Falling water levels in the Caspian Sea pose a major threat to ecosystems and indigenous species, and may render billions of dollars' worth of human infrastructure obsolete, scientists have warned.
Global warming is predicted to reduce the level of the sea by as much as 21 meters by the year 2100, according to a report published this week in Nature magazine.
The Caspian Sea, the world’s largest landlocked body of water, is currently 1,025 meters at its deepest point.
The sea, bordered by Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan, is home to hundreds of endemic and migratory species, including over 300 species of invertebrates and 76 endemic types of fish, as well as supporting an ecosystem that sustains millions of people, the report said.
The researchers concluded that a drop of just 5–10 meters would result in critical disruption to key ecosystems, including the habitats of Caspian seals and sturgeon, “reduce existing marine protected area coverage by up to 94%, and render billions of dollars of civil and industrial infrastructure obsolete.”
“More than 15 million people live around the Caspian coast,” the report's authors wrote.
“The projected sea level decline presents major economic and societal implications. Shipping routes, civil and industrial infrastructure, including ports and hydrocarbon production facilities, could become obsolete or unviable, while industrial and artisanal fisheries face severe disruption.”
The scientists recommended introducing pre-emptive and dynamic conservation planning in place of the existing static approach in order to help the region’s biodiversity adapt to the changes.
The Caspian Sea, the world’s largest landlocked body of water, is currently 1,025 meters at its deepest point.
The sea, bordered by Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan, is home to hundreds of endemic and migratory species, including over 300 species of invertebrates and 76 endemic types of fish, as well as supporting an ecosystem that sustains millions of people, the report said.
The researchers concluded that a drop of just 5–10 meters would result in critical disruption to key ecosystems, including the habitats of Caspian seals and sturgeon, “reduce existing marine protected area coverage by up to 94%, and render billions of dollars of civil and industrial infrastructure obsolete.”
“More than 15 million people live around the Caspian coast,” the report's authors wrote.
“The projected sea level decline presents major economic and societal implications. Shipping routes, civil and industrial infrastructure, including ports and hydrocarbon production facilities, could become obsolete or unviable, while industrial and artisanal fisheries face severe disruption.”
The scientists recommended introducing pre-emptive and dynamic conservation planning in place of the existing static approach in order to help the region’s biodiversity adapt to the changes.
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