Urgent action is needed to protect endangered species, human health and industry from the impacts of the Caspian Sea shrinking, research led by the University of Leeds has found.
Urgent action is needed to protect endangered species, human health and industry from the impacts of the Caspian Sea shrinking, research led by the University of Leeds has found.
Water levels in the Caspian Sea – the world’s largest landlocked water body – are getting lower, as hotter temperatures cause more water to evaporate than is flowing in. Even if global warming is limited to below 2°C, it is likely that the level of the Caspian Sea will decline by 5 to 10 m, but if temperatures rise further, water levels could drop by as much as 21 m by 2100.
Researchers led by Leeds have mapped the potential risks this poses to the region’s biodiversity and human infrastructure, in a paper published today (Thursday 10 April) in Communications Earth & Environment.
Read More: University of Leeds
A white, fluffy Caspian seal pup looks at the camera while sitting on some ice. (Photo Credit: Sarah DelBen, Central Asian Institute of Ecological Research (CAIER), Almaty, Kazakhstan)
