Scientists are warning about massive water level declines ahead for the Caspian Sea, as human activities threaten a delicate balance of rain and evaporation.
What's happening?
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, but water levels have declined significantly since the mid-1990s due to damming, pollution, overextraction, and rising global temperatures, NDTV World reported. The publication added that scientists predict further declines of up to 98 feet by the end of the century.
Why are declining water levels in the Caspian Sea concerning?
The Caspian Sea — shared by Kazakhstan, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Turkmenistan — is a vital resource that supports fishing, farming, tourism, and drinking water supplies for local people, the publication explained. According to scientists, this water body also creates a more livable climate in the region, particularly in Azerbaijan. In fact, the sea plays a major role in purifying the air in the country's capital, Baku.
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Further, the sea's rising pollution levels are keeping people out of its waters. "I cannot swim anymore … the water changed," Khashayar Javanmardi, a photographer who captures the changes of the Caspian Sea, told CNN. This pollution also further threatens endangered wildlife like sturgeon, NDTV World explains, adding that these fishes provide the bulk of the world's caviar.
What's being done about water level declines?
Efforts to solve the problem have been hampered by political disagreements, according to NDTV World.
However, other projects to save large bodies of water across the globe are moving forward with some success. For instance, one company is donating 200,000 acre-feet of water each year to help refill the Great Salt Lake, which has reached record lows in recent years. Plus, wetter weather, coupled with major water conservation efforts by people in California, Arizona, and Nevada, have helped Lake Powell to reach a three-year water level high.
Still, rising global temperatures threaten lakes and other large bodies of water across the globe. That's why it's important to cut our carbon pollution by changing how we get around, making our homes more energy efficient, and voting for climate-friendly candidates.
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