English: On September 4, 2023, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of a swath of green surrounding the Amu Darya River in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

The Amu Darya River flows from the high Pamir Mountains in central Asia across searing desert and eventually into the Aral Sea. As one of the major rivers in the region it is literally a lifeline—turning deserts green and allowing people, plants, and animals to flourish. In the 1960s, water started to be diverted from the river to expand agriculture and for other uses. While water diversion has successfully expanded agriculture along a wider swath, it has had devastating effects in the “downstream” section of the river. Both Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are considered “downstream”.

A white salt pan can be seen at the upper left (northwest) in this image. To its east is an area of cracked soil, bits of green, and pools of water. This wasted soil marks the southern boundary of the once-thriving Aral Sea. Once an expansive and robust inland sea, the Aral Sea began to die as the water in the rivers that fed it (the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya) began to be diverted and water flow dwindled. Today, most of the Aral Sea has dried up, leaving nothing behind but parched, hypersaline soils that easily become airborne dust.

Water diversion and cropland expansion also threatens a unique and ecologically vital forest ecosystem. Called “tugai” or the Central Asian riparian woodlands ecoregion, it exists only along large rivers in Central Asian Deserts. The primary locations are along the Tarim River, the Syr Darya, and the Amu Darya. Tugai forest is rich in the Euphrates poplar tree, several species of shrub, along with some grasses. It provides critical habitat for a wide variety of species, especially migratory birds. The hardy and drought-and-heat tolerate vegetation is critical to prevent desertification, provide protection from sandstorms, and protect biodiversity. The green along the Amur Darya still holds a substantial remnant of tugai forest; however, agricultural fields—especially cotton—continue to replace the forest at an expanding rate.