In recent years, various forecasts have been made regarding changes in the Caspian Sea’s water level and regional climate processes. While some claim that the Caspian is at risk of drying up, experts assert that the current situation shows quite the opposite.

Axar.az reports that this was stated by Enver Aliyev, head of a department at the Institute of Geography of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), in an interview with Yenisabah. He said that the Caspian Sea is an enormous body of water, fed by rivers from an area of 4 million square kilometers:

“The Volga River, the largest river in Eurasia, accounts for about 80% of the Caspian Sea’s inflow. For this reason, the likelihood of the Caspian drying up is almost zero. On the contrary, observations and analyses from recent years suggest that we may see a rise in sea level in the near future.”

According to Enver Aliyev, recent increases in precipitation also support this possibility:

“Looking at annual precipitation levels, even in the worst-case scenarios, a 60–70% increase has been recorded. Overflowing rivers and excessive water accumulation in water basins are now well-known. All of this indicates that the sources feeding the Caspian basin are strengthening, and the likelihood of a sea-level rise is becoming more realistic.”

The department head of the Institute of Geography added that while different experts provide varying forecasts related to climate change and global warming, the current data disproves the idea that the Caspian is drying up:

“There is no possibility that the sea will dry up in the near future. On the contrary, the likelihood of a rising water level and expansion along the coastal areas is quite strong. It should be noted that the Caspian is the world’s largest enclosed body of water, and any change here is highly significant for regional countries — both ecologically and economically.”