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Climate Change Impacts on Soil Formation and Biotechnological Rehabilitation of Saline Soils in the Dried Aral Sea Seabed

Authors

  • Adilbek Imanmurzaev Email ORCID Faculty of Biology,Geography and Natural Resources,Karakalpak State University,Nukus 230112,Uzbekistan
  • Yunus Karimov ORCID Faculty ofNatural Sciences,Samarkand State Pedagogical Institute,Samarkand 230044,Uzbekistan; Department of Science,Central Asian University of Environmental and Climate Change Studies (Green University), Tashkent 111104,Uzbekistan; Key Laboratory of Arid Land Biogeography and Biological Resources,Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Urumqi 830011,China
  • Oralkhan Sultashova ORCID Faculty of Biology,Geography and Natural Resources,Karakalpak State University,Nukus 230112,Uzbekistan
  • Vahob Rafiqov ORCID Faculty of Geography and Ecology,Samarkand State University,Samarkand 230100,Uzbekistan
  • Yakhshimurad Khudaybergenov ORCID Faculty of Biology,Geography and Natural Resources,Karakalpak State University,Nukus 230112,Uzbekistan
  • Sami Boymurotov ORCID Faculty of Geography,Karshi State University,Karshi 180119,Uzbekistan
  • Sadokatkhon Uktamova ORCID Faculty of Education,Kokand University,Kokand 170100,Uzbekistan
  • Hamdam Tursunboyev ORCID Faculty of Biology,Geography and Natural Resources,Karakalpak State University,Nukus 230112,Uzbekistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/re.v8i5.117343

Received:24 August 2026 |Revised:26 September 2026 |Accepted:30 September 2026 |Published Online:19 October 2026

Abstract

The dried Aral Sea seabed has become one of the most complex newly formed arid landscapes in Central Asia, where climate warming, moisture deficit, wind activity and salt accumulation jointly influence early soil formation and vegetation recovery. The rehabilitation experiment was conducted using control and treatment plots across the same salinity gradient. The biotechnological treatment was evaluated using soil salinity, organic carbon, microbial biomass, vegetation indices, plant survival and soil and vegetation rehabilitation indicators. Between 2021 and 2025, mean air temperature increased from 13.70 to 15.19 °C, annual precipitation declined from 106.33 to 67.84 mm, and evaporation increased from 1,551.81 to 1,739.58 mm. During the same period, mean electrical conductivity increased from 24.59 to 29.35 dS m⁻1, whereas soil moisture, soil organic carbon (SOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) all declined. During the same period, mean electrical conductivity increased from 24.59 to 29.35 dS m⁻1, soil organic carbon decreased from 2.93 to 2.35 g kg⁻1, microbial biomass carbon declined from 79.41 to 59.72 mg kg⁻1, NDVI decreased from 0.100 to 0.073, and SAVI decreased from 0.232 to 0.184. The strongest degradation was observed in extremely saline soils, where low moisture, high salt concentration and weak biological activity limited natural soil development. In contrast, treated plots showed clear improvement by 2025, with lower electrical conductivity (EC), higher SOC, stronger microbial biomass, better vegetation response and higher plant survival compared with the control. These findings show that the observed warmer, drier and more evaporative conditions were associated with increasing salinity constraints and weaker soil biological functioning during 2021–2025, while biotechnological rehabilitation improved soil and vegetation indicators, particularly under moderate and strong salinity.

Keywords:

Dried Aral Sea Seabed,Saline Soil,Soil Formation,Climate Change,NDVI

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2026 Vol.8 No.5

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Copyright © 2026 Adilbek Imanmurzaev, Yunus Karimov, Oralkhan Sultashova, Vahob Rafiqov, Yakhshimurad Khudaybergenov, Sami Boymurotov, Sadokatkhon Uktamova, Hamdam Tursunboyev

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