Last updated 1 Mar 2013
Water Resources in Khorezm, Uzbekistan
Understanding water resources in the Khorezm region
of Uzbekistan (Fulbright 2006)
Using stable isotopes, passive organic samplers and modelling to assess
environmental security in Khorezm, Uzbekistan
(NATO 2006-2010)
Investigating pesticide contamination in small lakes in Khorezm, Uzbekistan (NSF
2009-2011)
Laurel Saito (PI); Dilorom Fayzieva (Co-PI); Bakhriddin Nishonov (Co-PI); Michael Rosen (Co-PI); Sudeep Chandra (Co-PI); John Lamers (Co-PI); Eric Marchand (Co-PI)
Students: Marhabo Bekchanova (Uzbekistan); Arica Crootof (UNR); Elena Ginatullina (Uzbekistan); Farida Kadirkhodjaeva (Uzbekistan); Nodir Mullabaev (Uzbekistan); Akmal Nigmadjanov (Uzbekistan); Julian Scott (UNR); Margaret Shanafield (Fulbright graduate student); Diana Shermetova (Uzbekistan)
Funded by: Fulbright Student Program; North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), National Science Foundation
* 2006 -2012*
Photos
This work in being done in collaboration with the Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Zentrum fur Entwicklungsforschung (ZEF)-UNESCO German-Uzbek Khorezm Project. We received a Science for Peace grant from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for this project (SfP 982159) that enabled us to assess the water quality and aquatic ecosystems of irrigation lakes and the Amu Darya in Khorezm using a combination of monitoring and interdisciplinary modeling. We are assessing the quantity and quality of the water resources provided by these lakes to determine if they have any value for drinking water, aquaculture, or other uses. The project will also train young Uzbek scientists to be able to perform these monitoring and modeling approaches on other lakes and water bodies throughout Uzbekistan. We are also collecting food web samples for stable isotope analysis and measuring organic compounds in the water using semi-permeable membrane devices (SPMDs).
We recently received additional funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF; EAR-0838239) to complete lake coring and microbial experiments to understand the persistence of pesticides in the lakes.
For information about the Uzbeks' March 2008 visit to the U.S., click here.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Publications:
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Oberkircher L, Shanafield M, Ismailova B, Saito L. 2011. Ecosystem and social construction: An interdisciplinary case study of the Shurkul Lake landscape in Khorezm, Uzbekistan. Ecology and Society 16(4):20.
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Scott J, Rosen MR, Saito L, Decker DL. 2011. The influence of irrigation water on the hydrology and lake water budgets of two small arid-climate lakes in Khorezm, Uzbekistan. Journal of Hydrology 410(1-2):114-125.
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Crootof A. 2011. Assessing water resources in Khorezm, Uzbekistan for the development of aquaculture. MS Thesis, Hydrology. University of Nevada Reno.
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Crootof A, Saito L, Rosen M, Marchand E, Nishonov B, Lamers J, Fayzieva D. 2011. Assessing water resources in Khorezm, Uzbekistan for the development of aquaculture. Nevada Water Resources Association Conference. Reno, Nevada. Feb 2011 (2nd place Student Poster Award)
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Shanafield M, Rosen M, Saito L, Chandra S, Lamers J, Nishonov B. 2010. Identification of nitrogen sources to four lakes in the agricultural region of Khorezm, Uzbekistan. Biogeochemistry 101:357-368.
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Final report (8.5x11 format; A4 format) - November 2010
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Project summary - November 2010
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Crootof AB, Saito L, Marchand E, Rosen M, Scott J, Nishonov B, Lamers J. 2010. Determining the fate of organochlorine pesticides in Khorezm, Uzbekistan. Nevada Water Resources Association Annual Conference. Las Vegas, Nevada. Mar 2010.
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Scott J. 2009. The influence of irrigation water on the hydrology and lake water balance of two small arid-climate lakes in Khorezm, Uzbekistan. MS Thesis, Hydrology. University of Nevada Reno
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Shanafield M, Rosen M, Chandra S, Conrad C, Saito L, Lamers J. 2009. Evaluation of the contribution of agricultural activity to nitrogen concentrations in several lakes in the Khorezm region of Uzbekistan. BIOGEOMON 2009 Conference. Helsinki, Finland. June 2009 (poster)
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Presentations from End User Training in June 2009 (in Russian)
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Scott J, Saito L, Rosen M, Lamers J, Mullabaev N, Decker D, Bekchonova M, Shermetova D, Fayzieva D. 2008. Groundwater-surface water interactions of small arid-landscape lakes in Khorezm, Uzbekistan. American Geophysical Union 2008 Conference. San Francisco, California. December 2008.
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Saito L, Fayzieva D, Chandra S, Rosen M, Nishonov B, Lamers J, Scott J*, Shanafield M*, Bekchonova M, Shermetova D, Mullabaev N, Ginatullina E. 2008. Water quality and aquatic ecosystems of irrigation runoff lakes in Khorezm, Uzbekistan. Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2008. Honolulu, Hawaii. May 2008 (poster)
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Shanafield M, Saito L, Chandra S, Rosen M, Fayzieva D, Nishonov B, Lamers J. 2007. Natural and anthropogenic effects of nutrient, salinity, and organic contaminant levels on the agriculturally influenced aquatic ecosystem in Khorezm, Uzbekistan. American Institute of Hydrology 2007 Conference. Reno, Nevada. April 2007 (poster – First Place Student Poster Award)
For further information contact Dr. Saito, lsaito@cabnr.unr.edu
Project team in Urgench in June 2007 (L to R): Co-PD Sudeep Chandra, Co-PD Bakhriddin Nishonov, Farida Kadyrkhodjaeva, PPD Dilorom Fayzieva, Co-PD Michael Rosen, NPD Laurel Saito, Nodir Mullabaev, Margaret Shanafield, Diana Shermetova, Elena Ginatullina, Akmal Nigmadjanov, and Marhabo Bekchonova