Caspian Sea shallowing called irreversible

Tengrinews.kz – The process of the Caspian Sea becoming shallower cannot be stopped; all that remains is to adapt to it. This was stated to journalists by Aliaga Azizov, deputy head of Azerbaijan’s State Service for Supervision over the Use and Protection of Water Resources, citing the Moscow-Baku portal.

The specialist noted that, according to research, the water level in the Caspian Sea has been steadily declining since the mid-1990s. The main reasons are climate change, a decrease in precipitation in the sea basin, increased evaporation due to rising air temperatures, and a reduction in the flow of rivers that feed into the sea.

“The level of the Caspian Sea, the world’s largest enclosed body of water, has dropped by about one meter over the past five years, by 1.5 meters over the past 10 years, and by 2.5 meters over the past 30 years. At present, the sea level is falling by 20–30 centimeters annually. This is dozens of times faster than the rate at which the World Ocean is rising,” Azizov explained.

The Azerbaijani official stated that the Caspian Sea’s shallowing is having a serious impact on the operation of ports, shipping, fishing, coastal tourism and oil and gas infrastructure located in the sea area.

In March of this year, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology reported that, according to Kazhydromet’s long-term forecast, two scenarios for changes in the Caspian Sea level are being considered: optimistic and pessimistic.

According to calculations, under the optimistic climate scenario, the sea level may fall to -29.8 meters according to the Baltic Height System by 2030 and to -32.4 meters by 2050.

Under the pessimistic climate scenario, the Caspian Sea level may reach -30 meters by 2030 and -34 meters by 2050, according to the Baltic Height System.

This means the water will recede farther from the shore, while coastal areas will gradually turn into dry land.