The level of the Caspian Sea has been intensively rising for 18 years since 1978. After some balancing, the sea level began to decline since 2006, according to the information of the National Hydrometeorological Service of Kazakhstan, reports Orient.tm.
Over the past 15 years, the surface area of the Caspian Sea has decreased by 8 thousand km². If in 2008 the water surface area was 113.8 thousand km², then this year it has already decreased to 105.7 thousand km².
The seabed was exposed in the northern part of the Kazakh waters of the Caspian Sea. According to environmentalists, the lowering of the water level has already begun to affect the ecosystem and the marine industry.
With a decrease in sea level, the areas of deserts, areas of reeds have increased, which, in turn, causes a risk of fire hazard. In addition, the population of seals and sturgeons has decreased, as well as nesting places for birds in the water area. To solve these problems, according to experts, active measures to restore the balance of the Volga and Zhaiyk (Ural) rivers and measures to adapt to climate change will help.
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest landlocked body of water. There are five states around the Caspian Sea - Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
July 15, 2023