Azərbaycan Coğrafiya Cəmiyyəti
AR Elm və Təhsil NazirliyiChanges in the Hydrological Regime of the Volga River and Their Influence on Caspian Sea Level Fluctuations
by Elnur Safarov, Said Safarov and Emil Bayramov
1.Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Institute of Geography Named after Acad. G. Aliyev, Azerbaijan 115, H.Javid Ave., Baku AZ1070, Azerbaijan
2.School of Mining and Geosciences, Nazarbayev University, 53 Kabanbay Batyr Avenue, Block 6, Room 6.239, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan
3.Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence (ISSAI), Nazarbayev University Blocks C4, Qabanbay Batyr Ave, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan
*Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Water 2024, 16(12), 1744; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16121744 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 3 May 2024 / Revised: 8 June 2024 / Accepted: 13 June 2024 / Published: 20 June 2024
(This article belongs to the Section Oceans and Coastal Zones)
Abstract
In this study, spanning from 1938 to 2020, the hydrological changes in the Volga River and their repercussions on the Caspian Sea level were examined. Analysis reveals a correlation between high Volga River runoff and increased atmospheric precipitation in its basin. However, in recent years (2005–2020), a significant decline in the runoff coefficient at the Verkhneye Lebyazhie hydrological station, attributable to climate warming surpassing global temperature anomalies, has been observed. This warming’s impact on river flow and sea level was quantified, resulting in a 133 cm decrease in sea level from 1977 to 2020. Notably, while, historically, Caspian Sea level changes mirrored Volga River runoff fluctuations until 2005, since 2006, the sea level has markedly dropped, decoupling from river runoff variations. Comparison with recent studies suggests that altered wind characteristics over the Caspian Sea, influencing surface evaporation, may have significantly contributed to this rapid sea level decline in recent years.
Keywords:
Volga River; river runoff; atmospheric precipitation; Caspian Sea; climatic changes; anthropogenic factorsMəqalənin davamını PDF-dən oxuya bilərsiniz
