South Aral Sea Syr Darya, would be diverted in order to irrigate cotton and food crops in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In 1986, due to an accelerated loss of water, the Aral Sea was split into northern and southern parts; the northern part is the current North Aral Sea. In 2007, the western basin had a salinity of 70 g/l and the eastern basin 100 g/l. Once the water level falls below the connecting channel (elevation 29 m), the salinities can be expected to diverge further. Under current conditions, the eastern basin may receive water from the Amu Darya in wet years, fluctuating in
Water distribution on Earth a globally significant amount of water. "Saline" groundwater is seldom considered except when evaluating water quality in arid regions. The remainder of the Earth's water constitutes the planet's "fresh water" resource. Typically, fresh water is defined as water with a salinity of "less than 1 percent that of the oceans" - i.e. below around 0.35‰. Water with a salinity between this level and 1‰ is typically referred to as "marginal water" because it is marginal for many uses by humans and animals. The ratio of salt water to fresh water on Earth is around 40 to 1. The planet's fresh