How many names did the Caspian Sea have? The Caspian Sea is one of the most amazing closed bodies of water on Earth. Human activities and environmental issues

The territory of Russia is washed by twelve seas belonging to the basins of three oceans. But one of these seas - the Caspian - is often called a lake, which sometimes confuses people who have little understanding of geography.

Meanwhile, it is really more correct to call the Caspian a lake rather than a sea. Why? Let's figure it out.

A little geography. Where is the Caspian Sea located?

Occupying an area that exceeds 370,000 square kilometers, the Caspian Sea stretches from north to south, dividing the spaces of Europe and Asia with its water surface. Its coastline belongs to five different countries: Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Iran. Geographers conventionally divide its water area into three parts: the Northern (25% of the area), the Middle (36% of the area) and the Southern Caspian (39% of the area), which differ in climate, geological conditions and natural features. The coastline is predominantly flat, indented by river channels, covered with vegetation, and in the northern part, where the Volga flows into the Caspian Sea, it is also swampy.

The Caspian Sea has about 50 large and small islands, about one and a half dozen bays and six large peninsulas. In addition to the Volga, approximately 130 rivers flow into it, and nine rivers form fairly wide and branched deltas. The annual drainage of the Volga is about 120 cubic kilometers. Together with other large rivers - Terek, Ural, Emba and Sulak - this accounts for up to 90% of the total annual flow into the Caspian Sea.

Why is the Caspian called a lake?

The main feature of any sea is the presence of straits connecting it to the ocean. The Caspian Sea is a closed or drainless body of water that receives river water, but is not connected to any ocean.


Its water contains a very small amount of salt compared to other seas (about 0.05%) and is considered slightly salty. Due to the absence of at least one strait connecting to the ocean, the Caspian Sea is often called the largest lake in the world, since the lake is a completely enclosed body of water that is fed only by river water.

The waters of the Caspian Sea are not subject to international maritime laws, and its waters are divided between all countries that are adjacent to it, in proportion to the coastline.

Why is the Caspian called a sea?

Despite all of the above, most often in geography, as well as in international and internal documents, the name “Caspian Sea” is used, and not “Caspian Lake”. First of all, this is explained by the size of the reservoir, which is much more characteristic of the sea than of the lake. Even, which is much smaller in area than the Caspian Sea, is often called a sea by local residents. There are no other lakes in the world whose shores belong simultaneously to five different countries.

In addition, you should pay attention to the structure of the bottom, which near the Caspian Sea has a pronounced oceanic type. Once upon a time, the Caspian Sea most likely connected with the Mediterranean, but tectonic processes and drying out separated it from the World Ocean. There are more than fifty islands in the Caspian Sea, and the area of ​​some of them is quite large, even by international standards they are considered large. All this allows us to call the Caspian a sea, and not a lake.

origin of name

Why is this sea (or lake) called the Caspian? The origin of any name is often connected with the ancient history of the area. Different peoples who lived on the shores of the Caspian called it differently. More than seventy names of this reservoir have been preserved in history - it was called the Hyrcanian, Derbent, Sarai Sea, etc.


Iranians and Azerbaijanis still call it the Khazar Sea. It began to be called Caspian after the name of the ancient tribe of nomadic horse breeders who lived in the steppes adjacent to its coast - the numerous Caspian tribe. It was they who gave the name to the largest lake on our planet - the Caspian Sea.

The coastline of the Caspian Sea is estimated at approximately 6,500 - 6,700 kilometers, with islands - up to 7,000 kilometers. The shores of the Caspian Sea in most of its territory are low-lying and smooth. In the northern part, the coastline is indented by water streams 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.

Peninsulas of the Caspian Sea

Large peninsulas of the Caspian Sea:
* Agrakhan Peninsula
* The Absheron Peninsula, located on the western coast of the Caspian Sea on the territory of Azerbaijan, at the northeastern end of the Greater Caucasus, on its territory the cities of Baku and Sumgait are located
* Buzachi
* Mangyshlak, located on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea, on the territory of Kazakhstan, on its territory is the city of Aktau.
* Miankale
* Tub-Karagan

There are about 50 large and medium-sized islands in the Caspian Sea with a total area of ​​approximately 350 square kilometers.

Largest islands:

* Ashur-Ada
* Garasu
*Hum
* Dash
* Zira (island)
* Zyanbil
* Cure Dasha
* Khara-Zira
* Sengi-Mugan
* Chechen (island)
* Chygyl

Large bays of the Caspian Sea:

* Agrakhan Bay,
* Komsomolets (bay),
* Mangyshlak,
* Kazakh (bay),
* Turkmenbashi (bay) (formerly Krasnovodsk),
* Turkmen (bay),
* Gizilagach,
* Astrakhan (bay)
* Gyzlar
* Hyrcanus (formerly Astarabad) and
* Anzeli (formerly Pahlavi).

Rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea

130 rivers flow into the Caspian Sea, 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. The largest river flowing into the Caspian Sea is the Volga, its average annual flow is 215-224 cubic kilometers. The Volga, Ural, Terek and Emba provide up to 88 - 90% of the annual runoff of the Caspian Sea.

Basin of the Caspian Sea

The area of ​​the Caspian Sea basin is approximately 3.1 - 3.5 million square kilometers, which is approximately 10 percent of the world's closed water basin area. The length of the Caspian Sea basin from north to south is about 2500 kilometers, from west to east - about 1000 kilometers. The Caspian Sea basin covers 9 states - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan.

Coastal states

The Caspian Sea washes the shores of five coastal states:
* Russia (Dagestan, Kalmykia and Astrakhan region) - in the west and north-west, coastline length 695 kilometers
* Kazakhstan - in the north, northeast and east, coastline length 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, coastline length 955 kilometers

Cities on the Caspian Sea coast

The largest city and port on the Caspian Sea is Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, which is located in the southern part of the Absheron Peninsula and has a population of 2,070 thousand people (2003). Other major Azerbaijani Caspian cities are Sumgait, which is located in the northern part of the Absheron Peninsula, and Lankaran, which is located near the southern border of Azerbaijan. To the southeast of the Absheron Peninsula, there is an oil workers’ settlement called Neftyanye Kamni, whose structures are located on artificial islands, overpasses and technological sites.

Large Russian cities - the capital of Dagestan, Makhachkala, and the southernmost city of Russia, Derbent - are located on the western coast of the Caspian Sea. Astrakhan is also considered a port city of the Caspian Sea, which, however, is not located on the shores of the Caspian Sea, but in the Volga delta, 60 kilometers from the northern coast of the Caspian Sea.

On the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea there is a Kazakh city - the port of Aktau, in the north in the Ural delta, 20 km from the sea, the city of Atyrau is located, south of Kara-Bogaz-Gol on the northern shore of the Krasnovodsk Bay - the Turkmen city of Turkmenbashi, former Krasnovodsk. Several Caspian cities are located on the southern (Iranian) coast, the largest of them is Anzeli.

Area, depth, volume of water

The area and volume of water of the Caspian Sea varies significantly depending on fluctuations in water levels. At a water level of −26.75 m, the area was approximately 392,600 square kilometers, the volume of water was 78,648 cubic kilometers, which is approximately 44 percent of the world's lake water reserves. The maximum depth of the Caspian Sea is in the South Caspian depression, 1025 meters from its surface level. In terms of maximum depth, the Caspian Sea is second only to Baikal (1620 m) and Tanganyika (1435 m). The average depth of the Caspian Sea, calculated from the bathygraphic curve, is 208 meters. At the same time, the northern part of the Caspian Sea is shallow, its maximum depth does not exceed 25 meters, and the average depth is 4 meters.

Water level fluctuations

The water level in the Caspian Sea is subject to significant fluctuations. According to modern science, over the past 3 thousand years the amplitude of changes in the water level of the Caspian Sea has been 15 meters. Instrumental measurements of the level of the Caspian Sea and systematic observations of its fluctuations have been carried out since 1837, during which time the highest water level was recorded in 1882 (-25.2 m), the lowest in 1977 (-29.0 m) , since 1978, the water level has risen and in 1995 reached −26.7 m; since 1996, there has again been a downward trend in the level of the Caspian Sea. Scientists associate the reasons for changes in the water level of the Caspian Sea with climatic, geological and anthropogenic factors.

Water temperature

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 western coast is 1-2 °C higher than that on the eastern coast, and in the open sea the water temperature is 2-4 °C higher than on the coasts. Based on the nature of the horizontal structure of the temperature field in the annual cycle of variability, three can be distinguished: time intervals in the upper 2-meter layer. From October to March, the water temperature increases in the southern and eastern regions, which is especially clearly visible in the Middle Caspian. Two stable quasi-latitudinal zones can be distinguished, where temperature gradients are increased. This is, firstly, the border between the Northern and Middle Caspian, and, secondly, between the Middle and Southern. At the ice edge, in the northern frontal zone, the temperature in February-March increases from 0 to 5 °C, in the southern frontal zone, in the area of ​​the Absheron threshold, from 7 to 10 °C. During this period, the least cooled waters are in the center of the South Caspian Sea, which form a quasi-stationary core.

In April-May, the area of ​​minimum temperatures moves to the Middle Caspian Sea, which is associated with faster heating of waters in the shallow northern part of the sea. True, at the beginning of the season in the northern part of the sea a large amount of heat is spent on melting ice, but already in May the temperature here rises to 16-17 °C. In the middle part the temperature at this time is 13-15 °C, and in the south it increases to 17-18 °C.

Spring warming of water evens out horizontal gradients, and the temperature difference between coastal areas and the open sea does not exceed 0.5 °C. Warming up of the surface layer, starting in March, disrupts the homogeneity in the temperature distribution with depth. In June-September, horizontal homogeneity in the temperature distribution in the surface layer is observed. In August, which is the month of greatest warming, the water temperature throughout the sea is 24-26 °C, and in the southern regions it rises to 28 °C. In August, the water temperature in shallow bays, for example, in Krasnovodsk, can reach 32 °C. The main feature of the water temperature field at this time is upwelling. It is observed annually along the entire eastern coast of the Middle Caspian and partially penetrates even into the Southern Caspian.

The rise of cold deep waters occurs with varying intensity as a result of the influence of northwest winds prevailing in the summer season. The wind in this direction causes the outflow of warm surface waters from the coast and the rise of colder waters from the intermediate layers. Upwelling begins in June, but it reaches its greatest intensity in July-August. As a result, a decrease in temperature is observed on the surface of the water (7-15 °C). Horizontal temperature gradients reach 2.3 °C at the surface and 4.2 °C at a depth of 20 m.

The source of upwelling gradually shifts from 41-42° north. latitude in June, to 43-45° north. latitude in September. Summer upwelling is of great importance for the Caspian Sea, radically changing the dynamic processes in the deep-water area. In open areas of the sea, in late May - early June, the formation of a temperature jump layer begins, which is most clearly expressed in August. Most often it is located between horizons of 20 and 30 m in the middle part of the sea and 30 and 40 m in the southern part. Vertical temperature gradients in the shock layer are very significant and can reach several degrees per meter. In the middle part of the sea, due to the surge off the eastern coast, the shock layer rises close to the surface.

Since in the Caspian Sea there is no stable baroclinic layer with a large reserve of potential energy similar to the main thermocline of the World Ocean, then with the cessation of the prevailing winds causing upwelling and with the beginning of autumn-winter convection in October-November, a rapid restructuring of temperature fields to the winter regime occurs. In the open sea, the water temperature in the surface layer drops in the middle part to 12-13 °C, in the southern part to 16-17 °C. In the vertical structure, the shock layer is eroded due to convective mixing and disappears by the end of November.

Water composition

The salt composition of the waters of the closed Caspian Sea differs from the oceanic one. There are significant differences in the ratios of concentrations of salt-forming ions, especially for waters in areas directly influenced by continental runoff. The process of metamorphization of sea waters under the influence of continental runoff leads to a decrease in the relative content of chlorides in the total amount of salts of sea waters, an increase in the relative amount of carbonates, sulfates, calcium, which are the main components in the chemical composition of river waters. The most conservative ions are potassium, sodium, chlorine and magnesium. The least conservative are calcium and bicarbonate ions. In the Caspian Sea, the content of calcium and magnesium cations is almost two times higher than in the Sea of ​​Azov, and the sulfate anion is three times higher. The salinity of water changes especially sharply in the northern part of the sea: from 0.1 units. psu in the estuary areas of the Volga and Ural up to 10-11 units. psu on the border with the Middle Caspian.

Mineralization in shallow salty bays-kultuks can reach 60-100 g/kg. In the Northern Caspian, during the entire ice-free period from April to November, a salinity front of a quasi-latitudinal location is observed. The greatest desalination, associated with the spread of river flow across the sea, is observed in June. The formation of the salinity field in the Northern Caspian Sea is greatly influenced by the wind field. In the middle and southern parts of the sea, salinity fluctuations are small. Basically it is 11.2-12.8 units. psu, increasing in the southern and eastern directions. With depth, salinity increases slightly (by 0.1-0.2 units psu).

In the deep-sea part of the Caspian Sea, in the vertical profile of salinity, characteristic deflections of isohalines and local extrema are observed in the area of ​​the eastern continental slope, which indicate the processes of bottom sliding of waters salinizing in the eastern shallow waters of the South Caspian. The magnitude of salinity also strongly depends on sea level and (which is interconnected) on the volume of continental runoff.

Bottom relief

The relief of the northern part of the Caspian Sea is a shallow undulating plain with banks and accumulative islands, the average depth of the Northern Caspian Sea is about 4-8 meters, the maximum does not exceed 25 meters. The Mangyshlak threshold separates the Northern Caspian from the Middle Caspian. The Middle Caspian is quite deep, the water depth in the Derbent depression reaches 788 meters. The Absheron threshold separates the Middle and Southern Caspian Seas. The Southern Caspian is considered deep-sea; the water depth in the South Caspian depression reaches 1025 meters from the surface of the Caspian Sea. Shell sands are widespread on the Caspian shelf, deep-sea areas are covered with silty sediments, and in some areas there is an outcrop of bedrock.

Climate

The climate of the Caspian Sea is continental in the northern part, temperate in the middle 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.

The average annual precipitation is 200 millimeters per year, ranging from 90-100 millimeters in the arid eastern part to 1,700 millimeters along the southwestern subtropical coast. Evaporation of water from the surface of the Caspian Sea is about 1000 millimeters per year, the most intense evaporation in the area of ​​the Absheron Peninsula and in the eastern part of the South Caspian Sea is up to 1400 millimeters per year.

On the territory of the Caspian Sea, winds often blow, their average annual speed is 3-7 meters per second, and northern winds predominate in the wind rose. In the autumn and winter months, winds become stronger, with wind speeds often reaching 35-40 meters per second. The most windy areas are the Absheron Peninsula and the environs of Makhachkala - Derbent, where the highest wave was recorded - 11 meters.

Currents

Water circulation in the Caspian Sea is related to runoff and winds. Since most of the drainage occurs in the Northern Caspian Sea, northern currents predominate. An intense northern current carries water from the Northern Caspian along the western coast to the Absheron Peninsula, where the current divides into two branches, one of which moves further along the western coast, the other goes to the Eastern Caspian.

Animal world

The fauna of the Caspian Sea is represented by 1809 species, of which 415 are vertebrates. 101 species of fish are registered in the Caspian world, where most of the world's sturgeon reserves are concentrated, as well as freshwater fish such as roach, carp, and pike perch. The Caspian Sea is the habitat of fish such as carp, mullet, sprat, kutum, bream, salmon, perch, and pike. The Caspian Sea is also home to a marine mammal, the Caspian seal. Since March 31, 2008, 363 dead seals have been found on the coast of the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan.

Vegetable world

The flora of the Caspian Sea and its coast is represented by 728 species. Among the plants in the Caspian Sea, the predominant algae are blue-green, diatoms, red, brown, characeae and others, and among the flowering plants - zoster and ruppia. In origin, the flora is predominantly of Neogene age, but some plants were brought into the Caspian Sea by humans deliberately or on the bottoms of ships.

Origin of the Caspian Sea

The Caspian Sea is of oceanic origin - its bed is composed of oceanic-type crust. It was formed approximately 10 million years ago, when the closed Sarmatian Sea, which lost contact with the world's oceans approximately 70 million years ago, was divided into two parts - the "Caspian Sea" and the Black Sea.

Anthropological and cultural history of the Caspian Sea

Finds in the Khuto Cave off the southern coast of the Caspian Sea indicate that humans lived in these areas approximately 75 thousand years ago. The first mentions of the Caspian Sea and the tribes living on its coast are found in Herodotus. Around the V-II centuries. BC e. Saka tribes lived on the Caspian coast. Later, during the period of settlement of the Turks, in the period of the IV-V centuries. n. e. Talysh tribes (Talysh) lived here. According to ancient Armenian and Iranian manuscripts, Russians sailed the Caspian Sea from the 9th - 10th centuries.

Research of the Caspian Sea

Research of the Caspian Sea was started by Peter the Great, when, on his order, an expedition was organized in 1714-1715 under the leadership of A. Bekovich-Cherkassky. In the 1820s, hydrographic research was continued by I. F. Soyomov, and later by I. V. Tokmachev, M. I. Voinovich and other researchers. At the beginning of the 19th century, instrumental surveys of the shores were carried out by I. F. Kolodkin, in the mid-19th century. - instrumental geographical survey under the direction of N. A. Ivashintsev. Since 1866, for more than 50 years, expeditionary research on the hydrology and hydrobiology of the Caspian Sea was carried out under the leadership of N. M. Knipovich. In 1897, the Astrakhan Research Station was founded. In the first decades of Soviet power, geological research by I.M. Gubkin and other Soviet geologists was actively carried out in the Caspian Sea, mainly aimed at searching for oil, as well as research into the study of water balance and level fluctuations in the Caspian Sea.

Mining of oil and gas

Many oil and gas fields are being developed in the Caspian Sea. Proven oil resources in the Caspian Sea are about 10 billion tons, total oil and gas condensate resources are estimated at 18-20 billion tons.

Oil production in the 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, salt, limestone, stone, sand, and clay are also mined on the coast of the Caspian Sea and the Caspian shelf.

Shipping

Shipping is developed in the Caspian Sea. There are ferry crossings on the Caspian Sea, in particular, Baku - Turkmenbashi, Baku - Aktau, Makhachkala - Aktau. The Caspian Sea has a shipping connection with the Sea of ​​Azov through the Volga, Don and Volga-Don Canal rivers.

Fishing and seafood production

Fishing (sturgeon, bream, carp, pike perch, sprat), caviar production, as well as seal fishing. More than 90 percent of the world's sturgeon catch occurs in the Caspian Sea. In addition to industrial mining, illegal fishing of sturgeon and their caviar flourishes in the Caspian Sea.

Recreational resources

The natural environment of the Caspian coast with sandy beaches, mineral waters and healing mud in the coastal zone creates good conditions for recreation and treatment. At the same time, in terms of the degree of development of resorts and the tourism industry, the Caspian coast is noticeably inferior to the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. At the same time, in recent years, the tourism industry has been actively developing on the coasts of Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Russian Dagestan.

Ecological problems

Environmental problems of the Caspian Sea are 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 the Caspian Sea, the life of coastal cities, as well as the flooding of individual objects due to rising levels of the 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.

Border dispute over the status of the Caspian Sea

After the collapse of the USSR, the division of the Caspian Sea has long been and still remains the subject of unresolved disagreements related to the division of Caspian shelf resources - oil and gas, as well as biological resources. For a long time, negotiations were ongoing between the Caspian states on the status of the Caspian Sea - Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan insisted on dividing the Caspian along the median line, Iran insisted on dividing the Caspian by one-fifth between all Caspian states. In 2003, Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on the partial division of the Caspian Sea along the median line.

Coordinates: 42.622596 50.041848

There are still disputes about the status of the Caspian Sea. The fact is that, despite its generally accepted name, it is still the largest endorheic lake in the world. It was called the sea because of the features of the structure of the bottom. It is formed by oceanic crust. In addition, the water in the Caspian Sea is salty. As at sea, there are often storms and strong winds that raise high waves.

Geography

The Caspian Sea is located at the junction of Asia and Europe. In its shape, it resembles one of the letters of the Latin alphabet - S. From south to north, the sea stretches for 1200 km, and from east to west - from 195 to 435 km.

The territory of the Caspian Sea is heterogeneous in its physical and geographical conditions. In this regard, it is conventionally divided into 3 parts. These include the Northern and Middle, as well as the Southern Caspian.

Coastal countries

Which countries is washed by the Caspian Sea? There are only five of them:

  1. Russia, located in the northwest and west. The length of the coastline of this state along the Caspian Sea is 695 km. Kalmykia, Dagestan and the Astrakhan region, which are part of Russia, are located here.
  2. Kazakhstan. It is a country on the shores of the Caspian Sea, located in the east and northeast. The length of its coastline is 2320 km.
  3. Turkmenistan. The map of the Caspian states indicates that this country is located in the southeast of the water basin. The length of the line along the coast is 1200 km.
  4. Azerbaijan. This state, stretching 955 km along the Caspian Sea, washes its shores in the southwest.
  5. Iran. A map of the Caspian states indicates that this country is located on the southern shores of an endorheic lake. Moreover, the length of its sea borders is 724 km.

Is the Caspian Sea?

The dispute over what to call this unique body of water has not yet been resolved. And it is important to answer this question. The fact is that all countries on the Caspian Sea have their own interests in this region. However, the governments of five states have not been able to resolve the question of how to divide this huge body of water for a long time. The most important controversy revolved around the name. Is the Caspian Sea a sea or a lake? Moreover, the answer to this question is of no more interest to geographers. First of all, politicians need it. This is due to the application of international law.

Caspian states such as Kazakhstan and Russia believe that their borders in this region are washed by the sea. In this regard, representatives of the two indicated countries insist on the application of the UN Convention adopted in 1982. It concerns the law of the sea. The provisions of this document state that coastal states are allocated a twelve-mile water zone along it. In addition, the country is granted the right to economic maritime territory. It is located two hundred miles away. The coastal state also has rights to However, even the widest part of the Caspian Sea is narrower than the distance specified in the international document. In this case, the middle line principle can be applied. At the same time, the Caspian states, which have the greatest length of coastal borders, will receive a large maritime territory.

Iran has a different opinion on this matter. Its representatives believe that the Caspian Sea should be divided fairly. In this case, all countries will get twenty percent of the maritime territory. The position of official Tehran can be understood. With this solution to the issue, the state will manage a larger zone than when dividing the sea along the middle line.

However, the Caspian Sea changes its water level significantly from year to year. This does not allow us to determine its median line and divide the territory between states. Countries such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia have signed an agreement among themselves defining the bottom zones in which the parties will exercise their economic rights. Thus, a certain legal truce has been achieved in the northern territories of the sea. The southern countries of the Caspian Sea have not yet come to a common decision. However, they do not recognize the agreements reached by their northern neighbors.

Is the Caspian a lake?

Adherents of this point of view proceed from the fact that the reservoir, located at the junction of Asia and Europe, is closed. In this case, it is impossible to apply a document on the norms of international maritime law to it. Proponents of this theory are convinced that they are right, citing the fact that the Caspian Sea does not have a natural connection with the waters of the World Ocean. But here another difficulty arises. If the lake is the Caspian Sea, the boundaries of states according to what international standards should be determined in its water spaces? Unfortunately, such documents have not yet been developed. The fact is that the issues of the international lake have not been discussed anywhere by anyone.

Is the Caspian Sea a unique body of water?

In addition to those listed above, there is another, third point of view on the ownership of this amazing body of water. Its supporters are of the opinion that the Caspian Sea should be recognized as an international water basin, belonging equally to all countries bordering it. In their opinion, the resources of the region are subject to joint exploitation by countries bordering the reservoir.

Solving security problems

The Caspian states are doing everything possible to eliminate all existing disagreements. And in this matter, positive developments can be noted. One of the steps towards solving problems related to the Caspian region was the agreement signed on November 18, 2010 between all five countries. It concerns issues of security cooperation. In this document, the countries agreed on joint activities to eliminate terrorism, drug trafficking, smuggling, poaching, money laundering, etc. in the region.

Environmental protection

Particular attention is paid to solving environmental issues. The territory in which the Caspian states and Eurasia are located is a region under the threat of industrial pollution. Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan dump waste from energy exploration and production into the waters of the Caspian Sea. Moreover, it is in these countries that there are a large number of abandoned oil wells that are not exploited due to their unprofitability, but nevertheless continue to have an adverse impact on the environmental situation. As for Iran, it dumps agricultural waste and sewage into sea waters. Russia threatens the ecology of the region with industrial pollution. This is due to the economic activity that took place in the Volga region.

Countries on the Caspian Sea have made some progress in addressing environmental problems. Thus, since August 12, 2007, the Frame Convection has been in force in the region, with the goal of protecting the Caspian Sea. This document develops provisions on the protection of biological resources and regulation of anthropogenic factors affecting the aquatic environment. According to this convection, the parties must interact when carrying out measures to improve the environmental situation in the Caspian Sea.

In 2011 and 2012, all five countries signed other documents significant for the protection of the marine environment. Among them:

  • Protocol on cooperation, response and regional preparedness in the event of oil pollution incidents.
  • Protocol concerning the protection of the region against pollution from land-based sources.

Development of gas pipeline construction

Today, another problem remains unresolved in the Caspian region. It concerns the laying of this idea. This idea is an important strategic task of the West and the United States, which continue to look for alternative energy sources to Russian ones. That is why, when resolving this issue, the parties do not turn to countries such as Kazakhstan, Iran and, of course, the Russian Federation. Brussels and Washington supported the statement made in Baku on November 18, 2010 at the summit of the heads of the Caspian countries. He expressed the official position of Ashgabat regarding the laying of the pipeline. Turkmen authorities believe that the project should be implemented. At the same time, only those states on whose bottom territories it will be located must give their consent to the construction of the pipeline. And this is Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. Iran and Russia opposed this position and the project itself. At the same time, they were guided by the issues of protecting the Caspian ecosystem. To date, construction of the pipeline is not underway due to disagreements between project participants.

Holding the first summit

Countries on the Caspian Sea are constantly looking for ways to solve the problems that have arisen in this Eurasian region. For this purpose, special meetings of their representatives are organized. Thus, the first summit of the heads of the Caspian states took place in April 2002. Its venue was Ashgabat. However, the results of this meeting did not live up to expectations. The summit was considered unsuccessful due to Iran's demands to divide the sea area into 5 equal parts. Other countries categorically opposed this. Their representatives defended their own point of view that the size of national waters should correspond to the length of the state’s coastline.

The failure of the summit was also provoked by a dispute between Ashgabat and Baku over the ownership of three oil fields located in the center of the Caspian Sea. As a result, the heads of five states did not develop a consensus on any of all the issues raised. However, an agreement was reached to hold a second summit. It was supposed to take place in 2003 in Baku.

Second Caspian Summit

Despite the existing agreements, the planned meeting was postponed every year. The heads of the Caspian states gathered for the second summit only on October 16, 2007. It was held in Tehran. At the meeting, current issues related to determining the legal status of the unique body of water that is the Caspian Sea were discussed. The borders of states within the division of the water area were previously agreed upon during the development of the draft of the new convention. Problems of security, ecology, economics and cooperation of coastal countries were also raised. In addition, the results of the work that the states carried out after the first summit were summed up. In Tehran, representatives of the five states also outlined ways for further cooperation in the region.

Meeting at the third summit

Once again, the heads of the Caspian countries met in Baku on November 18, 2010. The result of this summit was the signing of an agreement to expand cooperation regarding security issues. During the meeting, it was pointed out that which countries are washed by the Caspian Sea, only those should ensure the fight against terrorism, transnational crime, weapons proliferation, etc.

Fourth summit

Once again, the Caspian states raised their problems in Astrakhan on September 29, 2014. At this meeting, the presidents of the five countries signed another statement.

In it, the parties recorded the exclusive right of the coastal countries to station armed forces in the Caspian Sea. But even at this meeting the status of the Caspian Sea was not finally regulated.

The Caspian Sea is the largest lake on our planet, which is located in a depression of the earth’s surface (the so-called Aral-Caspian Lowland) on the territory of Russia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Iran. Although they consider it as a lake, because it is not connected with the World Ocean, but by the nature of the formation processes and history of origin, by its size, the Caspian Sea is a sea.

The area of ​​the Caspian Sea is about 371 thousand km 2. The sea, stretching from north to south, has a length of about 1200 km and an average width of 320 km. The length of the coastline is about 7 thousand km. The Caspian Sea is located 28.5 m below the level of the World Ocean and its greatest depth is 1025 m. There are about 50 islands in the Caspian Sea, mostly small in area. The large islands include such islands as Tyuleniy, Kulaly, Zhiloy, Chechen, Artem, Ogurchinsky. There are also many bays in the sea, for example: Kizlyarsky, Komsomolets, Kazakhsky, Agrakhansky, etc.

The Caspian Sea is fed by more than 130 rivers. The largest amount of water (about 88% of the total flow) is brought by the rivers Ural, Volga, Terek, Emba, which flow into the northern part of the sea. About 7% of the flow comes from the large rivers Kura, Samur, Sulak and small ones that flow into the sea on the west coast. The rivers Heraz, Gorgan, and Sefidrud flow into the southern Iranian coast, bringing only 5% of the flow. Not a single river flows into the eastern part of the sea. The water in the Caspian Sea is salty, its salinity ranges from 0.3‰ to 13‰.

Shores of the Caspian Sea

The shores have different landscapes. The shores of the northern part of the sea are low and flat, surrounded by low-lying semi-desert and somewhat elevated desert. In the south, the shores are partly low-lying, they are bordered by a small coastal lowland, behind which the Elburz ridge runs along the coast, which in some places comes close to the shore. In the west, the Greater Caucasus ranges approach the coast. In the east there is an abrasion coast, carved out of limestone, and semi-desert and desert plateaus approach it. The coastline changes greatly due to periodic fluctuations in water levels.

The climate of the Caspian Sea is different:

Continental in the north;

Moderate in the middle

Subtropical in the south.

At the same time, there are severe frosts and snowstorms on the northern shore, while fruit trees and magnolias bloom on the southern shore. In winter, strong storm winds rage at sea.

On the coast of the Caspian Sea there are large cities and ports: Baku, Lenkoran, Turkmenbashi, Lagan, Makhachkala, Kaspiysk, Izberbash, Astrakhan, etc.

The fauna of the Caspian Sea is represented by 1809 species of animals. More than 70 species of fish are found in the sea, including: herring, gobies, stellate sturgeon, sturgeon, beluga, white fish, sterlet, pike perch, carp, bream, roach, etc. Of the marine mammals, only the smallest in the world, the Caspian seal, is found in the lake. not found in other seas. The Caspian Sea lies on the main migratory route of birds between Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Every year, about 12 million birds fly over the Caspian Sea during migration, and another 5 million usually winter here.

Vegetable world

The flora of the Caspian Sea and its coast includes 728 species. Basically, the sea is inhabited by algae: diatoms, blue-greens, red, characeae, brown and others, of the flowering ones - rupee and zoster.

The Caspian Sea is rich in natural resources; many oil and gas fields are being developed in it; in addition, limestone, salt, sand, stone and clay are also mined here. The Caspian Sea is connected by the Volga-Don Canal with the Sea of ​​Azov, and shipping is well developed. A lot of different fish are caught in the reservoir, including more than 90% of the world's sturgeon catch.

The Caspian Sea is also a recreation area; on its shores there are holiday homes, tourist centers and sanatoriums.

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The Caspian Sea is a residual (relict) body of water of the much larger Khvalynsky Sea, which once occupied the entire Caspian lowland. During the era of the Khvalynskaya transgression, when the level of the Caspian Sea was significantly higher than the modern one, it was connected to the Black Sea through a strait that passed through the Kuma-Manych lowland. The modern Caspian Sea is the largest lake in the world, considered one of the seas only for its size. The area of ​​its water surface is 424,000 km 2. Sea levels have dropped since the Ice Age and currently lie 28 m below sea level.

Geographical location of the Caspian Sea. Extended map

The huge basin of the Caspian Sea is morphologically divided into three parts:
1) northern- shallow water (less than 10 m), separated from the middle part by a line passing from the mouth of the Terek to the Mangyshlak Peninsula,
2) average- with an average depth of 200 m and the greatest depth of 790 m and
3) southern- the deepest, with the greatest depth up to 980 m and an average of 325 m.
The deep depressions of the middle and southern parts of the sea are separated by an underwater threshold running from the Absheron Peninsula to Krasnovodsk.

Water balance of the Caspian Sea

The bays of the Caspian Sea - Kaydak, Komsomolets and Kara-Bogaz-Gol - are shallow. The first two have now, due to lowering sea levels, dried out and turned into rubbish. The Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay, in essence, is a huge shallow (depth up to 10 m) independent lake, equal in area to Lake Ladoga. The salinity of the waters of the Caspian Sea is relatively low, on average about 12.6°/oo, which is approximately 3 times less than the salinity of the waters of the world ocean.

A large number of tributaries flow into the Caspian Sea: Volga, Ural, Terek, Kura, etc. The Volga is of main importance for it, delivering about 80% of the total annual influx into the sea, equal to approximately 325 km 3. All this huge mass of water entering the sea evaporates from its surface into the atmosphere. The Caspian Sea is considered to be endorheic, but this is not entirely true. In fact, it has a constant flow into the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay, the level of which is 0.5-1.0 m below the level of the Caspian Sea. Kara-Bogaz-Gol is separated from the sea by a narrow sand spit, leaving a strait up to 200 m wide in places. Through this strait there is a flow of water from the Caspian Sea into the bay (on average more than 20 / km 3 per year), which thus plays the role of a giant evaporator. The water in the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay reaches exceptionally high salinity (169°/oo).

Kara-Bogaz-Gol is of great importance for the chemical industry. This is literally an inexhaustible source for the extraction of mirabilite. In relation to the Caspian Sea, Kara-Bogaz-Gol plays an important role as a kind of desalination plant. If there were no flow from the sea to Kara-Bogaz-Gol, its salinity would begin to increase. In table Figure 1 shows the water balance of the Caspian Sea according to B.D. Zaikov.

Table 1. Water balance of the Caspian Sea

Arrival of water Layer Water consumption Layer
in mm in km 3 in mm in km 3
Precipitation on the water surface 177 71,1 Evaporation from the water surface 978 392,3
Surface influx 808 324,2 Flow into the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay 21 22,2
Underground tributary 14 5,5
Total 999 400,8 Total 999 400,8

Rivers carry huge amounts of sand and silt sediments into the Caspian Sea. The Volga, Terek and Kura annually bring about 88 million tons of sediment. Approximately the same amount (71 million tons) comes in the form of runoff of chemically dissolved substances.

In the Caspian Sea there are more or less constant currents with a general counter-clockwise direction. In summer, the waters of the Caspian Sea warm up greatly, and the water temperature at the surface reaches 25-27° (see Fig. 84). In winter, the sea slowly cools and for the most part maintains a positive temperature (1°). Only its shallow northern part freezes, where floating ice appears annually and an ice cover is established. There are no ice phenomena in the middle and southern parts of the sea.

The Caspian Sea is one of the seas where tidal currents are not observed. Fluctuations in water levels are relatively small. If we take into account historical data, then the long-term amplitude of level fluctuations can be taken equal to 5 m. The low sea level in the past is evidenced by the ruins of a caravanserai located under water in the area of ​​​​Baku, as well as a number of other historical data.

Lowering the level of the Caspian Sea

At the very beginning of the 19th century, the sea level was very high and reached 700 cm. Then, starting in 1930, over 15 years (from 1930 to 1945), the sea level fell by almost 2 m, as a result of which the area of ​​its water surface decreased almost 20,000 km2. The shallow bays of Kaydak and Komsomolets have dried up and turned into rubbish, and in some places the modern sea has retreated by 10 km or more. The drop in level caused great complications in the work of the ports of the Caspian coast and sharply worsened shipping conditions, especially in the Northern Caspian Sea. In this regard, the problem of the level of the Caspian Sea attracted a lot of attention in the 20th century.

There are two points of view on the reasons for the decline in the level of the Caspian Sea. According to one of them, the decrease in level is explained by geological factors, i.e., the ongoing slow subsidence of the coast and the entire basin. In support of this view, the known facts of lowering the seashores in the area of ​​​​Baku and other places are cited. Supporters of another, hydrometeorological point of view (B.A. Apollo, B.D. Zaikov, etc.) see the main reason for the decrease in sea level in a change in the ratio of elements of the water balance. As B.D. Zaikov showed, the drop in the level of the Caspian Sea is connected and explained by the exceptionally low water content of the Volga for 1930-1945; its flow was significantly below normal. As for the influence of epeirogenic fluctuations on the level of the Caspian Sea, their role is apparently very insignificant, since the magnitude of the ongoing decrease in the coast and seabed is measured in millimeters.

 

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