On the occasion of World Water Day, Casa Asia, CSIC, and CEAB are organizing docuforums on one of the greatest ecological disasters on the planet: the desiccation of the Aral Sea. The film Memories of a Sea will be screened, exploring the devastating consequences of the desiccation of what was once the world’s fourth-largest lake, both for the population and for ecosystems. Afterward, there will be a discussion with the documentary’s author and the scientists from the expedition that serves as its narrative thread.
Memories of a Sea follows a team of scientists specializing in the carbon cycle who travel to Kazakhstan to carry out, together with the NGO Aral Tenizi of Aralsk, an expedition to the dry bed of the Aral Sea. Led by CEAB-CSIC researchers Núria Catalán and Rafael Marcé, the team confirms that the dry sediments of the former lake are a significant source of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and quantifies this contribution to climate change. The expedition, funded by the Spanish State Research Agency, also witnesses the broader impacts of desiccation and learns firsthand about the stories of three generations of women affected by this ecological disaster.
From “Sea” to Toxic Desert
What was once a vast inland sea—teeming with life, regulating the climate, and serving as a source of livelihood for local communities—began losing water due to poor environmental management. The diversion of the rivers that fed it to irrigate land for intensive agricultural projects led to its gradual disappearance. This desiccation resulted in devastating consequences: environmental (e.g., the disappearance of most of the species that inhabited it and the release of vast amounts of greenhouse gases), socio-economic (e.g., the inability to fish or farm due to high salinity), and health-related (e.g., the inhalation of dust from the dry sediments, filled with chemicals and gases like methane, trapped beneath the great lake for centuries).
This documentary—winner of the latest edition of the Catalan Association for Science Communication Awards—brings us closer to this shocking reality, with a special focus on the consequences for girls and women in the region.
Its screening, along with the discussion with the filmmaker and the scientific expedition members, offers a unique opportunity to analyze lessons learned from this ecological disaster, reflect on the impact of environmental policy decisions, and explore solutions for sustainable water resource management and a better relationship between humanity and nature.
The docuforum’s timing coincides with renewed attention on the Aral Sea—this time with positive news, as efforts by neighboring countries to restore it have once again made headlines.
Docuforum Madrid: 25 march
- 18:00 h |Welcome (Casa Àsia’s director; CSIC’s vicepresident; Kazakhstan’s ambassador)
- 18:10 h |Screening Memòries d’un mar
- 19:00 h | Talk: “Mar d’Aral: past, present and future” (Laura Carrau, documentary’s director; Núria Catalán and Rafael Marcé, CEAB-CSIC’s researchers)
- Host and Moderator: Yasmin Paricio, Casa Àsia
Centro Casa Asia-Madrid (Calle Mayor, 69). Free entry. Previous registration, needed
Docufòrum Barcelona: 27 march
- 18:00 h | Welcome (CSIC’s delegate; Casa Àsia’s director; Kazakhstan’s ambassador)
- 18:10 h | Screening Memòries d’un mar
- 19:00 h | Talk: “Mar d’Aral: past, present and future” (Laura Carrau, documentary’s director; Núria Catalán and Rafael Marcé, CEAB-CSIC’s researchers)
- Host and Moderator: Yasmin Paricio, Casa Àsia
Residència d’Investigadors del CSIC (Carrer Hospital, 64, Barcelona). Free entry. Previous registration, needed.
Activities organized by Casa Asia, CSIC, the Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), the CSIC Delegation in Madrid, the CSIC Delegation in Catalonia, and in collaboration with the Researchers’ Residence.
L'entrada Docuforum on the Aral Sea ha aparegut primer a CEAB.