Joint expedition of Zoological Institute RAS and

Barsakelmes wild life reserve to the Aral Sea

September 2008

Expedition route

Prof. N.Aladin (ZIN RAS) and director of wild life reserve M.Tursinbaev are planning the expedition route using

modern satellite image

Preparing Gates of Aklak control structure for operation

View of 3 open gates

Water level gates (Baltic system)

View to the dike from down stream side

The fish-bypass

Schematic of Aklak control structure and associated water bodies

Headquarters of the wild life reserve on the former Barsakelmes Island

Library and laboratory buildings

Remains of equipment used during the Soviet era

Remains of tractor used during Soviet period

Dried up mushroom

Sun spider on the Barsakelmes Island

Scorpio on the Barsakelmes Island

Poisonous snake - copperhead snake Gloydius halys

Rising moon

View to the Eastern Large Aral Sea from the southern cliff

Dr. I. Plotnikov (ZIN RAS) is descending the cliff

The car stuck in saline land on the former Aral Sea bottom

Digging out the car

Grave of D.Piriulin (former ZIN RAS researcher)

on the Barsakelmes Island

Car on the former Aral Sea bottom

Gauharbek (Barsakelmes reserve) and K.Milto (ZIN RAS) are collecting reptiles

Camels at the watering place

Gerbil at its borrow

Boat of fishing inspectors on the Small Aral Sea

Image acquisition at Kokaral dike

View to Kokaral dike water gates from the tail water

Old water well in foreground and drilling operation for new well in background in Akbasty village

Boring new water well

The southern coast of Shevchenko Bay

The northern coast of Tschebas Bay

Innocuous snake - coluber Elaphe quatuorlineata sauromates, juv.

Prof. N.Aladin and the wild life reserve officials

Channel between the Western and Eastern Large Aral Sea

Image acquisition at the channel

View of the channel looking south to southern shore on Vozrozdeniya Island

Footprints of flamingo on the channel bank

Chernyshov Bay

Agama Trapelus sanguinolentus

Lizard agama Phrynocephalus helioscopus

Another lizard agama speciesPhrynocephalus guttatus

Dried up bottom at the western coast of Chernyshov Bay

View to the eastern coast of Chernyshov Bay

Tschebas Bay, dried up bottom

Remains of boats on Tschebas Bay

Salt crust on dried up bottom

Remnants of dredger

Remnants of pier

Local herdsman on motorcycle

A boulder from the cliff of Shevchenko Bay northern coast

Cliff on Shevchenko Bay northern coast

Cliff on Shevchenko Bay northern coast

Partially submerged boat on Butakov Bay

Partially submerged boat on Butakov Bay

Southern coast of Butakov Bay

Butakov Bay

Butakov Bay

Crystals of gypsum

“Trident” on the northern coast of Butakov Bay

Cliff on the coast of Butakov Bay

Butakov Bay

Summing up results of expedition for nature reserve officials

Farewell at the railway station