Oil exports from inland Eurasia via the Mediterranean Sea, current and projected (2002 and 2010)

The Black and Mediterranean Seas are one of the main outlets for transporting fuel resources that have been extracted around the Caspian Sea region…

Oil spill off the coast of Apsheron peninsula

Thousands of hectares of soil on Azerbaijan’s Apsheron peninsula are unsuitable for agricultural use due to oil spills. The largest of these oil spills…

Biodiversity in the Caspian Sea (Approximate numbers)

The region presents a wealth of opportunities in other areas, including bioresources, transport corridors, and not least ecotourism. These new ventures may bring increased…

Caspian Sea-Sea surface salinity

The Caspian Sea has internal drainage, which means that it does not have an outlet to the World Ocean. All water entering the sea…

Mean sea surface temperature on the Caspian Sea

Recent research by the Caspian Environment Programme estimates the number of living seals to be as low as 150,000. A further reduction in ice…

Desertification in the Caspian Sea region

Contrasting rainfall trends have been observed in the north and south. Whereas rainfall over Russia has increased over the last century, already dry areas…

Transportation projects converging on the Caspian Sea

For many years, coastal navigation has connected republics in the former Soviet Union. It used the only outlet from the Caspian, the Volga-Don canal,…

Ice cover on the North Caspian Sea

Higher winter temperatures, possibly related to changes in global climate observed in recent years, have caused thinner ice coverage and restricted the traditional reproduction…

The Caspian Sea coastlines vulnerable to flooding

Most of the water flowing into the sea comes from coastal rivers. The quantity and quality of this water, particularly that of the Volga,…

Comb-jelly (Mnemiopsis leidyi) spreading through the Caspian Sea (invasive species)

The comb jelly (Mnemiopsis leidyi) is well adapted to the habitat (salinity, temperature, and food range) and reproduces faster than endemic species. As it…

Kara-Bogaz-Gol – restoration of previous water levels after 1992 (Turkmenistan, Caspian Sea)

Kara-Bogaz-Gol is a lowland area that forms a highly saline bay on the east side of the Caspian Sea, in Turkmenistan. In Soviet times…

Pollutants in sediments of the Caspian Sea (pesticides, nickel and chromium)

Sampled sediments in the Caspian Sea show that the accumulation is at its worst in the south and southwestern shores of this inland sea,…