Humans always take things from nature. Nature is getting poor. The Aral Sea (咸海) is in central Asia. It was a salty lake. It once was the world's fourth-lake. Today, over 90% of it has dried up. Will it disappear one day?
The Arial Sea only guts water from two rivers, Amu Darya and Styr Darya. Russia began to grow cotton in the 1960s. Cotton farmers used most of the water from the two rivers. The sea couldn't get enough water. Also, more people live near the Aral Sea than before. They take water from it. The Aral Sea loses more water.
Dust (灰尘) storms come from the dry seabed. They hurt crops and make people sick. The Aral Sea becomes very salty. Millions of fish dies. Five countries in central Asia are trying to save the Aral Sea. The lake is a little bigger now. But it will be hard to get back to its past glory (辉煌).
