"your path". Why is the Caspian Sea considered a lake?
The Caspian Sea is located on the continent of Eurasia. The surprising thing is that the Caspian Sea, with an area of 370 thousand square kilometers, is actually the largest lake, since it has no connection with the ocean. Although it is difficult to call it a lake, because the composition of the water, flora and fauna are similar to those of the sea. The salinity of the water is close to oceanic (from 0.05% to 13%).
Photo: Seagulls on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
About 50 million years ago, the Tethys Sea was located on the territory of Eastern Europe, which, when drying up, was divided into several large bodies of water - the Caspian, Black and Mediterranean seas.
Thanks to mineral waters and healing mud, the Caspian Sea has great recreational and health potential. Therefore, there is an increase in the popularity of the coasts of Turkmenistan, Iran, Azerbaijan and Russian Dagestan among tourists.
Particularly popular is the resort area in the Baku region, where the popular resort in Amburan is located, as well as the area of the village of Nardaran, sanatoriums in the villages of Zagulba and Bilgah. In the north of Azerbaijan, the resort in Nabran is gaining popularity.
Unfortunately, tourism in Turkmenistan is poorly developed, which is due to the policy of isolation. And in Iran, Sharia law prohibits foreign tourists from vacationing on the coast.
But if you decide to relax on the Caspian Lake, then you will enjoy walking through protected areas; you will see extraordinary floating islands, various plants and animals that live in fresh and salt waters.
There is a greater variety of ways to have a good time throughout the year. For example, you can go on ship cruises, go fishing or waterfowl hunting, or you can simply enjoy the healing waters, looking at seals and a variety of birds. The protected areas of the sea coast are very beautiful, for example the Astrakhan International Biosphere Reserve and the Volga delta with lotus fields.
A special feature of the Caspian zone is the oriental flavor with hookah and mesmerizing dances. Traditional music will delight your ears, and East Asian cuisine will satisfy your hunger.
See where the Caspian Sea is located on the world map.
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Video: Caspian Sea. Storm. 07/08/2012.
Yes, geography can sometimes wreak havoc on my brain. You look at the map and see the name – “Caspian Sea”. What would a normal person think in such a situation? Of course, it wouldn’t occur to him that we are talking about a lake! So now I'll tell you, why the Caspian Sea is not a sea, but a lake, how did this happen and what is this strange whirlwind with names.
The sea is not the sea
Yes, the Caspian Sea is a geographical object, the essence of which does not really coincide with its name.
The fact is that by name it is a sea, but in fact it is a lake. They called it the sea due to the large size and salinity of the water. After all, people didn’t want to delve into geographical nuances - the name appeared a long time ago.
Only in reality The Caspian lake has no access to the ocean. And this is one of the most important conditions for which a body of water is called a sea. It turns out that without access to the ocean, the Caspian Sea is considered a lake. Large, salty and very similar to the sea - but still a lake.
So, I’ll list once again what a body of water must have in order for it to be considered a sea:
A lake is not a lake
The Caspian Sea-lake, however, is different from other lakes. It is indeed very large - so much so that it washes the territory five different countries. In addition, it contains about fifty quite large islands.
Yes and water there salty. However, by naval standards it’s still not enough- which again inclines us towards the fact that this is a lake.
And the abundance of Caspian waters has been decreasing over the years. For a long time it Volga replenished, but in recent years she she's getting shallow- respectively, The water level in the Caspian Sea is also decreasing. So, perhaps, in a hundred or two years it will turn into a normal-sized lake if global warming does not stop.
All over the world, the Caspian Sea is unanimously considered a lake. Even his water territory shares not according to those international laws that were invented for marine areas, but on legislation relating to lakes.
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I read in a huge number of books about the Caspian Sea, its greatness and how its local peoples love and respect it. And indeed, I was very surprised to find myself one day on the shores of this sea. But after a while I began to hear that it was called a lake. I was wondering why this happens? And then I delved into literature in order to understand the situation.
Why is the Caspian a lake?
There is one main reason why people no longer consider this beautiful body of water to be a sea - the lack of access to the ocean. Usually the sea must have a strait connecting it with a larger part of a huge water reservoir - the world ocean. For example, we can recall the Sea of Azov, with its Kerch Strait, or the next Black Sea, with the Bosporus Strait. A series of such straits and seas leads them to the Atlantic Ocean.
But the Caspian Sea is a unique case. There is not a single drain from it. Even the Angara River flows from the great Baikal.
The only compelling argument that the Caspian is a sea is its salinity. But the numbers speak against this. The average percentage of water salinity here is 12.9%, while in other seas this figure is 35%.
Where does the Caspian Sea get its water from?
Five great rivers flow into this, the largest, as I understand it, lake on the planet:
- Samur;
- Volga;
- Ural;
- Terek;
- Kura.
At the confluence of the rivers the water is almost fresh, but closer to the south the lake saturates it with its own reserves of salt.
Caspian Sea level fluctuations
Local residents told me that the Caspian Sea is fickle. The water level is extremely variable. This is due to changes in river levels and internal sources of this sea-lake. Climate plays a big role. At the moment, the height of the Caspian Sea is growing steadily, reaching almost 26 meters below ocean level. For comparison: 20 years ago this figure was almost two meters lower.
This has pros and cons. On the one hand, navigation improves, and on the other, pastures and fields are flooded.
Residents of the coast love the Caspian Sea, despite its unusual nature and stormy character. I really liked him too!
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Many names, not only toponyms, have always surprised me with their seeming groundlessness. Guinea pigs are not guinea pigs or pigs, bats are not related to rodents, and the Caspian Sea is actually a lake.
I said “apparent” for a reason. Every name has a backstory. And often very interesting.
How the sea became a lake
The Caspian Sea is not undeservedly called a sea. Once upon a time it really was part of the ocean.
It even rests in the bed of the earth's crust oceanic type.
The Caspian Sea is brackish, although the salinity of the water is variable. Near the mouth of the Volga flowing into it, the salinity of the water is minimal. The size of the Caspian Sea is in no way inferior to the sea. Its surface area: 371,000 km².
The main reason why Caspian it is generally accepted lake, it is his isolation from the oceans. He has nothing to do with him.
But it was many years ago.
It all started with Sarmatian Sea, which existed more than 13 million years ago. It was loosely related to by sea Mediterranean, but later it lost this connection and began to desalinate. Then it briefly restored contact with the sea, but then lost it again.
Formed 6.5 – 5.2 million years ago Pontic Sea, already smaller in area. Which, moreover, soon divided into several unconnected reservoirs. The resulting Balakhanskoye Lake can be considered a grandmother Caspian. It gained and lost access to the sea several more times, raised and lowered the water level, changed in size, until finally it appeared Caspian Sea as we see it now.
What should the Caspian Sea be considered: a sea or a lake?
And the disputes here are not so much between geographers, but between politicians.
The Caspian Sea washes the territories immediately five states:
- Kazakhstan;
- Russia;
- Turkmenistan;
- Iran;
- Azerbaijan.
But Caspian Sea- this is not only important transport node, but also a storehouse of various natural resources, among which:
- oil;
- gas;
- fish, incl. sturgeon.
And here comes the problem with legal status of the Caspian Sea. If you count it by sea, then when using it, states should focus on UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982. But the procedure for using international rivers and lakes, as a rule, is established by the riparian states themselves, concluding appropriate agreements.
Full agreement between the countries has not yet been achieved.
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I was resting somehow in the camp. It's no secret that almost every day competitions are held there to entertain children and youth. So here it is. Was we have quiz. Question: “Which lake is the largest?” One guy of about fifteen was the first to raise his hand and answer: “Baikal.” The strangest thing was that his answer was counted as correct! How so? Isn't the Caspian Sea the largest lake? Now I will explain to you.
How to distinguish a sea from a lake
I'll list several signs by which a body of water is defined as a sea.
1. Rivers can flow into the sea.
2. The outer sea has direct access to the ocean.
3. If the sea is internal, then it is connected by straits with other seas or directly with the ocean.
Does the Caspian Sea fit sea parameters?
Need to check, does the Caspian Sea have signs of a sea. into it really rivers flow in, but they flow into many bodies of water: seas, lakes, oceans, and other rivers. The Caspian Sea is surrounded from all sides by land. Is this really inland sea? Then it must connect to the Black or Azov Seas somehow strait. Strait Same No. Exactly due to the lack of access to the World Ocean, the Caspian Sea is considered a lake.
“But why was it called the sea then, if it is a lake?”- you ask. Answer very simple: because of his large size and salinity. Indeed, The Caspian Sea is several times larger than the Azov Sea and almost equal in size to the Baltic Sea.
Great! The problem with the quiz has been resolved. Judge to hell!!!
Well then, I told, that the Caspian Sea In fact - lake. Now I want to you provide small a selection of interesting facts about this lake.
1. The Caspian Sea is below sea level (-28 m), which once again proves that this is a lake.
2. BC near the lake area lived nomadic Caspian tribes,in honor of which he was nicknamed Caspian.
3. This the deepest enclosed body of water on the planet.
4. Many people think that the name of the group “Caspian Cargo” is related to the Caspian Sea. In some ways they are right ( No). In fact the expression “Caspian cargo” can mean any illegal cargo.
5.Caspian Sea Fine suitable for tourism. During the USSR, a large number of sanatoriums were built here. Today same here you can see many hotels, water parks and beaches.
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The Caspian Sea is a special body of water, since its nature is still debated. Some scientists believe that this is the largest lake on our planet, others call it an endorheic sea.
The unique fossil and biological resources of the Caspian Sea are shared among five coastal states: Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. But in addition to natural resources, this sea is fraught with many dangers. Oil and gas production poisons the ecosystem, industrial wastewater pollutes the coast, and dangerous microorganisms are regularly found in water samples.
Mining of oil and gas
Today, active hydrocarbon production is underway throughout the Caspian Sea. Back in 1820, the first well was drilled on the Absheron shelf. The news that oil had been found near Baku caused a real boom. The development of the mining industry has progressed by leaps and bounds. Moreover, according to geologists, about 20 billion tons of hydrocarbons are hidden in the depths of the Caspian Sea.
The extraction of oil and gas condensate has led to a real environmental problem. We are talking not only about associated pollution and chemical spills as a result of man-made disasters, but also about the use of nuclear charges during the construction of gas storage facilities.
The waters of the Caspian Sea are practically poisoned with arsenic, lead, and mercury. In addition, the maximum permissible concentration (MPC) of heavy metals, copper, barium and zinc is significantly exceeded here. Phenols, volatile and non-volatile derivatives of hydrocarbons, cause especially great damage to the marine ecosystem. These substances are waste from oil refineries and are extremely toxic.
Scientists consider another danger posed by hydrocarbon production in the Caspian Sea to be the possibility of releasing large amounts of hydrogen sulfide into the water, which will inevitably cause an environmental disaster. Already now, in the areas of wells, the level of water pollution with oil products ranges from 30 to 100 (!) MPC.
Spilled oil prevents the growth of phytoplankton and phytobenthos, blue-green algae, which reduces the food supply of sea inhabitants and reduces the amount of oxygen produced. An oil film can lead to the death of rare fish species, including sturgeon, waterfowl and other fauna.
Wastewater
Various pollutants enter the Caspian waters not only as a result of the work of oil and gas workers. The Volga and other rivers flowing into the sea annually bring thousands of tons of various waste into the Caspian Sea. Coastal cities often simply dump untreated sewage into the sea, and factories poison the water with waste chemicals.
For example, employees of the Dagestan department of Rospotrebnadzor do not recommend residents and tourists to swim in the sea near Derbent, Makhachkala, Izberbash and Kaspiysk. However, not all people are stopped by these warnings.
Almost half of Russia's industrial and agricultural enterprises are located in the Volga basin. This river flows through 15 regions of our country and poisons the Caspian Sea with pesticides, mineral fertilizers, nitrates, phosphates, heavy metal salts, and dioxins. According to scientists, the waters of the Volga mouth are firmly among the top ten most environmentally unfavorable water areas in the world.
Experts fear that such high levels of pollution in the rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea and problems in the sea itself could lead to the emergence of so-called oxygen-free zones. That is, under the influence of chemicals, the algae will finally die, there will be no one to produce oxygen, which will lead to the death of all the inhabitants of this area of the sea. The danger of the emergence of oxygen-free zones is especially relevant for the southern part of the Caspian Sea, where a noticeable imbalance in the balance between the synthesis and decomposition of organic substances has already been recorded.
Pathogenic bacteria
Some researchers fear that many dangerous viruses and bacteria that existed on our planet before the last ice age remained preserved in the depths of the sea. And the active extraction of hydrocarbon raw materials can “let the genie out of the bottle,” which is very dangerous, because modern people do not have immunity from ancient pathogens. But most scientists are skeptical about such fears, because nothing like this has happened yet, although Caspian oil production has been going on for almost 200 years.
However, even fully studied microorganisms can cause significant harm to human health. From year to year, scientists discover Vibrio cholera and Escherichia coli in the waters of the Caspian Sea. According to the Dagestan department of Rospotrebnadzor, the number of pathogenic microorganisms in seawater samples sometimes exceeds the maximum permissible concentration by 28 (!) times.
In many samples, scientists discovered so-called rotaviruses, which cause acute intestinal infections that are quickly transmitted from person to person. This can provoke the emergence of mass outbreaks of the disease.
Experts say the main reason for the current situation is the banal discharge of human waste from the sewers of coastal cities without special cleaning and disinfection.
Caspian seal
Despite numerous media reports about mysterious predators, poisonous snakes and even sharks, which some tourists and local residents allegedly saw in the Caspian Sea, the inhabitants of this sea do not pose a particular danger to people. There aren't even stinging jellyfish here.
True, there is still one predator that can cause damage to human health if handled carelessly. This is the Caspian seal - a small seal that lives only in this sea. The body length of this animal does not reach 1.5 meters, its weight is about 50 kg. Compared to other seals, the Caspian seal is a real baby. But still a predator.
During the mating season, males become very aggressive; a female, fearing for her cub, can bite an unwary person. These animals have very sharp teeth; if you are unlucky, you may end up without fingers. The bite is painful and may become inflamed. Medical assistance in this case is mandatory.
However, who would stick their limbs into the jaws of wild predators? And the seals themselves try to avoid people, often suffering from poachers.
Caspian Sea- the largest lake on Earth, located at the junction of Europe and Asia, called the sea because of its size. Caspian Sea is a closed lake, and the water in it is salty, from 0.05% near the mouth of the Volga to 11-13% in the southeast.
The water level is subject to fluctuations, currently approximately 28 m below sea level.
Square Caspian Sea currently - approximately 371,000 km2, maximum depth - 1025 m.
Length of coastline Caspian Sea is estimated at approximately 6,500 - 6,700 kilometers, with islands - up to 7,000 kilometers. Shores Caspian Sea Most of its territory is low-lying and smooth. In the northern part, the coastline is indented by water channels and islands of the Volga and Ural deltas, the banks are low and swampy, and the water surface in many places is covered with thickets. The east coast is dominated by limestone shores adjacent to semi-deserts and deserts. The most winding shores are on the western coast in the area of the Absheron Peninsula and on the eastern coast in the area of the Kazakh Gulf and Kara-Bogaz-Gol.
IN Caspian Sea 130 rivers flow in, of which 9 rivers have a delta-shaped mouth. Large rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea are the Volga, Terek (Russia), Ural, Emba (Kazakhstan), Kura (Azerbaijan), Samur (Russian border with Azerbaijan), Atrek (Turkmenistan) and others.
Map of the Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea washes the shores of five coastal states:
Russia (Dagestan, Kalmykia and Astrakhan region) - in the west and northwest, coastline length 695 kilometers
Kazakhstan - in the north, northeast and east, the length of the coastline is 2320 kilometers
Turkmenistan - in the southeast, the length of the coastline is 1200 kilometers
Iran - in the south, coastline length - 724 kilometers
Azerbaijan - in the southwest, the length of the coastline is 955 kilometers
Water temperature
is subject to significant latitudinal changes, most clearly expressed in winter, when the temperature varies from 0 - 0.5 °C at the ice edge in the north of the sea to 10 - 11 °C in the south, that is, the difference in water temperature is about 10 °C. For shallow water areas with depths less than 25 m, the annual amplitude can reach 25 - 26 °C. On average, the water temperature off the west coast is 1 - 2 °C higher than that on the east, and in the open sea the water temperature is 2 - 4 °C higher than on the coasts.
Climate of the Caspian Sea- continental in the northern part, temperate in the middle part and subtropical in the southern part. In winter, the average monthly temperature of the Caspian Sea varies from?8?10 in the northern part to +8 - +10 in the southern part, in summer - from +24 - +25 in the northern part to +26 - +27 in the southern part. The maximum temperature recorded on the east coast was 44 degrees.
Animal world
The fauna of the Caspian Sea is represented by 1809 species, of which 415 are vertebrates. IN Caspian Sea 101 species of fish are registered, and it contains the majority of the world's sturgeon reserves, as well as freshwater fish such as roach, carp, and pike perch. Caspian Sea- habitat for fish such as carp, mullet, sprat, kutum, bream, salmon, perch, pike. IN Caspian Sea also inhabited by a marine mammal - the Caspian seal.
Vegetable world
Vegetable world Caspian Sea and its coastline is represented by 728 species. From plants to Caspian Sea The predominant algae are blue-green, diatoms, red, brown, characeae and others, and flowering algae include zoster and ruppia. By origin, the flora belongs mainly to the Neogene age, however, some plants were brought in Caspian Sea by a person knowingly or on the bottoms of ships.
Mining of oil and gas
IN Caspian Sea Many oil and gas fields are being developed. Proven oil resources in Caspian Sea are about 10 billion tons, the total resources of oil and gas condensate are estimated at 18 - 20 billion tons.
Oil production in Caspian Sea began in 1820, when the first oil well was drilled on the Absheron shelf. In the second half of the 19th century, oil production began on an industrial scale on the Absheron Peninsula, and then in other territories.
In addition to oil and gas production, on the coast Caspian Sea Salt, limestone, stone, sand, and clay are also mined on the Caspian shelf.
Ecological problems
Ecological problems Caspian Sea associated with water pollution as a result of oil production and transportation on the continental shelf, the flow of pollutants from the Volga and other rivers flowing into Caspian Sea, the life activity of coastal cities, as well as the flooding of individual objects due to rising levels Caspian Sea. Predatory production of sturgeon and their caviar, rampant poaching lead to a decrease in the number of sturgeon and to forced restrictions on their production and export.
The Caspian Lake is one of the most unique places on Earth. It keeps many secrets related to the history of the development of our planet.
Position on physical map
The Caspian Sea is an internal, drainless salt lake. The geographical location of the Caspian Lake is the continent of Eurasia at the junction of parts of the world (Europe and Asia).
The length of the lake shoreline ranges from 6500 km to 6700 km. Taking into account the islands, the length increases to 7000 km.
The coastal areas of the Caspian Lake are mostly low-lying. Their northern part is cut by the channels of the Volga and Ural. The river delta is rich in islands. The surface of the water in these areas is covered with thickets. Large areas of land are swampy.
The eastern coast of the Caspian Sea adjoins the On the shores of the lake there are significant deposits of limestone. The western and part of the eastern coasts are characterized by a winding coastline.
The Caspian Lake is represented on the map by its considerable size. The entire territory adjacent to it was called the Caspian region.
Some characteristics
The Caspian Lake has no equal on Earth in terms of its area and volume of water. It stretches from north to south for 1049 kilometers, and its longest length from west to east is 435 kilometers.
If we take into account the depth of the reservoirs, their area and volume of water, then the lake is comparable to the Yellow, Baltic and Black Seas. According to the same parameters, the Caspian Sea surpasses the Tyrrhenian, Aegean, Adriatic and other seas.
The volume of water available in the Caspian Lake is 44% of the supply of all lake waters on the planet.
Lake or sea?
Why is the Caspian Lake called a sea? Was it really the impressive size of the reservoir that became the reason for assigning such a “status”? More precisely, this became one of these reasons.
Others include the huge mass of water in the lake, the presence of large waves during stormy winds. All this is typical for real seas. It becomes clear why the Caspian Lake is called a sea.
But one of the main conditions that must exist in order for geographers to classify a body of water as a sea is not mentioned here. We are talking about a direct connection between the lake and the World Ocean. It is precisely this condition that the Caspian Sea does not meet.
Where the Caspian Lake is located, a depression was formed in the earth’s crust several tens of thousands of years ago. Today it is filled with the waters of the Caspian Sea. According to scientists, at the end of the 20th century, the water level in the Caspian Sea was 28 meters below the level of the World Ocean. The direct connection between the waters of the lake and the ocean ceased to exist approximately 6 thousand years ago. The conclusion from the above is that the Caspian Sea is a lake.
There is one more feature that distinguishes the Caspian Sea from the sea - the salinity of its water is almost 3 times lower than the salinity of the World Ocean. The explanation for this is that about 130 large and small rivers carry fresh water to the Caspian Sea. The Volga makes the most significant contribution to this work - it “gives” up to 80% of all water to the lake.
The river played another important role in the life of the Caspian Sea. It is she who will help find the answer to the question of why the Caspian Lake is called a sea. Now that man has built many canals, it has become a fact that the Volga connects the lake with the World Ocean.
History of the lake
The modern appearance and geographical position of the Caspian Lake are determined by continuous processes occurring on the surface of the Earth and in its depths. There were times when the Caspian was connected to the Sea of Azov, and through it to the Mediterranean and Black Sea. That is, tens of thousands of years ago the Caspian Lake was part of the World Ocean.
As a result of processes associated with the rise and fall of the earth's crust, mountains appeared that are located on the site of the modern Caucasus. They isolated a body of water that was part of a huge ancient ocean. Tens of thousands of years passed before the basins of the Black and Caspian Seas separated. But for a long time the connection between their waters was carried out through the strait, which was on the site of the Kuma-Manych depression.
Periodically, the narrow strait was either dried up or filled with water again. This happened due to fluctuations in the level of the World Ocean and changes in the appearance of the land.
In a word, the origin of the Caspian Lake is closely connected with the general history of the formation of the Earth's surface.
The lake received its modern name because of the Caspian tribes that inhabited the eastern parts of the Caucasus and the steppe zones of the Caspian territories. Throughout the history of its existence, the lake has had 70 different names.
Territorial division of the lake-sea
The depth of the Caspian Lake is very different in different places. Based on this, the entire water area of the lake-sea was conditionally divided into three parts: the Northern, Middle and Southern Caspian.
Shallow water is the northern part of the lake. The average depth of these places is 4.4 meters. The highest level is 27 meters. And on 20% of the entire area of the Northern Caspian the depth is only about a meter. It is clear that this part of the lake is of little use for navigation.
The Middle Caspian has the greatest depth of 788 meters. The deep-water part is occupied by lakes. The average depth here is 345 meters, and the greatest is 1026 meters.
Seasonal changes at sea
Due to the large extent of the reservoir from north to south, the climatic conditions on the coast of the lake are not the same. Seasonal changes in the areas adjacent to the reservoir also depend on this.
In winter, on the southern coast of the lake in Iran, the water temperature does not drop below 13 degrees. During the same period, in the northern part of the lake off the coast of Russia, the water temperature does not exceed 0 degrees. The Northern Caspian is covered with ice for 2-3 months of the year.
In summer, almost everywhere the Caspian Lake warms up to 25-30 degrees. Warm water, excellent sandy beaches, and sunny weather create excellent conditions for people to relax.
Caspian Sea on the political map of the world
There are five states on the shores of the Caspian Lake - Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
The western regions of the Northern and Middle Caspian Sea belong to the territory of Russia. Iran is located on the southern shores of the sea, it owns 15% of the entire coastline. The eastern coastline is shared by Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Azerbaijan is located in the southwestern territories of the Caspian region.
The issue of dividing the lake’s waters between the Caspian states has been the most pressing for many years. The heads of five states are trying to find a solution that would satisfy everyone's needs and requirements.
Natural resources of the lake
Since ancient times, the Caspian Sea has served as a water transport route for local residents.
The lake is famous for valuable fish species, in particular sturgeon. Their reserves account for up to 80% of the world's resources. The issue of preserving the sturgeon population is of international importance; it is being resolved at the level of the government of the Caspian states.
The Caspian seal is another mystery of the unique sea-lake. Scientists have still not fully unraveled the mystery of the appearance of this animal in the waters of the Caspian Sea, as well as other species of animals of northern latitudes.
In total, the Caspian Sea is home to 1,809 species of different groups of animals. There are 728 species of plants. Most of them are “indigenous inhabitants” of the lake. But there is a small group of plants that were brought here intentionally by humans.
Of the mineral resources, the main wealth of the Caspian Sea is oil and gas. Some information sources compare the oil reserves of the Caspian Lake fields with those of Kuwait. Industrial sea mining of black gold has been carried out on the lake since the end of the 19th century. The first well appeared on the Absheron shelf in 1820.
Today, governments unanimously believe that the region cannot be viewed only as a source of oil and gas, while leaving the ecology of the Caspian Sea without attention.
In addition to oil fields, in the Caspian region there are deposits of salt, stone, limestone, clay and sand. Their production also could not but affect the ecological situation of the region.
Sea level fluctuations
The water level in the Caspian Lake is not constant. This is evidenced by evidence dating back to the 4th century BC. The ancient Greeks, who explored the sea, discovered a large bay at the confluence of the Volga. The existence of a shallow strait between the Caspian and the Sea of Azov was also discovered by them.
There are other data on the water level in the Caspian Lake. The facts suggest that the level was much lower than what exists now. The proof is provided by ancient architectural structures discovered on the seabed. The buildings date back to the 7th-13th centuries. Now the depth of their flooding ranges from 2 to 7 meters.
In 1930, the water level in the lake began to decline catastrophically. The process continued for almost fifty years. This caused great concern among people, since all economic activity in the Caspian region is adapted to the previously established water level.
From 1978 the level began to rise again. Today he has become more than 2 meters higher. This is also an undesirable phenomenon for people living on the coast of the lake-sea.
The main reason affecting fluctuations in the lake is climate change. This entails an increase in the volume of river water entering the Caspian Sea, the amount of precipitation, and a decrease in the intensity of water evaporation.
However, it cannot be said that this is the only opinion that explains the fluctuation in water level in the Caspian Lake. There are others, no less plausible.
Human activities and environmental issues
The area of the Caspian Lake's drainage basin is 10 times larger than the surface of the reservoir itself. Therefore, all changes occurring in such a vast territory in one way or another affect the ecology of the Caspian Sea.
Human activity plays an important role in changing the environmental situation in the Caspian Lake region. For example, pollution of a reservoir with harmful and dangerous substances occurs along with the influx of fresh water. This is directly related to industrial production, mining and other human activities in the watershed.
The state of the environment of the Caspian Sea and adjacent territories is of general concern to the governments of the countries located here. Therefore, the discussion of measures aimed at preserving the unique lake, its flora and fauna has become traditional.
Each state has an understanding that only through joint efforts can the ecology of the Caspian Sea be improved.
