Baku Hosts Panel Discussion On Decrease Of Caspian Sea Level

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 5. A panel discussion at an event entitled "The Caspian Sea at a turning point: scientific and analytical discussion on sea level fall and regional action" has been held as part of the international conference dedicated to World Environment Day (WED), Trend reports.

During the panel discussion, Elena Ostrovskaya, a researcher at the Russian Hydrometeorological Research Center, said that the change in the level of the Caspian Sea is a natural process.

"Climate studies show that the decrease in the water level in the Caspian Sea may continue in the coming years. The change in the level of the Caspian Sea is a natural process, and this has happened many times throughout history. Both increases and decreases in the water level have been observed at different times. Measurements taken at the stations show that decreases and increases in the water level have been recorded over the past 200 years," she noted.

Rovshan Abbasov, a climate expert working in Azerbaijan, said that the Caspian Sea is generally a water basin without a flow, but its main water sources are rivers flowing into the basin.

According to him, most of the water comes mainly from the Volga and Ural rivers. The Volga River accounts for about 80% of the total water entering the Caspian Sea.

"The level of the Caspian Sea is falling because it depends on river flows. As the flow of rivers changes, the level of the sea also changes. I remember 1995. Over the past 100 years, the sea level has fluctuated significantly.

In 1995, the level of the Caspian Sea reached its highest point. This disrupted normal life along the approximately 800-kilometer coastal areas of Azerbaijan. Prolonged floods occurred, and the main infrastructure along the coast was flooded. Even some parts of the Baku Boulevard were damaged by floods.

However, after 1995, a decrease in sea level has been observed. This decrease is associated with various factors occurring in the Caspian basin. The main reason is the decrease in water coming from the rivers. So why is the river flow decreasing? The main reasons for this are the increase in temperature and the decrease in precipitation. In addition, the demand for water is also increasing. As is known, most of the water entering the Caspian comes from the territory of Russia, in particular from the Volga River.

The total area of ​​water reservoirs in Russia reaches 30 thousand square kilometers. This means more evaporation and water losses. Measures must be taken in this regard.

At the same time, the effects of climate change are intensifying and the volume of irrigated land is increasing both in Russia and in other countries, including Azerbaijan. This creates additional pressure on water resources.

The main conclusion is that it is necessary to organize water use in the Caspian basin in a more efficient and economical way. This issue is of particular importance, "he said.

Simon Goodman from the University of Leeds noted that a drop in the level of the Caspian Sea could have potentially catastrophic consequences.

He said that even in the most optimistic scenario, if sea levels fall by 5–8 meters, this could lead to huge losses in important habitats and ecologically important areas.

"In the event of a 5-meter drop in sea level, 7 of the 15 existing ecologically and biologically important areas could lose more than 50 percent of their area, and 4 of them could disappear completely. If the sea level drops by 10 meters, five such areas would disappear completely, and four unique ecoregions in the northern Caspian would also face the threat of extinction."

He also noted that the consequences for sturgeons, the main species of the Caspian, would be serious.

"A 5-meter drop in sea level could lead to the loss of approximately 57–81 percent of the Caspian seal's existing breeding grounds. At the same time, the distribution range of sturgeons will be significantly narrowed and their access to river systems will be severely limited. This indicates potentially catastrophic consequences for the critical biodiversity of the Caspian Sea. As a result, human well-being and economic activity depend on ecosystem services. Therefore, it is extremely important to consider ways to prevent possible biodiversity losses," he noted.

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