How did the Aral Sea’s shrinking turn Vozrozhdenya Island into a peninsula?

The Aral Sea’s dramatic decline, driven by the diversion of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers for irrigation, caused the water level to drop significantly beginning in the 1960s. As the sea receded, vast areas of the former seabed were exposed, causing many of the lake's more than 1,000 islands to become connected to the mainland.1

By the early 21st century, the water had receded to a level where Vozrozhdenya Island was no longer surrounded by water, effectively transforming it into a peninsula. This transition raised significant environmental and security concerns, as the site had previously served as a secret Soviet Union testing ground for biological weapons, including anthrax, during the Cold War.1