The newspaper writes that changes in the Caspian Sea level have touched the heart of Turkmenistan’s struggling economy. Arab News. The reasons for the shallowing of this large body of water are still unclear, but scientists say it is due to natural processes exacerbated by climate change.
A 2021 study predicted that water levels in the Caspian Sea could drop another 8 to 30 meters by 2100. The Caspian Sea is an inland body of water surrounded by the Caucasus region to the west and Central Asia to the east. Turkmenistan, a former Soviet republic, is one of five countries with access to the Caspian Sea, along with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iran and Russia. Its economy suffers greatly due to changing sea levels.
Satellite images in the Caspian coastal town south of Turkmenbashi show that the waters have receded by about 800 metres. Receding waters threaten the maritime infrastructure of Turkmenbashi, an important port in Central Asia that is critical for trade between Europe and Asia. On the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea is Baku, the capital of oil-rich Azerbaijan.
Turkmenistan’s Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov sounded the alarm in a recent speech. “Sea levels are currently near the lowest levels on record,” he said in August.
Neighboring Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s largest country, also shares some of Turkmenistan’s concerns.
Turkmen scientist Nazar Muradov attributes the changes in sea level to “tectonic movements and seismic events that change the seabed.”
Sea levels have previously fallen in the 1930s and 1980s and then risen again, he said. However, he added that climate change should also be taken into account in this last phenomenon.
Kazakhstan also depends on the sea for its oil and gas industry. Falling water levels, combined with rising temperatures, have also affected marine life, including seals living in the Caspian Sea.
Kazakhstan’s leader, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, said he had taken the reduction of the seal population under his “personal control”. He also said that Kazakhstan will establish a research institute to study the Caspian Sea.
Previously in Russia offered Create the Caspian Council.