The water level in the Caspian Sea decreases by approximately 10-20 cm annually, reaching its lowest indicator in the past 200 years.
Sea-news.az reports that Mohammad Reza Kanani, Director General of the Environmental Protection Department of Mazandaran province, spoke about this.
According to him, over the past two decades, the water temperature in the Caspian Sea has risen by approximately 1.5 degrees, and evaporation has increased by 10-15%. He pointed to climate change and the decrease in river runoff among the main causes.
Mohammad Reza Kanani warned that the continued drop in sea level threatens the region’s coastal communities, infrastructure, and unique ecosystems. Approximately 75% of the water entering the Caspian Sea accounts for rivers, with the Volga providing roughly 80% of that river inflow.
Pollution also creates an additional threat: municipal and industrial wastewater, petroleum products, and agricultural waste are discharged into the sea. Ecologists warn that the combined impact of shallowing and pollution is already putting species such as the Caspian seal and sturgeon at risk.
