Khorezm research

Water Resources in Khorezm, Uzbekistan
Understanding water resources in the Khorezm region of Uzbekistan (Fulbright)
Using stable isotopes, passive organic samplers and modelling to assess environmental security in Khorezm, Uzbekistan (NATO)

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 -2010*
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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 have received a Science for Peace grant from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for this project that will enable 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 will assess 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) to complete lake coring and microbial experiments to understand the persistence of pesticides in the lakes.

Webshare site: click here

For information about the June 2007 trip to Uzbekistan, click here (please note that the project description is not accurate).

For information about the Uzbeks' July 2007 visit to the U.S., click here.

For information about the Uzbeks' March 2008 visit to the U.S., click here.

Publications:

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.
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)
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)
Presentations from End User Training in June 2009 (in Russian)
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)

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

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Last updated 01 November 2009