (2004) Climate change in arid environments: revisiting the past to understand the future. Prog Phys Geogr 28(4):502–530

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Tarasov P, Williams JW, Andreev A (2007) Satellite- and pollen-based quantitative woody cover reconstructions for northern Asia: verification and application to late-Quaternary pollen data. Earth Planet Sci Lett 264(1–2):284–298

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Lioubimtseva E, Simon B, Faure H et al (1998) Impacts of climatic change on carbon storage in the Sahara-Gobi desert belt since the late glacial maximum. Global Planet Change 16–17:95–105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Sorrel P, Popescu S-M, Klotz S et al (2007) Climate variability in the Aral Sea basin (Central Asia) during the late Holocene based on vegetation changes. Quat Res 67:357–370

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Lioubimtseva E, Henebry GM (2009) Climate and environmental change in arid Central Asia: impacts, vulnerability, and adaptations. J Arid Environ 73:963–977

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Durdyev AM (2006) How to reduce climate change effects in Turkmenistan. Problems Deserts Dev 3:3–6 (in Russian)

    Google Scholar 

  36. IPCC (2001) In: Houghton JT et al (eds) Climate change: the scientific basis contribution of working group I to the third assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  37. Lioubimtseva E (2007) Possible changes in the carbon budget of arid and semi-arid Central Asia inferred from land-use/landcover analyses during 1981–2001. In: Lal R, Suleimenov M, Stewart BA, Hansen DO, Doraiswami P (eds) Climate change and terrestrial carbon sequestration in Central Asia. Taylor & Francis, London

    Google Scholar 

  38. Wigley TML (2008) MAGICC/SCENGEN 5.3: user manual (version 2). NCAR, Boulder

    Google Scholar 

  39. Nakicenovic N, Alcamo J, Davis G et al (2000) IPCC special report on emissions scenarios. IPCC special reports. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  40. Arnell NW (2004) Climate change and global water resources: SRES emissions and socio-economic scenarios. Glob Environ Chang 14:31–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Pitman AJ et al (2009) Uncertainties in climate responses to past land cover change: first results from the LUCID intercomparison study. Geophys Res Lett 36:L14814. doi:10.1029/2009GL039076

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. de Beurs KM, Henebry GM (2004) Land surface phenology, climatic variation, and institutional change: analyzing agricultural land cover change in Kazakhstan. Remote Sens Environ 89(4):497–509

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. de Beurs KM, Henebry GM (2005) A statistical framework for the analysis of long image time series. Int J Remote Sens 26(8):1551–1573

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Henebry GM, de Beurs KM, Gitelson AA (2005) Land surface phenologies of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan between 1982 and 1999. Arid Ecosyst 11(26–27):25–32

    Google Scholar 

  45. Tucker CJ, Pinzon JE, Brown ME et al (2005) An extended AVHRR 8-km NDVI dataset compatible with MODIS and SPOT vegetation NDVI data. Int J Remote Sens 26(20):4485–4498

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Jönsson P, Eklundh L (2004) TIMESAT – a program for analyzing time-series of satellite sensor data. Comput Geosci 30(8):833–845

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. FAOSTAT (2012) Food and Agriculture Organization Statistics. http://www.fao.faostat.org. Accessed Apr 2012

  48. Trenberth KE, Hoar TJ (1996) The 1990–1995 El Niño-southern oscillation event: longest on record. Geophys Res Lett 23(1):55–60

    Article  Google Scholar 

  49. Stanchin I, Lerman Z (2007) Water in Turkmenistan. Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Department of Agricultural Economics and Management, Jerusalem

    Google Scholar 

  50. Podrezov OA, Dikih NA, Bakirov KB (2001) Climate change and glaciers of the Tien-Shan for the last 100 years. Kirghiz-Russian Slavic Univ Bulletin 1(3):33–40 (in Russian)

    Google Scholar 

  51. Adger WN (2006) Vulnerability. Glob Environ Chang 16(3):268–281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  52. Polsky C, Neff R, Yarnal B (2007) Building comparable global change assessments: the vulnerability scoping diagram. Glob Environ Chang 17(3–4):472–485

    Google Scholar 

  53. Schröter D, Polsky C, Patt AG (2005) Assessing vulnerability to the effects of global climate change: an eight step approach. Mitig Adapt Strat Glob Chang 10:573–596

    Article  Google Scholar 

  54. Leichenko RM, O’Brien KL (2002) The dynamics of rural vulnerability to global change: the case of southern Africa. Mitigation Adaptation Strategies Global Clim Change 7:1–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  55. Trenberth KE (1997) The definition of El Niño. Bull Am Meteorol Soc 78(12):2771–2777

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geography and Planning Department and Environmental Studies Program, Grand Valley State University, B-4-202 MAK, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401-9403, USA

    Elena Lioubimtseva

  2. Office of Arid Lands Studies, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    Jahan Kariyeva

  3. Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, 57007, USA

    Geoffrey M. Henebry

Authors
  1. Elena Lioubimtseva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jahan Kariyeva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Geoffrey M. Henebry
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elena Lioubimtseva .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Land Reclamation and Ecology Soyuzvodproject, Engineering Research Production Center for Water Management, Moscow, Russia

    Igor S. Zonn

  2. P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    Andrey G. Kostianoy

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Lioubimtseva, E., Kariyeva, J., Henebry, G.M. (2012). Climate Change in Turkmenistan. In: Zonn, I., Kostianoy, A. (eds) The Turkmen Lake Altyn Asyr and Water Resources in Turkmenistan. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 28. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2012_175

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation