Experts in Baku discuss Caspian Sea decline on World Environment Day

An expert session titled "The Caspian Sea at a Crossroads: Science-Analytical Debate on Sea Level Decline and Regional Action" was held in Baku as part of World Environment Day.

According to Report, Russian researcher Yelena Ostrovskaya stated that the Caspian Sea level is expected to continue declining in the coming years.

She noted, however, that fluctuations in sea level are a natural process observed throughout history.

Climate expert Rovshan Abbasov linked the decline to reduced river inflow, particularly from the Volga River. He cited rising temperatures, decreased precipitation, and increasing water consumption as key drivers.

Simon Goodman of the University of Leeds warned that falling water levels could have catastrophic ecological consequences.

"A 5-meter drop could result in more than half of 7 out of 15 ecologically significant zones losing their area, with 4 disappearing completely. A 10-meter drop would eliminate 5 such zones and 4 unique northern Caspian ecoregions," he said.

IDEA representative Elnur Safarov highlighted a lack of sufficient data to fully assess ongoing changes.

Rob Butler from the World Health Organization noted that systematic assessments of the impact of declining water levels and deteriorating water quality on human health are still lacking.