Where is the Caspian. Caspian Sea (lake): rest, photo and map, shores and countries where the Caspian Sea is located
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 perplexes people who are poorly versed in geography.
Meanwhile, it is really more correct to call the Caspian a lake, not a sea. Why? Let's figure it out.
A bit of geography. Where is the Caspian Sea located?
Covering an area exceeding 370,000 square kilometers, The Caspian Sea stretches from north to south, dividing the expanses of Europe and Asia with its water surface. Its coastline belongs to five different countries: Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Iran. Geographers conditionally divide its water area into three parts: Northern (25% of the area), Middle (36% of the area) and South Caspian (39% of the area), which differ in climate, geological setting and natural features. The coastline is mostly flat, cut by river channels, covered with vegetation, and in the northern part, where the Volga flows into the Caspian, it is also swampy.
The Caspian Sea has about 50 large and small islands, about a dozen bays and six large peninsulas. In addition to the Volga, about 130 rivers flow into it, and nine rivers form fairly wide and branched deltas. The annual runoff 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 runoff into the Caspian.
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 closed body of water that receives river water, but does not connect 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 is often called the largest lake in the world, since the lake is a completely closed body of water, which is fed only by river water.
International maritime laws do not apply to the waters of the Caspian, and its water area is divided among all the countries that adjoin it, proportionally coastline.
Why is the Caspian called the sea?
Despite all of the above, most often in geography, as well as in international and domestic documents, the name "Caspian Sea" is used, and not "Caspian Lake". First of all, this is due to the size of the reservoir, which is much more typical for the sea than for the lake. Even, which is much smaller in area than the Caspian, locals often called the sea. There are no other lakes in the world whose shores belong simultaneously to five different countries.
In addition, one should pay attention to the bottom structure, which at Caspian Sea has a pronounced oceanic type. Once the Caspian Sea, most likely, was connected with the Mediterranean, but tectonic processes and drying up separated it from the World Ocean. More than fifty islands are located in the Caspian Sea, and some of them are large enough, even by international standards, they are considered large. All this makes it possible to call the Caspian a sea, not a lake.
origin of name
Why is this sea (or lake) called the Caspian? The origin of any name is often associated with ancient history terrain. Different peoples living on the shores of the Caspian called it differently. More than seventy names of this reservoir have survived in history - it was called the Hyrkan, Derbent, Sarai Sea, etc. 
Iranians and Azerbaijanis still call it the Khazar Sea. It began to be called Caspian by the name of the ancient tribe of nomadic horse breeders who lived in the steppes adjacent to its coast - the numerous tribe of the Caspians. It was they who gave the name to himself large lake on our planet - the Caspian Sea.
The Caspian Sea is the most big lake our planet, which is located in a depression earth surface(the so-called Aral-Caspian lowland) on the territory of Russia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Iran. Although it is considered as a lake, because it is not connected with the World Ocean, but by the nature of the processes of formation and the 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. Large islands include Tyuleny, Kulaly, Zhiloy, Chechen, Artem, Ogurchinsky. There are also many bays in the sea, for example: Kizlyarsky, Komsomolets, Kazakh, Agrakhansky, etc.
More than 130 rivers feed the Caspian Sea. 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 runoff comes from the large rivers Kura, Samur, Sulak and small rivers flowing into the sea on the western coast. The rivers Heraz, Gorgan, Sefidrud flow into the southern Iranian coast, which bring only 5% of the flow. V eastern part not a single river flows into the sea. The water in the Caspian Sea is salty, its salinity ranges from 0.3 ‰ to 13 ‰.
The shores of the Caspian Sea
The shores have a different landscape. The shores of the northern part of the sea are low and gentle, surrounded by low-lying semi-desert and somewhat elevated desert. In the south, the shores are partially 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 coast. Ridges approach the coast in the west Greater Caucasus... In the east, there is an abrasion coast, worked out in limestones; semi-desert and desert plateaus approach it. The coastline is very variable 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, severe frosts and snowstorms are raging on the northern coast, and fruit trees and magnolias bloom on the southern coast. In winter, strong storm winds rage on the sea.
On the coast of the Caspian Sea there are big cities, ports: Baku, Lankaran, Turkmenbashi, Lagan, Makhachkala, Kaspiysk, Izberbash, Astrakhan, etc. 
The fauna of the Caspian Sea is represented by 1809 animal species. More than 70 species of fish are found in the sea, including: herring, gobies, stellate sturgeon, sturgeon, beluga, whitefish, sterlet, pike perch, carp, bream, roach, etc. Of the marine mammals, only the world's smallest Caspian seal is found in the lake. not found in other seas. The Caspian lies on the main bird migration route between Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Every year, about 12 million birds fly over the Caspian during the migration period, and another 5 million usually winter here.
Vegetable world
The flora of the Caspian Sea and its coast is 728 species. Basically, the sea is inhabited by algae: diatoms, blue-green, red, charovy, brown and others, from flowering - rupee and zostera.
The Caspian Sea is rich in reserves natural resources, there are many oil and gas fields being developed, in addition to this, limestone, salt, sand, stone and clay are also mined here. The Caspian Sea is connected by the Volga-Don channel with Sea of Azov, 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; rest houses, tourist centers and sanatoriums are located on its shores.
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The Caspian Sea is located in different geographic areas... It plays an important role in world history, is an important economic region and a source of resources. The Caspian Sea is a unique body of water.
Short description
This sea is large. The bottom is covered with oceanic crust. These factors make it possible to classify it as a sea.
It is a closed body of water, has no drains and is not associated with the waters of the World Ocean. Therefore, it can also be attributed to the category of lakes. In this case, it will be the most big lake on the planet.
The approximate area of the Caspian Sea is about 370 thousand square kilometers. The volume of the sea changes with different fluctuations in the water level. The average value is 80 thousand cubic kilometers. The depth differs in its parts: the southern one has great depth than the north. The average value of the depth is 208 meters, the highest value in the southern part exceeds 1000 meters.
The Caspian Sea plays an important role in the development of trade relations between the countries. The resources mined in it, as well as other trade items were transported to different countries since the development of shipping at sea. Since the Middle Ages, merchants have been delivering exotic goods, spices and furs. Today, in addition to the transportation of resources, ferry crossings between cities are carried out by sea. Also, the Caspian Sea is connected by a navigable canal through the rivers with the Azov Sea.
Geographic characteristics
The Caspian Sea is located between two continents - Europe and Asia. Washes the territory of several countries. These are Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.
It has more than 50 islands, both large and small in size. For example, the islands Ashur-Ada, Tyuleny, Chigil, Gum, Zenbil. As well as peninsulas, the most significant are Apsheronsky, Mangyshlak, Agrakhansky and others.
The Caspian Sea receives the main inflow of water resources from the rivers flowing into it. In total, there are 130 tributaries of this reservoir. The largest is the Volga River, which brings the bulk of the water. The rivers Kheras, Ural, Terek, Astarchay, Kura, Sulak and many others also flow into it.
The waters of this sea form many bays. Among the largest: Agrakhan, Kizlyar, Turkmenbashi, Girkan Bay. In the eastern part there is a bay-lake called Kara-Bogaz-Gol. It communicates with the sea by a small strait.
Climate
The climate is characterized geographic location sea, therefore it has several types: from continental in the northern region to subtropical in the southern. This affects the air and water temperatures, which have great contrasts depending on the part of the sea, especially in the cold season.
In winter average temperature air in the northern region is about -10 degrees, water reaches -1 degrees.
V southern region the air and water temperature in winter warms up to +10 degrees on average.
V summer time the air temperature in the northern zone reaches +25 degrees. It's much hotter in the south. The maximum recorded value here is + 44 degrees.
Resources
The natural resources of the Caspian Sea contain large reserves of various deposits.
One of the most valuable resources of the Caspian Sea is oil. Extraction has been carried out since about 1820. The springs were discovered at the bottom of the sea and its coast. By the beginning of the new century, the Caspian was at the forefront of obtaining this valuable product. During this time, thousands of wells were opened, which made it possible to extract oil on a huge industrial scale.
The Caspian Sea and the adjacent territory also have rich deposits of natural gas, mineral salts, sand, lime, several types of natural clay and rocks.
Inhabitants and fishing
The biological resources of the Caspian Sea are distinguished by great diversity and good productivity. It contains more than 1500 species of inhabitants, rich in commercial fish species. Population depends on climatic conditions in different parts of the sea.
In the northern part of the sea, pike perch, bream, catfish, asp, pike and other species are more common. Gobies, mullet, bream, herring live in the western and eastern parts. The southern waters are rich in various representatives. One of the many are sturgeon. According to their content, this sea occupies a leading place among other bodies of water.
Among the wide variety, tuna, beluga, stellate sturgeon, tulka and many others are also caught. In addition, molluscs, crayfish, echinoderms and jellyfish are found.
The Caspian Sea mammal lives in the Caspian seal, or This animal is unique and lives only in these waters.
The sea is also characterized by a high content of various algae, for example, blue-green, red, brown; sea grass and phytoplankton.
Ecology
Oil production and transportation have a huge negative impact on the ecological situation of the sea. The ingress of oil products into the water is almost inevitable. Oil stains cause irreparable damage to marine life.
The main inflow of water resources to the Caspian Sea comes from rivers. Unfortunately, most of them have high level pollution that degrades the quality of sea water.
Industrial and domestic wastewater from the surrounding cities is discharged into the sea in huge quantities, which also damages the environment.
Poaching is causing great damage to the marine environment. The main target for illegal fishing is sturgeon fish species. This significantly reduces the number of sturgeon and threatens the entire population of this type.
The given information will help to assess the resources of the Caspian Sea, to briefly study the characteristics and ecological conditions of this unique reservoir.
Caspian Sea- the largest lake on Earth, located at the junction of Europe and Asia, called the sea because of its size. Caspian Sea represents closed lake, and the water in it is salty, from 0.05% near the mouth of the Volga to 11-13% in the southeast.
The water level is subject to fluctuations, currently - about 28 m below the level of the World Ocean.
Square Caspian Sea at present, it is about 371,000 sq km, the maximum depth is 1025 m.
Length of coastline Caspian Sea estimated at about 6,500 - 6,700 kilometers, with islands up to 7,000 kilometers. The shores Caspian Sea most of its territory is 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. 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.
V Caspian Sea 130 rivers flow into the river, 9 of which have delta-shaped estuaries. Large rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea are Volga, Terek (Russia), Ural, Emba (Kazakhstan), Kura (Azerbaijan), Samur (Russian border with Azerbaijan), Atrek (Turkmenistan) and others.
Caspian Sea Map
The Caspian Sea washes the shores of five coastal states:
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
Water temperature
It 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 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.
Climate of the Caspian Sea- continental in the northern part, temperate in the middle and subtropical in the southern part. In winter average monthly temperature Of the Caspian Sea varies from −8 −10 in the northern part to +8 - +10 in the southern part, in summer period- from +24 - +25 in the northern part to +26 - +27 in the southern part. The highest temperature recorded on the east coast is 44 degrees.
Animal world
The fauna of the Caspian Sea is represented by 1809 species, of which 415 are vertebrates. V Caspian Sea 101 species of fish have been registered, and most of the world's stocks of sturgeon, as well as freshwater fish such as roach, carp, and pike perch, are concentrated there. Caspian Sea- habitat of such fish as carp, mullet, sprat, kutum, bream, salmon, perch, pike. V Caspian Sea there is also a marine mammal - the Caspian seal.
Vegetable world
Vegetable world Caspian Sea and its coastline is represented by 728 species. From plants to Caspian Sea predominantly algae - blue-green, diatoms, red, brown, charovy and others, from flowering - zostera and ruppia. By origin, the flora belongs mainly to the Neogene age, however, some plants were introduced into Caspian Sea a person knowingly or on the bottoms of ships.
Oil and gas
V Caspian Sea many oil and gas fields are being developed. Proven oil resources in Caspian Sea are about 10 billion tons, the total resources of oil and gas condensate are estimated at 18 - 20 billion tons.
Oil production in 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 in industrial volumes on the Apsheron Peninsula, then in other territories.
In addition to oil and gas production, on the coast Caspian Sea and the Caspian shelf is also mining salt, limestone, stone, sand, clay.
Ecological problems
Ecological problems Caspian Sea 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 Caspian Sea, the vital activity of coastal cities, as well as the flooding of certain objects due to an increase in the level 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.
Caspandyskoe mOre(Caspian Sea) is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth. In size, the Caspian Sea is much larger than such lakes as the Upper, Victoria, Huron, Michigan, Baikal. Formally, the Caspian Sea is a closed lake. However, given its large size, brackish waters and a regime similar to the sea, this body of water is called the sea.
According to one hypothesis, the Caspian Sea (among the ancient Slavs - the Khvalynskoe Sea) got its name in honor of the Caspian tribes who lived on its southwestern coast before our era.
The Caspian Sea washes the shores of five states: Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.
The Caspian Sea is elongated in the meridional direction and is located between 36 ° 33΄ and 47 ° 07΄ N. and 45 ° 43΄ and 54 ° 03΄ E (excluding the Kara-Bogaz-Gol bay). The length of the sea along the meridian is about 1200 km; the average width is 310 km. The northern coast of the Caspian Sea is bordered by the Caspian lowland, the eastern coast by the deserts of Central Asia; in the west, the mountains of the Caucasus approach the sea, in the south, near the coast, the Elburs ridge stretches.
The surface of the Caspian Sea is significantly below the level of the World Ocean. Its current level fluctuates around -27 ... -28 m. These levels correspond to the sea surface area of 390 and 380 thousand km 2 (excluding the Kara-Bogaz-Gol bay), the volume of waters 74.15 and 73.75 thousand km 3, average depth is about 190 m.
The Caspian Sea is traditionally divided into three large parts: the North (24% of the sea area), the Middle (36%) and the South Caspian (40%), significantly different in morphology and regime, as well as the large and isolated Kara-Bogaz-Gol bay. The northern shelf part of the sea is shallow: its average depth is 5–6 m, maximum depths are 15–25 m, and the volume is less than 1% of the total water mass of the sea. The Middle Caspian is a separate basin with an area of maximum depths in the Derbent depression (788 m); its average depth is about 190 m. In the South Caspian the average and maximum depth- 345 and 1025 m (in the South Caspian depression); 65% of the water mass of the sea is concentrated here.
There are about 50 islands in the Caspian Sea with a total area of approximately 400 km 2; the main ones are Tyuleniy, Chechnya, Zyudev, Konevsky, Dzhambaysky, Durneva, Ogurchinsky, Apsheronsky. The length of the coastline is about 6.8 thousand km, with islands - up to 7.5 thousand km. The shores of the Caspian Sea are diverse. In the northern and eastern parts, they are rather heavily indented. Here are located large bays Kizlyarskiy, Komsomolets, Mangyshlakskiy, Kazakhskiy, Kara-Bogaz-Gol, Krasnovodskiy and Turkmenskiy, many bays; off the western coast - Kyzylagachsky. The largest peninsulas are Agrakhanskiy, Buzachi, Tyub-Karagan, Mangyshlak, Krasnovodskiy, Cheleken and Apsheronskiy. The most common banks are accumulative; areas with abrasive shores are found along the contour of the Middle and South Caspian.
More than 130 rivers flow into the Caspian Sea, of which the largest is the Volga , Ural, Terek, Sulak, Samur, Kura, Sefidrud, Atrek, Emba (its runoff enters the sea only in high-water years). Nine rivers have deltas; the largest are located at the mouths of the Volga and Terek.
The main feature of the Caspian, as an endless reservoir, is instability and a wide range of long-term fluctuations in its level. This most important hydrological feature of the Caspian Sea has a significant impact on all its other hydrological characteristics, as well as on the structure and regime of river mouths and coastal zones. The level of the Caspian Sea varied in the range of ~ 200 m: from -140 to +50 m BS; in from -34 to -20 m BS. From the first third of the XIX century. and until 1977 the sea level dropped by about 3.8 m - to the lowest point in the last 400 years (-29.01 m BS). In 1978-1995 the level of the Caspian Sea rose by 2.35 m and reached -26.66 m BS. Since 1995, a certain downward trend in the level has dominated - to -27.69 m BS in 2013.
During large periods, the northern coast of the Caspian shifted to the Samarskaya Luka on the Volga, and perhaps even further. At maximum transgressions, the Caspian turned into a waste lake: excess water flowed through the Kuma-Manych depression into the Sea of Azov and further into the Black Sea. Into extreme regressions South coast The Caspian Sea shifted to the Absheron threshold.
Long-term fluctuations in the level of the Caspian Sea are explained by changes in the structure of the water balance of the Caspian Sea. The sea level rises when the input part of the water balance (primarily the river runoff) increases and exceeds the discharge part, and decreases if the river water inflow decreases. The total runoff of all rivers is on average 300 km 3 / year; at the same time, the five largest rivers account for almost 95% (the Volga gives 83%). During the period of the lowest sea level, in 1942-1977, the river flow was 275.3 km 3 / year (of which 234.6 km 3 / year - the Volga flow), precipitation - 70.9, groundwater flow - 4 km 3 / year, and evaporation and outflow into the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay - 354.79 and 9.8 km 3 / year. During the period of intensive sea level rise, in 1978–1995, - respectively 315 (Volga - 274.1), 86.1, 4, 348.79 and 8.7 km 3 / year; in the modern period - 287.4 (Volga - 248.2), 75.3, 4, 378.3 and 16.3 km 3 / year.
The intra-annual changes in the level of the Caspian Sea are characterized by a maximum in June – July and a minimum in February; the range of intra-annual level fluctuations is 30-40 cm. Surge-surging level fluctuations are manifested throughout the sea, but they are most significant in the northern part, where, with maximum surges, the level can rise by 2-4.5 m and the coastline "retreat" by several tens kilometers inland, and during surges - to drop by 1–2.5 m. Seiche and tidal level fluctuations do not exceed 0.1–0.2 m.
Despite the relatively small size of the reservoir in the Caspian Sea, there is strong waves. Highest heights waves in the South Caspian can reach 10–11 m. Wave heights decrease in the direction from south to north. Storm excitement can develop at any time of the year, but more often and more dangerous in the cold half of the year.
The Caspian Sea as a whole is dominated by wind currents; nevertheless, on the estuarine seashore large rivers runoff currents play a significant role. In the Middle Caspian, cyclonic water circulation prevails, in the South Caspian - anticyclonic. In the northern part of the sea, the patterns of wind currents are more irregular and depend on the characteristics and variability of the wind, the bottom topography and outlines of the banks, river runoff and aquatic vegetation.
Water temperature is subject to significant latitudinal and seasonal variations. In winter, it varies from 0–0.5 o C at the ice edge in the north of the sea to 10–11 o C in the south. In summer, the sea water temperature averages 23-28 o C, and in shallow coastal waters in the North Caspian it can reach 35-40 o C. At depths, a constant temperature is maintained: deeper than 100 m, it is 4-7 o C.
In winter, only the northern part of the Caspian Sea freezes; in a harsh winter - the entire Northern Caspian and the coastal zones of the Middle Caspian. Freezing up in the Northern Caspian lasts from November to March.
The salinity of the water changes especially sharply in the northern part of the sea: from 0.1 ‰ on the estuarine coastal areas of the Volga and the Urals to 10–12 ‰ on the border with the Middle Caspian. In the North Caspian, the temporal variability of water salinity is also great. In the middle and southern parts of the sea, salinity fluctuations are small: it is mainly 12.5–13.5 ‰, increasing from north to south and from west to east. The highest water salinity is in the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay (up to 300 ‰). With depth, the salinity of water increases insignificantly (by 0.1–0.3 ‰). The average salinity of the sea is about 12.5 ‰.
More than a hundred species of fish live in the Caspian Sea and the mouths of the rivers flowing into it. There are Mediterranean and Arctic invaders. The object of the fishery is goby, herring, salmon, carp, mullet and sturgeon fish... The latter include five species: sturgeon, beluga, stellate sturgeon, thorn and sterlet. The sea is capable of producing annually up to 500-550 thousand tons of fish, if it is not allowed to be overfished. Of the marine mammals, the endemic Caspian seal lives in the Caspian Sea. 5-6 million waterfowl migrate through the Caspian region annually.
The economy of the Caspian Sea is associated with oil and gas production, shipping, fishing, seafood, various salts and minerals (Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay), using recreational resources. The explored oil resources in the Caspian Sea amount to about 10 billion tons, the total oil and gas condensate resources are estimated at 18–20 billion tons. Oil and gas production is being carried out on an ever-increasing scale. Used by the Caspian Sea and by water transport, including along the river-sea and sea-river routes. The main ports of the Caspian are Astrakhan, Olya, Makhachkala (Russia), Aktau, Atyrau (Kazakhstan), Baku (Azerbaijan), Noushehr, Bender-Anzeli, Bender-Torkemen (Iran) and Turkmenbashi (Turkmenistan).
Economic activity and hydrological features of the Caspian Sea create a number of serious environmental and water management problems. Among them: anthropogenic pollution of river and sea waters(mainly by oil products, phenols and synthetic surfactants), poaching and reduction of fish stock, especially sturgeon; damage to the population and coastal-coastal economic activities due to large-scale and rapid changes in the level of the reservoir, the impact of numerous hazardous hydrological phenomena and hydrological and morphological processes.
The total economic damage for all the Caspian countries associated with the rapid and significant recent rise in the level of the Caspian Sea, the flooding of a part of the coastal land, the destruction of coastlines and coastal structures, amounted to rough estimates from 15 to 30 billion US dollars. It took urgent engineering measures to protect the coast.
A sharp drop in the level of the Caspian Sea in the 1930-1970s. led to less damage, but they were significant. The navigable approach channels became shallow, the shallow seaside in the estuaries of the Volga and the Urals was heavily overgrown, which became an obstacle to the passage of fish into rivers for spawning. It was necessary to build fish-passage channels through the mentioned seaside.
Among the unsolved problems is the absence of an international agreement on the international legal status of the Caspian Sea, the division of its water area, bottom and subsoil.
The Caspian Sea is the object of many years of research by specialists from all the Caspian states. Such domestic organizations as the State Oceanographic Institute, the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Hydrometeorological Center of Russia, the Caspian Research Institute of Fisheries, the Faculty of Geography of the Moscow state university and etc.
