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Uncharted Caspian Sea: Water Temperature, Infrastructure and Recreation. Caspian Sea (largest lake)

Caspian Sea - the largest lake on Earth, an endless lake, located at the junction of Europe and Asia, called the sea because of its size, and also because its bed is composed of an oceanic type of crust. The water in the Caspian is salty, - from 0.05 ‰ near the mouth of the Volga to 11-13 ‰ in the southeast. The water level is subject to fluctuations, according to 2009 data was 27.16 m below sea level. The area of ​​the Caspian Sea is currently about 371,000 km², the maximum depth is 1025 m.

Geographical position

The Caspian Sea is located at the junction of two parts of the Eurasian continent - Europe and Asia. The length of the Caspian Sea from north to south is about 1200 kilometers (36 ° 34 "-47 ° 13" N), from west to east - from 195 to 435 kilometers, on average 310-320 kilometers (46 ° -56 ° c. d.). The Caspian Sea is conventionally divided by physical and geographical conditions into 3 parts - the North Caspian, the Middle Caspian and the South Caspian. The conditional border between the North and Middle Caspian runs along the line about. Chechnya - Cape Tyub-Karagan, between the Middle and South Caspian - along the line of about. Residential - Cape Gan-Gulu. The area of ​​the North, Middle and South Caspian Sea is 25, 36, 39 percent, respectively.

Length coastline The Caspian Sea is estimated at about 6500-6700 kilometers, with islands up to 7000 kilometers. The shores of the Caspian Sea in most of its territory are low and smooth. In the northern part, the coastline is cut by water channels and islands of the Volga and Ural deltas, the shores are low and swampy, and the water surface is covered with thickets in many places. On the east coast limestone shores prevail, 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 Bay and Kara-Bogaz-Gol. The territory adjacent to the Caspian Sea is called the Caspian region.

Peninsulas of the Caspian Sea

Major peninsulas of the Caspian Sea:

  • Agrakhan Peninsula
  • 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 are the cities of Baku and Sumgait
  • Buzachi
  • Mangyshlak, located on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea, on the territory of Kazakhstan, on its territory there is the city of Aktau
  • Miancale
  • Tyub-Karagan

Islands of the Caspian Sea

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

  • Ashur-Ada
  • Garasu
  • Boyuk-Zira
  • Zyanbil
  • Kur Dashi
  • Hara-Zira
  • Ogurchinsky
  • Sengi-Mugan
  • Seal
  • Seal Islands
  • Chechen
  • Chygyl

Bays of the Caspian Sea

Large bays of the Caspian Sea:

  • Agrakhan Gulf
  • Kizlyar Bay
  • Dead Kultuk (former Komsomolets, former Gulf of Tsesarevich)
  • Kaydak
  • Mangyshlak
  • Kazakh
  • Kenderli
  • Turkmenbashi (bay) (former Krasnovodsk)
  • Turkmen (bay)
  • Gizilagach (former Kirov Bay)
  • Astrakhan (bay)
  • Hasan-kuli
  • Gyzlar
  • Hyrcanus (formerly Astarabad)
  • Anzali (formerly Pahlavi)
  • Kara-Bogaz-Gol

Rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea- 130 rivers flow into the Caspian Sea, of which 9 rivers have delta-shaped estuaries. Large rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea are Volga, Terek, Sulak, Samur (Russia), Ural, Emba (Kazakhstan), Kura (Azerbaijan), Atrek (Turkmenistan), Sefidrud (Iran) and others. The largest river flowing into the Caspian Sea is the Volga, its average annual runoff is 215-224 cubic kilometers. The Volga, Ural, Terek, Sulak and Emba provide up to 88-90% of the annual runoff into the Caspian Sea.

Physiography

Area, depth, volume of water- the area and volume of water in the Caspian Sea varies significantly depending on fluctuations in the water level. With a water level of -26.75 m, the area is approximately 371,000 square kilometers, the volume of water is 78,648 cubic kilometers, which is approximately 44% of the world's lake water reserves. The maximum depth of the Caspian Sea is in the South Caspian depression, 1025 meters above its surface. 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 according to the bathygraphic curve, is 208 meters. In the same time Northern part 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 three thousand years, the magnitude of the change in the water level of the Caspian Sea has reached 15 meters. According to archeology and written sources, a high level of the Caspian Sea is recorded at the beginning of the XIV century. Instrumental measurement of the level of the Caspian Sea and systematic observations of its fluctuation have been carried out since 1837, during this time the highest water level was recorded in 1882 (-25.2 m), the lowest - in 1977 (-29.0 m), with In 1978, the water level increased and in 1995 reached the level of -26.7 m; since 1996, a downward trend has been observed again. Scientists associate the reasons for the change in the water level of the Caspian Sea with climatic, geological and anthropogenic factors. But in 2001, the sea level began to rise again, and reached -26.3 m.

Water temperature- the water temperature is subject to significant latitudinal changes, most pronounced in winter, when the temperature changes 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 areas with depths less than 25 m, the annual amplitude can reach 25-26 ° C. On average, the water temperature is west coast 1-2 ° C higher than in the east, and in the open sea, the water temperature is 2-4 ° C higher than near the coasts.

Water composition- the salt composition of the waters of the enclosed Caspian Sea differs from that of the ocean. There are significant differences in the ratios of the concentrations of salt-forming ions, especially for the waters of areas under the direct influence of 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 chemical composition river waters. The most conserved ions are potassium, sodium, chlorine and magnesium. The least conservative are calcium and bicarbonate ions. In the Caspian, the content of calcium and magnesium cations is almost two times higher than in the Sea of ​​Azov, and the content of sulfate anions is three times higher.

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

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 average monthly temperature air changes 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 of +44 degrees was recorded on the east coast. Average annual rainfall is 200 millimeters, ranging from 90-100 millimeters in the arid eastern part to 1,700 millimeters off the southwestern subtropical coast. Evaporation of water from the surface of the Caspian Sea - 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 - up to 1400 millimeters per year. The average annual wind speed is 3-7 meters per second, the wind rose is dominated by north winds... In the autumn and winter months, the winds intensify, the speed of the winds often reaches 35-40 meters per second. The most windy areas are the Apsheron Peninsula, the vicinity of Makhachkala and Derbent, where the highest wave with a height of 11 meters was also recorded.

Currents- the circulation of waters in the Caspian Sea is associated with runoff and winds. Insofar as most of the drain falls on the North Caspian, the northern currents prevail. The intense northern current carries water from the North Caspian along the western coast to the Absheron Peninsula, where the current splits into two branches, one of which moves further along the western coast, the other goes to the Eastern Caspian.

Economic development of the Caspian Sea

Oil and gas- Many oil and gas fields are being developed in the Caspian Sea. The proven oil resources in the Caspian Sea are about 10 billion tons, the 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 near Baku. In the second half of the 19th century, oil production began in industrial volumes on the Apsheron Peninsula, then in other territories. In 1949, at Oil Rocks, for the first time, they began to extract oil from the bottom of the Caspian Sea. So, on August 24 this year, Mikhail Kaverochkin's team began drilling a well, which gave the long-awaited oil on November 7 of the same year. 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. On the Caspian Sea there are ferry crossings, in particular, Baku - Turkmenbashi, Baku - Aktau, Makhachkala - Aktau. The Caspian Sea has a shipping connection with Sea of ​​Azov across the Volga, Don and Volga-Don canal.

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 is carried out in the Caspian Sea. In addition to industrial production, illegal production of sturgeon and their caviar is flourishing in the Caspian Sea.

Legal status of the Caspian Sea- after the collapse of the USSR, the division of the Caspian Sea for a long time was and still remains the subject of unresolved disagreements related to the division of the resources of the Caspian shelf - oil and gas, as well as biological resources. For a long time, negotiations were going on 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 on dividing the Caspian by one fifth between all Caspian states. The current legal regime of the Caspian was established by the Soviet-Iranian treaties of 1921 and 1940. These treaties provide for freedom of navigation throughout the sea, freedom of fishing with the exception of ten-mile national fishing zones and a ban on ships flying the flag of non-Caspian states in its waters. Negotiations on the legal status of the Caspian are ongoing.

Many geographical names, can mislead people who are not fond of geography. Could it be that an object marked on all maps as the sea is in fact a lake? Let's figure it out.

The history of the emergence of the Caspian Sea?

The Sarmatian Sea existed on the planet 14,000,000 years ago. It consisted of the modern, Black, Caspian and Azov seas. About 6,000,000 years ago, due to the rise of the Caucasus mountains and the lowering of the water level in the Mediterranean Sea, it split, forming four different seas.

The Caspian is inhabited by many representatives of the Azov fauna, which once again confirms that once these reservoirs were one whole. This is one of the reasons why the Caspian Sea is considered a lake.

The name of the sea comes from the ancient tribes of the Caspians. They inhabited its shores in the first millennia BC and were engaged in horse breeding. But over the long hundreds of years of its existence, this sea bore many names. It was called Derbent, Saraysk, Girkansky, Sigai, Kukkuz. Even in our time, for the inhabitants of Iran and Azerbaijan, this lake is called the Khazar lake.

Geographic location

Two parts of the world - Europe and Asia, are washed by the waters of the Caspian Sea. The coastline covers the following countries:

  • Turkmenistan
  • Russia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Kazakhstan

The length from north to south is about one thousand two hundred kilometers, the width from west to east is about three hundred kilometers. The average depth is about two hundred meters, the maximum depth is about a thousand kilometers. The total area of ​​the reservoir is over 370,000 square kilometers and is divided into three climatic and geographical zones:

  1. Northern
  2. Average
  3. South Caspian

The water area has six large peninsulas and about fifty islands. Their total area is four hundred square kilometers. The largest islands are Dzhambayskiy, Ogurchinskiy, Chechen, Tyuleniy, Konevskiy, Zyudev and Apsheronskiy islands. About one hundred and thirty rivers flow into the Caspian, including the Volga, Ural, Atrek, Sefirud, Terek, Kura and many others.

Sea or lake?

The official name used in documentation and cartography is Caspian Sea. But is this true?

In order to be entitled to be called a sea, any body of water must be connected to the world's oceans. In the case of the Caspian Sea, this is not the reality. The Caspian Sea is separated by almost 500 km of land from the nearest sea, the Black Sea. This is a completely enclosed body of water. The main differences between the seas:

  • The seas can be fed by waterways - rivers.
  • The outer seas are directly connected to the ocean, that is, they have access to it.
  • The inland seas are connected with other seas or the ocean by straits.

The Caspian got the right to be called a sea, first of all, because of its impressive size, which is more typical for seas, not lakes. In terms of area, it surpasses even the Azov one. Also, not a small role was played by the fact that not a single lake washes the shores of five states at once.

It should be noted that the structure of the bottom of the Caspian Sea belongs to the oceanic type. This happened due to the fact that it was once part of the ancient World Ocean.

Compared to other seas, the percentage of salt saturation in it is very weak and does not exceed 0.05%. The Caspian is fed only by rivers flowing into it, like all lakes on the globe.

Like many seas, the Caspian is famous for its powerful storms. The wave height can reach eleven meters. Storms can occur at any time of the year, but they are most dangerous in autumn and winter.

In fact, the Caspian Sea is the most big lake in the world. Its waters are not subject to international maritime laws... The territory of the waters is divided between countries on the basis of laws adopted for lakes, not seas.

The Caspian Sea is rich in mineral resources such as oil and gas. Its waters are inhabited by over one hundred and twenty species of fish. Among them are the most valuable sturgeon, such as stellate sturgeon, sturgeon, sterlet, beluga, thorn. 90% of the world's sturgeon catch is in the Caspian Sea.

Interesting features:

  • Scientists all over the world have not come to an unambiguous opinion why the Caspian Sea is considered a lake. Some experts even propose to consider it a "lake-sea" or "inland" sea, like the Dead Sea in Israel;
  • The most deep point The Caspian Sea - more than one kilometer;
  • It is historically known that the total water level in a reservoir has changed more than once. The exact reasons for this have not yet been studied;
  • It is the only body of water separating Asia and Europe;
  • The largest waterway feeding the lake is the Volga River. It is she who carries the bulk of the water;
  • Thousands of years ago, the Caspian Sea was part of the Black Sea;
  • In terms of the number of fish species, the Caspian Sea is inferior to some rivers;
  • The Caspian Sea is the main supplier of the most expensive delicacy - black caviar;
  • The water in the lake is completely renewed every two hundred and fifty years;
  • Territory of Japan less area the Caspian Sea.

Ecological situation

Interference with the ecology of the Caspian Sea regularly occurs due to the extraction of oil and natural resources. There are also interventions in the fauna of the reservoir, there are frequent cases of poaching and illegal fishing of valuable fish species.

The water level in the Caspian Sea is falling every year. This is due to global warming, due to the influence of which the water temperature on the surface of the reservoir increased by one degree and the sea began to actively evaporate.

It is estimated that the water level has dropped by seven centimeters since 1996. By 2015, the level of the fall was about one and a half meters, and the water continues to fall.

If this continues further, after a century the smallest part of the lake may simply disappear. This will be the part that washes the borders of Russia and Kazakhstan. In case of intensification of global warming, the process may accelerate and this will happen much earlier.

It is known that long before the start of global warming, the water level in the Caspian was undergoing changes. The water was standing and falling. Scientists still cannot say exactly for what reasons this happened.

The Caspian Sea is located at the junction of two parts of the Eurasian continent - Europe and Asia. The Caspian Sea is similar in shape to the Latin letter S, the length of the Caspian Sea from north to south is about 1200 kilometers (36 ° 34 "- 47 ° 13" N), from west to east - from 195 to 435 kilometers, on average 310-320 kilometers (46 ° - 56 ° E).

The Caspian Sea is conventionally divided by physical and geographical conditions into 3 parts - the North Caspian, the Middle Caspian and the South Caspian. The conditional border between the North and Middle Caspian Sea we pass along the Chechen line (Island)- Tyub-Karagan Cape, between the Middle and South Caspian - along the Zhilaya line (Island)- Gan-Gulu (cape)... The area of ​​the North, Middle and South Caspian Sea is 25, 36, 39 percent, respectively.

According to one of the hypotheses, the Caspian Sea got its name in honor of the ancient tribes of horse breeders - the Caspians, who lived on southwest coast The Caspian Sea. Throughout the history of its existence, the Caspian Sea had about 70 names among different tribes and peoples: the Hyrcanian Sea; Khvalynskoe sea or Khvalisskoe sea - an ancient Russian name derived from the name of the inhabitants of Khorezm who traded in the Caspian - khvalis; Khazar Sea - name in Arabic (Bahr al-Khazar), Persian (Daria-e Khazar), Turkish and Azerbaijani (Khazar denizi) languages; Abeskun Sea; Sarayskoe sea; Derbent Sea; Sihai and other names. In Iran, the Caspian Sea is still called the Khazar or Mazenderan Sea. (by the name of the people inhabiting the coastal province of Iran of the same name).

The coastline of the Caspian Sea is estimated at about 6500 - 6700 kilometers, with islands up to 7000 kilometers. The shores of the Caspian Sea in most of its territory are low and smooth. In the northern part, the coastline is cut by water streams and islands of the Volga and Ural deltas, the shores are low and swampy, and the water surface is covered with thickets in many places. The eastern 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 Bay and Kara-Bogaz-Gol.

Large peninsulas of the Caspian Sea: Agrakhan Peninsula, Absheron Peninsula, Buzachi, Mangyshlak, Miankale, Tub-Karagan.

There are about 50 large and medium-sized islands in the Caspian Sea with a total area of ​​about 350 square kilometers. The largest islands: Ashur-Ada, Garasu, Gum, Dash, Zira (Island), Zyanbil, Kur Dashy, Khara-Zira, Sengi-Mugan, Chechen (Island), Chygyl.

Large bays of the Caspian Sea: Agrakhan Gulf, Komsomolets (bay) (formerly Dead Kultuk, formerly the Gulf of Tsarevich), Kaidak, Mangyshlak, Kazakh (bay), Turkmenbashi (bay) (formerly Krasnovodsk), Turkmen (bay), Gizilagach, Astrakhan (bay), Gyzlar, Girkan (formerly Astarabad) and Anzeli (formerly Pahlavi).

The east coast is salt Lake Kara Bogaz Gol, which until 1980 was a gulf-lagoon of the Caspian Sea, connected to it by a narrow strait. In 1980, a dam was built, separating Kara-Bogaz-Gol from the Caspian Sea, in 1984 a culvert was built, after which the level of Kara-Bogaz-Gol dropped several meters. In 1992, the strait was restored, along it the water leaves the Caspian Sea to Kara-Bogaz-Gol and evaporates there. Every year, 8-10 cubic kilometers of water flows from the Caspian Sea to Kara-Bogaz-Gol (according to other sources - 25 thousand kilometers) and about 150 thousand tons of salt.

130 rivers flow into the Caspian Sea, 9 of which have delta-shaped estuaries. Large rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea - Volga, Terek (Russia), Ural, Emba (Kazakhstan), Kura (Azerbaijan), Samur (border of Russia with Azerbaijan), Atrek (Turkmenistan) other. The largest river flowing into the Caspian Sea is the Volga, its average annual runoff is 215-224 cubic kilometers. The Volga, Ural, Terek and Emba provide up to 88 - 90% of the annual runoff 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 territory of enclosed water basins. 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.

The Caspian Sea washes the shores of five coastal states:

  • Of Russia (Dagestan, Kalmykia and Astrakhan region) - in the west and north-west, the length of the coastline is 695 kilometers
  • Kazakhstan - in the north, north-east and east, the length of the coastline is 2320 kilometers
  • Turkmenistan - in the southeast, the length of the coastline is 1200 kilometers
  • Iran - in the south, the length of the coastline is 724 kilometers
  • Azerbaijan - in the south-west, the length of the coastline is 955 kilometers

The largest city - port on the Caspian Sea - Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, which is located in the southern part of the Absheron Peninsula and employs 2,070 thousand people (2003) ... Other large 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 South-East of the Absheron Peninsula, there is a village of oil workers Neftyanye Kamni, the structures of which stand 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 east coast The Kazakh city - the port of Aktau, is located in the Caspian Sea, 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, formerly Krasnovodsk. Several Caspian cities are located in the southern (Iranian) coast, the largest of them is Anzali.

The area and volume of water in the Caspian Sea varies significantly depending on the fluctuations in the water level. With 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 above its surface. 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 according to the bathygraphic curve, is 208 meters. At the same time, the northern part of the Caspian is shallow, its maximum depth does not exceed 25 meters, and the average depth is 4 meters.

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 was 15 meters. Instrumental measurement of the level of the Caspian Sea and systematic observations of its fluctuation 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 been increasing and in 1995 reached the level of -26.7 m, since 1996 there has been a downward trend again. Scientists associate the reasons for the change in the water level of the Caspian Sea with climatic, geological and anthropogenic factors.

Water temperature is subject to significant latitudinal changes, most pronounced 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 areas with depths less than 25 m, the annual amplitude can reach 25 - 26 ° C. On average, the water temperature near the western coast is 1 - 2 ° C higher than that of the eastern one, and in the open sea the water temperature is 2 - 4 ° C higher than that of the coasts. By the nature of the horizontal structure of the temperature field in the annual cycle of variability, three time intervals can be distinguished in the upper 2-m layer. From October to March, the water temperature increases in the southern and eastern, which is especially well traced in the Middle Caspian. Two stable quasi-latitude zones can be distinguished, where temperature gradients are increased. This is, firstly, the border between the North and Middle Caspian, and, secondly, between the Middle and South. 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 Apsheron sill, from 7 to 10 ° C. During this period, the least cooled waters are in the center of the South Caspian, which form a quasi-stationary core. In April-May, the area of ​​minimum temperatures moves to the Middle Caspian, which is associated with a faster warming up 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 ice melting, 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 rises to 17 - 18 ° C. Spring water warming evens out the horizontal gradients, and the temperature difference between the coastal areas and open sea does not exceed 0.5 ° C. The heating of the surface layer, which begins in March, disturbs the uniformity in the temperature distribution with depth. In June-September, there is horizontal uniformity in the temperature distribution in the surface layer. In August, which is the month of greatest warming, the water temperature throughout the sea is 24 - 26 ° C, and in southern regions 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 South Caspian. The rise of cold deep waters occurs with varying intensity as a result of the influence of the northwestern 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. The upwelling begins in June, but it reaches its highest intensity in July-August. As a result, a decrease in temperature is observed on the water surface. (7 - 15 ° C)... Horizontal temperature gradients reach 2.3 ° C at the surface and 4.2 ° C at a depth of 20 m. The upwelling focus is gradually shifting from 41 - 42 ° N. in June to 43 - 45 ° N in September. Summer upwelling is of great importance for the Caspian Sea, radically changing the dynamic processes in the deep water area. V open areas sea ​​in late May - early June, the formation of a layer of temperature jump begins, which is most pronounced in August. Most often, it is located between the 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 jump layer are very significant and can reach several degrees per meter. In the middle part of the sea, as a result of the drive 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 supply of potential energy, similar to the main thermocline of the World Ocean, then with the termination of the prevailing winds causing upwelling, and with the onset of autumn-winter convection in October-November, a rapid restructuring of the temperature fields to the winter regime occurs. In the open sea, the water temperature in the surface layer drops in the middle 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.

The salt composition of the waters of the enclosed Caspian Sea differs from that of the ocean. There are significant differences in the ratios of the concentrations of salt-forming ions, especially for the waters of areas under the direct influence of 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 conserved ions are potassium, sodium, chlorine and magnesium. The least conservative are calcium and bicarbonate ions. In the Caspian, the content of calcium and magnesium cations is almost two times higher than in the Sea of ​​Azov, and the content of sulfate anions 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 mouth areas of the Volga and the Urals up to 10 - 11 units. psu on the border with the Middle Caspian. Mineralization in shallow salty bays-kultuk 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-latitude location is observed. The greatest desalination associated with the spread of river runoff over the sea area is observed in June. On the formation of a salinity field in the North Caspian big influence has a 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 south and eastward... Salinity increases slightly with depth. (by 0.1 - 0.2 psu units)... In the deep-water part of the Caspian Sea, in the vertical salinity profile, there are characteristic isohaline troughs and local extrema 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. Salinity is also highly dependent on sea level and (which is interconnected) from the volume of continental runoff.

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

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 is 44 degrees.

Average annual rainfall is 200 millimeters per year, from 90-100 millimeters in the arid eastern part to 1,700 millimeters off the southwestern subtropical coast. Evaporation of water from the surface of the Caspian Sea - 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 - up to 1400 millimeters per year.

Winds often blow on the territory of the Caspian Sea, their average annual speed is 3-7 meters per second, northern winds prevail in the wind rose. In the autumn and winter months, the winds intensify, the speed of the winds often reaches 35-40 meters per second. The most windy areas are the Apsheron Peninsula and the vicinity of Makhachkala - Derbent, where the highest wave was recorded - 11 meters.

The circulation of waters in the Caspian Sea is associated with runoff and winds. Since most of the runoff is in the North Caspian, northern currents prevail. The intense northern current carries water from the North Caspian along the western coast to the Absheron Peninsula, where the current splits into two branches, one of which moves further along the western coast, the other goes to the Eastern Caspian.

The fauna of the Caspian Sea is represented by 1810 species, of which 415 are vertebrates. There are 101 species of fish registered in the Caspian world, and most of the world's sturgeon stocks, as well as freshwater fish such as roach, carp, and pike perch, are concentrated in the Caspian world. The Caspian Sea is a habitat for such fish as carp, mullet, sprat, kutum, bream, salmon, perch, 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.

The flora of the Caspian Sea and its coast is represented by 728 species. Of the plants in the Caspian Sea, algae predominate - blue-green, diatoms, red, brown, charovy and others, and of flowering plants - zostera and ruppia. By origin, the flora belongs mainly to the Neogene age, however, some plants were introduced into the Caspian Sea by humans deliberately or on the bottoms of ships.


It is known that the sea is part of the World Ocean. From this geographically correct point of view, the Caspian Sea cannot be considered a sea, for it is separated from the ocean by huge tracts of land. The shortest distance from the Caspian to the Black Sea, the closest of the seas included in the World Ocean system, is 500 kilometers. Therefore, it would be more correct to speak of the Caspian as a lake. This largest lake in the world is often referred to simply as the Caspian or the sea-lake.


The Caspian Sea has a number of signs of the sea: its water is salty (however, there are other salt lakes), the area is not much inferior to the area of ​​such seas as the Black, Baltic, Red, North and even exceeds the area of ​​the Azov and some others (however, the Canadian Lake Superior also has a huge area , like the three seas of Azov). Fierce storm winds are frequent in the Caspian, huge waves(and this is not uncommon on Lake Baikal).


So the Caspian Sea is a lake after all? That's on Wikipedia it is written Yes and Big Soviet Encyclopedia replies that no one has yet been able to give a precise definition of this issue - "There is no generally accepted classification."


Do you know why this is very important and fundamental? And here's why ...

The lake belongs to inland waters- sovereign territories of coastal states, to which the international regime does not apply (the principle of UN non-interference in the internal affairs of states). But the sea area is divided in a different way, and the rights of coastal states are completely different here.

In their own way geographic location the Caspian itself, in contrast to the surrounding land areas, for many centuries has not been the object of any targeted attention from the coastal states. Only at the beginning of the 19th century. the first treaties were concluded between Russia and Persia: Gulistan (1813) 4 and Turkmanchaisky (1828), who summed up the results of the Russian-Persian war, as a result of which Russia annexed a number of Transcaucasian territories and received the exclusive right to keep a navy in the Caspian Sea. Russian and Persian merchants were allowed to trade freely on the territory of both states and use the Caspian for the transport of goods. The Turkmanchay agreement confirmed all these provisions and became the basis for the maintenance of international relations between the parties until 1917.


After the October Revolution of 1917, in a note from the new government of Russia that came to power on January 14, 1918, it renounced its exclusive military presence in the Caspian Sea. The treaty between the RSFSR and Persia of February 26, 1921 declared invalid all agreements concluded before it by the tsarist government. The Caspian Sea became a reservoir of common use of the parties: both states were provided with equal rights of free navigation, except for cases when the crews of Iranian ships could include citizens of third countries using the service for unfriendly purposes (Article 7). The 1921 treaty did not provide for the maritime boundary between the parties.


In August 1935, the following treaty was signed, the parties to which were the new subjects of international law - the Soviet Union and Iran, which came under a new name. The parties confirmed the provisions of the 1921 treaty, but introduced into the agreement a new concept for the Caspian - a 10-mile fishing zone, which limited the spatial limits of this fishery for its participants. This was done in order to control and preserve the living resources of the reservoir.


In the context of the outbreak of World War II, unleashed by Germany, an urgent need arose to conclude a new treaty on trade and navigation in the Caspian Sea between the USSR and Iran. The reason for this was the anxiety of the Soviet side, caused by Germany's interest in intensifying its trade relations with Iran and the danger of using the Caspian Sea as one of the stages of the transit route. The treaty between the USSR and Iran, signed in 1940, protected the Caspian Sea from such a prospect: it repeated the main provisions of the previous agreements, which provided for the stay in its waters of the vessels of only these two Caspian states. It also included a norm about its indefinite validity.


The collapse of the Soviet Union radically changed the regional situation in the former Soviet space, in particular in the Caspian region. Among a large number new problems have arisen and the problem of the Caspian Sea. Instead of two states - the USSR and Iran, which previously bilaterally solved all the emerging issues of maritime navigation, fishing and the use of other living and nonliving resources, now there are five of them. Of the former, only Iran remained, the place of the USSR on the rights of succession was taken by Russia, the other three are new states: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan. They had access to the Caspian before, but only as republics of the USSR, and not as independent states. Now, having become independent and sovereign, they got the opportunity, on equal terms with Russia and Iran, to participate in the discussion and decision-making in considering all the above issues. This was reflected in the attitude of these states towards the Caspian, since all five states that had access to it showed the same interest in the use of its living and nonliving resources. And this is logical, and most importantly, justified: the Caspian Sea is rich in natural resources, both fish stocks and black gold - oil and blue fuel - gas. Exploration and production of the last two resources have long been the subject of the most heated and protracted negotiations. But they are not the only ones.


In addition to the presence of rich mineral resources in the waters of the Caspian Sea, there are about 120 species and subspecies of fish, the world gene pool of sturgeons is located here, the catch of which, until recently, accounted for 90% of their total world catch.

Due to its location, the Caspian has traditionally and for a long time been widely used for shipping, acting as a kind of transport artery between the peoples of the coastal states. There are such large seaports like the Russian Astrakhan, the capital of Azerbaidzhan Baku, the Turkmen Turkmenbashy, the Iranian Anzeli and the Kazakhstani Aktau, between which routes for the movement of trade, cargo and passenger sea transport have long been laid.


And yet, the main object of attention of the Caspian states is its mineral resources - oil and natural gas, which each of them can claim within the boundaries that must be determined by them collectively on the basis of international law. And for this, they will have to divide among themselves the Caspian Sea and its bottom, in the depths of which its oil and gas are hidden, and develop rules for their extraction with minimal damage to a very fragile environment, primarily the marine environment and its living inhabitants.


The main obstacle in resolving the issue of the start of extensive production of the Caspian mineral resources for the Caspian states continues to be its international legal status: should it be considered a sea or a lake? The complexity of the issue lies in the fact that these states themselves must solve it, and in their ranks there is no agreement so far. But at the same time, each of them seeks to start the production of Caspian oil and natural gas as soon as possible and make their sale abroad a permanent source of funds for the formation of their budget.


Therefore, the oil companies of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, without waiting for the end of the settlement of the existing differences on the territorial division of the Caspian, have already begun active production of its oil, hoping to stop being dependent on Russia, turn their countries into oil-producing countries and, in this capacity, begin build your own long-term trade relations with neighbors.


However, the question of the status of the Caspian Sea remains unresolved. Regardless of whether the Caspian states agree to consider it a "sea" or a "lake", they will have to apply the principles corresponding to the choice made or develop their own for this case to the territorial division of its water area and bottom.


Kazakhstan was in favor of recognizing the Caspian by the sea. Such recognition will make it possible to apply to the division of the Caspian the provisions of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on inland waters, territorial sea, exclusive economic zone, continental shelf. This would allow the coastal states to acquire sovereignty over the bowels of the territorial sea (Art. 2) and exclusive rights to explore and develop the resources of the continental shelf (Art. 77). But the Caspian cannot be called a sea from the position of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, since this body of water is closed and has no natural connection with the world's oceans.


In this case, the option of joint use of its water area and bottom resources is also excluded.


In the treaties between the USSR and Iran, the Caspian Sea was considered as a border lake. With the granting of the legal status of the "lake" to the Caspian Sea, it is supposed to be divided into sectors, as is done in relation to border lakes. But in international law, there is no rule obliging states to do just that: division into sectors is an established practice.


The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly made statements that the Caspian is a lake, and its waters and subsoil are the common property of coastal states. Iran also considers the Caspian Sea as a lake from the position enshrined in treaties with the USSR. The government of the country believes that this status implies the creation of a consortium for the unified management of production and the use of its resources by the Caspian states. Some authors also share this opinion, for example, R. Mamedov believes that with this status, the extraction of hydrocarbon resources in the Caspian by these states should be carried out jointly.


In the literature, there has been a proposal to give the Caspian Sea the status of a lake "sui generis", and in this case we are talking about the special international legal status of such a lake and its special regime. Under the regime, states are supposed to jointly develop their own rules for the use of its resources.


Thus, the recognition of the Caspian as a lake does not require its obligatory division into sectors - each coastal state has its own part. In addition, in international law, there are no norms at all on the division of lakes between states: this is their good will, behind which certain internal interests may be hidden.


At present, all the Caspian states recognize that the modern legal regime was established by the established practice of its use, but now the Caspian is in actual common use not of two, but of five states. At a meeting of foreign ministers held on November 12, 1996 in Ashgabat, the Caspian states confirmed that the status of the Caspian Sea can be changed only with the consent of all five coastal states. Later, Russia and Azerbaidzhan also confirmed this in a joint statement of January 9, 2001 on the principles of cooperation, as well as in the Declaration on Cooperation in the Caspian Sea signed between Kazakhstan and Russia on October 9, 2000.


But in the course of numerous Caspian negotiations, conferences and four summits of the Caspian states (Ash-Khabad summit on April 23-24, 2002, Tehran summit on October 16, 2007, Baku summit on November 18, 2010 and Astra-Khan summit on September 29, 2014 d) the Caspian countries failed to reach agreement.


Cooperation at the bilateral and trilateral levels is still more productive. Back in May 2003, Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on the point of intersection of the delimitation lines of the adjacent sections of the Caspian Sea bottom, which was based on the previous bilateral agreements. In the current situation, by its participation in these agreements, Russia, as it were, confirmed that the agreements between the USSR and Iran are outdated and do not correspond to the existing realities.


In the Agreement of July 6, 1998 between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan on the delimitation of the bottom of the northern part of the Caspian Sea in order to exercise sovereign rights to subsoil use, it was announced that the seafloor was delimited between adjacent and opposite sides along a modified median line based on the principle of fair - spirits and agreements of the parties. The states have sovereign rights to the bottom of the plot, but at the same time their common use of the water surface is preserved.


Iran perceived this agreement as a separate one and in violation of the previous Treaties with the USSR in 1921 and 1940. However, it should be noted that in the preamble to the 1998 agreement, to which Russia and Kazakhstan were parties, the agreement was viewed as a temporary measure pending the signing of the convention by all the Caspian states.


Later, on July 19 of the same year, Iran and Russia made a joint statement in which they proposed three possible scenarios for the delimitation of the Caspian. First, the sea should be shared on the basis of the condominium principle. The second scenario boils down to dividing the water area, waters, bottom and subsoil into national sectors. The third scenario, which is a compromise between the first and second options, involves dividing only the seabed between the coastal states, and water surface considered common and open to all coastal countries.


The existing options for the delimitation of the Caspian, including those mentioned above, are possible only if there is a good political will of the parties. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have clearly expressed their position from the very beginning of the multilateral consultation process. Azerbaijan considers the Caspian Sea to be a lake and, therefore, it should be divided. Kazakhstan proposes to consider the Caspian an enclosed sea, referring to the 1982 UN Convention (Articles 122, 123), and, accordingly, advocates its division in the spirit of the Convention. Turkmenistan has long supported the idea of ​​joint management and use of the Caspian, but foreign companies already developing resources off the coast of Turkmenistan influenced the policy of its president, who began to object to the establishment of a condominium regime, supporting the position of dividing the sea.


Azerbaijan was the first of the Caspian states to start using the hydrocarbon resources of the Caspian under the new conditions. After the conclusion of the "Deal of the Century" in September 1994, Baku expressed a desire to declare the adjacent sector a constituent part of its territory. This provision was also enshrined in the Constitution of Azerbaijan, adopted in order to exercise sovereign rights to subsoil use, Moscow, July 6, 1998 at a referendum on November 12, 1995 (Article 11). But such a radical position from the very beginning did not correspond to the interests of all other coastal states, especially Russia, which expresses fears that this will open access to the Caspian Sea to countries in other regions. Azerbaijan agreed to a compromise. In the Agreement between the Russian Federation and Azerbaijan on the delimitation of adjacent areas of the Caspian Sea in 2002, a provision was fixed in which the seabed was divided using the median line, and the water area of ​​the reservoir remained in joint use.


Unlike Azerbaijan, which expressed a desire to completely divide the Caspian, Iran offers to leave its subsoil and water in joint use, but does not object to the option of dividing the Caspian into 5 equal parts. Accordingly, each member of the Caspian Five would be allocated 20 percent of the total area of ​​the reservoir.


Russia's point of view was changing. For a long time Moscow insisted on the establishment of a condominium, but wishing to build a long-term policy with its neighbors, who did not find it profitable to consider the Caspian as the property of the five coastal states, changed its position. This then pushed the states to begin a new stage of negotiations, upon completion of which in 1998 the above Agreement was signed, where Russia declared that it was “ripe” for the division of the Caspian. Its main principle was the position “common water - we divide the bottom”.


Taking into account the fact that some of the Caspian states, namely Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia, have reached agreements on the conditional delimitation of spaces in the Caspian, we can conclude that they are actually satisfied with the already established regime with the division of its bottom along the modified median line and the sharing of the surface of the reservoir for shipping and fishing.


However, the lack of complete clarity and unity in the position of all coastal countries prevents the Caspian states themselves from developing oil production. And oil is of key importance to them. There are no unambiguous data regarding their reserves in the Caspian Sea. According to the US Energy Information Agency in 2003, the Caspian was ranked second in oil reserves and third in gas reserves. The data of the Russian side are different: they speak of artificial overstatement by Western experts of the energy resources of the Caspian Sea. The discrepancies in assessments are due to the political and economic interests of regional and external players. The factor of data distortion was the geopolitical significance of the region, with which the foreign policy plans of the United States and the EU are connected. Back in 1997, Zbigniew Brzezinski expressed the opinion that this region is the “Eurasian Balkans”.




, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Azerbaijan

Geographical position

Caspian Sea - view from space.

The Caspian Sea is located at the junction of two parts of the Eurasian continent - Europe and Asia. The length of the Caspian Sea from north to south is about 1200 kilometers (36 ° 34 "-47 ° 13" N), from west to east - from 195 to 435 kilometers, on average 310-320 kilometers (46 ° -56 ° c. d.).

The Caspian Sea is conventionally divided by physical and geographical conditions into 3 parts - the North Caspian, the Middle Caspian and the South Caspian. The conditional border between the North and Middle Caspian runs along the line about. Chechnya - Cape Tyub-Karagan, between the Middle and South Caspian - along the line of about. Residential - Cape Gan-Gulu. The area of ​​the North, Middle and South Caspian Sea is 25, 36, 39 percent, respectively.

Caspian Sea coast

Coast of the Caspian Sea in Turkmenistan

The territory adjacent to the Caspian Sea is called the Caspian region.

Peninsulas of the Caspian Sea

  • Ashur-Ada
  • Garasu
  • Zyanbil
  • Hara-Zira
  • Sengi-Mugan
  • Chygyl

Bays of the Caspian Sea

  • Russia (Dagestan, Kalmykia and the Astrakhan region) - in the west and north-west, the length of the coastline is about 1930 kilometers
  • Kazakhstan - in the north, north-east and east, the length of the coastline is about 2320 kilometers
  • Turkmenistan - in the southeast, the length of the coastline is about 650 kilometers
  • Iran - in the south, the length of the coastline is about 1000 kilometers
  • Azerbaijan - in the south-west, the length of the coastline is about 800 kilometers

Cities on the coast of the Caspian Sea

On the Russian coast cities are located - Lagan, Makhachkala, Kaspiysk, Izberbash and the southernmost city of Russia Derbent. 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.

Physiography

Area, depth, volume of water

The area and volume of water in the Caspian Sea varies significantly depending on the fluctuations in the water level. With a water level of -26.75 m, the area is approximately 371,000 square kilometers, the volume of water is 78,648 cubic kilometers, which is approximately 44% of the world's lake water reserves. The maximum depth of the Caspian Sea is in the South Caspian depression, 1025 meters above its surface. 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 according to the bathygraphic curve, is 208 meters. At the same time, the northern part of the Caspian is shallow, its maximum depth does not exceed 25 meters, and the average depth is 4 meters.

Water level fluctuations

Vegetable world

The flora of the Caspian Sea and its coast is represented by 728 species. Of the plants in the Caspian Sea, algae predominate - blue-green, diatoms, red, brown, charovy and others, from flowering plants - zostera and ruppia. By origin, the flora belongs mainly to the Neogene age, however, some plants were introduced into the Caspian Sea by humans deliberately or on the bottoms of ships.

History of the Caspian Sea

Origin of the Caspian Sea

Anthropological and cultural history of the Caspian Sea

Finds in the Huto y cave south coast The Caspian Sea testifies that people lived in these parts about 75 thousand years ago. The first mentions of the Caspian Sea and tribes living on its coast are found at Herodotus. Approximately in the V-II centuries. BC e. the tribes of the Saks lived on the coast of the Caspian. Later, during the period of the settlement of the Turks, during the IV-V centuries. n. e. Talysh tribes (Talysh) lived here. According to ancient Armenian and Iranian manuscripts, Russians sailed in the Caspian Sea from the 9th-10th centuries.

Exploration of the Caspian Sea

The exploration of the Caspian Sea was started by Peter the Great, when, on his order, in 1714-1715, an expedition was organized under the leadership of A. Bekovich-Cherkassky. In the 1720s, hydrographic research was continued by the expedition of Karl von Verden and F.I.Soimonov, and later by I.V. Tokmachev, M.I.Voinovich and other researchers. At the beginning of the 19th century, instrumental survey of the coast was carried out by I.F.Kolodkin, in the middle of the 19th century. - instrumental geographic 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 has been conducted under the leadership of N.M. Knipovich. In 1897, the Astrakhan Research Station was founded. In the first decades of Soviet power in the Caspian Sea, geological research by I. M. Gubkin and other Soviet geologists was actively carried out, mainly aimed at finding oil, as well as research to study the water balance and fluctuations in the level of the Caspian Sea.

Economy of the Caspian Sea

Oil and gas

Many oil and gas fields are being developed in the Caspian Sea. The proven oil resources in the Caspian Sea are about 10 billion tons, the 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 near Baku. In the second half of the 19th century, oil production began in industrial volumes on the Apsheron Peninsula, then in other territories.

Shipping

Shipping is well developed in the Caspian Sea. Ferry services operate on the Caspian Sea, in particular, Baku - Turkmenbashi, Baku - Aktau, Makhachkala - Aktau. The Caspian Sea has a navigable connection with the Azov Sea through the Volga, Don and Volga-Don Canal.

Fishing and seafood production

Fishing (sturgeon, bream, carp, pike perch, sprat), caviar and seal fishing. More than 90 percent of the world's sturgeon catch is carried out in the Caspian Sea. In addition to industrial production, illegal production of sturgeon and their caviar is flourishing in the Caspian Sea.

Recreational resources

The natural environment of the Caspian coast with sandy beaches, mineral waters and curative mud in the coastal zone creates good conditions for relaxation and treatment. At the same time, according to the degree of development of resorts and tourism industry Caspian coast noticeably loses to the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. At the same time, in recent years, the tourism industry has been actively developing on the coast of Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Russian Dagestan. Azerbaijan is actively developing resort area in the Baku region. At the moment, a world-class resort has been created in Amburan, another modern tourist complex is being built in the area of ​​the village of Nardaran, recreation in the sanatoriums of the villages of Bilgah and Zagulba is very popular. A resort area is also developing in Nabran, in the north of Azerbaijan. However, high prices, generally low level of service and lack of advertising lead to the fact that there are almost no foreign tourists in the Caspian resorts. The development of the tourism industry in Turkmenistan is hindered by a long-term policy of isolation, in Iran - by Sharia law, which makes it impossible for foreign tourists to spend mass vacations on the Caspian coast of Iran.

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 influx of pollutants from the Volga and other rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea, the life of coastal cities, as well as flooding of certain objects due to the rise in the level of the Caspian Sea. Predatory hunting 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.

International status of the Caspian Sea

Legal status of the Caspian Sea

After the collapse of the USSR, the division of the Caspian Sea for a long time was and still remains the subject of unresolved disagreements related to the division of the Caspian shelf resources - oil and gas, as well as biological resources. For a long time, negotiations were going on 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 - on dividing the Caspian by one fifth between all the Caspian states.

With regard to the Caspian, the key is the physical and geographical circumstance that it is a closed inland water body that does not have a natural connection with the World Ocean. Accordingly, the norms and concepts of international maritime law should not be automatically applied to the Caspian Sea, in particular, the provisions of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. economic zone "," continental shelf ", etc.

The current legal regime of the Caspian Sea was established by the Soviet-Iranian treaties of 1921 and 1940. These treaties provide for freedom of navigation throughout the sea, freedom of fishing with the exception of ten-mile national fishing zones and a ban on ships flying the flag of non-Caspian states in its waters.

Negotiations on the legal status of the Caspian are ongoing.

Delimitation of sections of the seabed of the Caspian Sea for the purpose of subsoil use

The Russian Federation signed an agreement with Kazakhstan on delimiting the bottom of the northern part of the Caspian Sea in order to exercise sovereign rights to subsoil use (dated July 6, 1998 and the Protocol to it dated May 13, 2002), an agreement with Azerbaijan on delimiting adjacent sections of the bottom of the northern part of the Caspian Sea (dated September 23, 2002), as well as the trilateral Russian-Azerbaijani-Kazakh agreement on the junction point of the delimitation lines of adjacent sections of the Caspian Sea bottom (dated May 14, 2003), which established geographical coordinates dividing lines limiting the seabed areas within which the parties exercise their sovereign rights in the field of exploration and production of mineral resources.