Azernews.Az

Friday March 29 2024

Caspian Sea fluctuation puzzles littoral states

15 July 2015 09:00 (UTC+04:00)
Caspian Sea fluctuation puzzles littoral states

By Nigar Orujova

Water level fluctuations in the Caspian Sea are a serious concern for the Caspian littoral states – Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Iran.

“The level of the Caspian Sea has recently fallen, and many are wondering why this is happening,” said Telman Zeynalov, the Chairman of the Environmental Council of the Ecology Ministry and Head of the National Center for Ecological Forecasting, at a conference in Baku.

The conference was dedicated to current estimates of climate processes in the region in the summer. The event also focused on the main factors causing level fluctuations in the Caspian Sea.

“Some 10-15 percent of the sea level depends on climate change, 40 percent on geology, 20 percent on the hydrogeology, and the rest on human activity, in particular oil production,” Zeynalov said.

In recent years, the level of the Caspian Sea has dropped by 40 cm. A number of scientists argue that the level has dropped a meter, but it is greatly exaggerated, he said.

“In the spring there was practically no rain, so that the lowering of the level of the Caspian Sea is not surprising, but not by this much,” he added.

Zeynalov predicts that by 2030, the Caspian Sea level to rise to four meters due to the cyclical fluctuations of the sea level.

Centuries ago, the Caspian Sea was at the center of modern Baku and as of now, it has receded by up to 300 meters, he noted.

“It is still not entirely clear how this recurrence occurred, but most scientists agree that there are a number of factors at play. These processes must be studied, but scientists need funds for this,” he stressed.

Speaking about pollution in the sea, Zeynalov noted that the Caspian Sea could cleanse itself within 12 years if there are no further pollutants added during this time.

The Caspian Sea, home to 141 species of fish, is rich with natural resources, and as a result the Caspian basin has been in the spotlight of the coastal nations. The littoral states have not yet reached a consensus on the basin's legal status.

Its unresolved status has caused many problems, the most significant of which is increased pollution. Oil production and refining has adversely affected the environmental condition of the sea.

Many people claim that oil production plays an integral source of pollution in the Caspian, however, this is not true.

Recent studies have shown that the main source might be pollutants flowing in from rivers such as the Kura, Terek, and Volga.

These major rivers bring about 75,000 tons of waste per year into the Caspian Sea, 90 percent of which flows from the Volga.

Meanwhile, oil production releases only 111 tons of oil products into the sea.

A third, but no less important source of the sea pollution is industrial and household waste, especially in large cities.

So-called diffused pollution is the fifth source of pollution.

Apart from pollution, sea level fluctuations are another problem for the littoral states today. The highest water level for the Caspian Sea was observed in 1995, and the lowest in 1977.

"Periodic fluctuations in the level of the Caspian Sea began to occur from the end of the 50s, and there are periods of the rise and fall of the water level about 5-10 years. These changes are not a sign of something bad, but is a natural process,” said Farida Huseynova, the Head of the Green Movement, to a local news agency.

The state may suffer damage if it does not stop building houses in areas that were once under water, she stressed.

“In the mid-90s, when the level of the Caspian Sea began to rise suddenly, a huge number of houses were left in the flood zone in Lankaran. There were environmental refugees,” she said, adding that now the construction of facilities within 120 meters of the shoreline is prohibited.

Today the situation is repeating in the Absheron peninsula, she said. There are places where locals have built and continue to build homes along the seashore.

“They do not think about tomorrow,” Huseynova said, “as in 10-15 years the water level in the Caspian Sea will begin to rise again and the person may, by his own fault, stay without a roof over his head.”

According to some experts, shoaling may affect the marine fauna. However, Huseynova does not believe this process can lead to negative consequences, as it only changes sea level slightly.

The issue may be topical in the north of the Caspian Sea, because it is only 15 meters deep, whereas the average Azerbaijani water area ranges from 500 to 1,500 meters, and in the southern part of the Caspian Sea in Iran, it reaches 3,000 meters.

On the other hand, when the water levels fall by only 30 cm, the Volga’s shallow water may affect the flora and fauna of this part of the Sea. The main reason is a rapid heating of water in shallow areas, she said.

The expert suggested that this is also linked to climate change. There is a small amount of rain in the winter, and as a result of the high temperatures today, water seems to be evaporating quickly.

--

Nigar Orujova is AzerNews’s staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

Loading...
Latest See more