A scientific seminar was held by the Institute of Geography named after Academician G.Aliyev of the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

At the meeting chaired by the Director General, Professor Zakir Eminov, Head of the Caspian Sea Hydrometeorology Department, Doctor of Geographical Sciences Said Safarov, “Changes in the hydrological regime of the Volga River and their influence” (“Changes in the hydrological regime of the Volga River and their influence” (“Changes in the hydrological regime of the Volga River and their influence”) The Volga River and their influence “on fluctuations in the level of the Caspian Sea”).

The article, authored by Dr. Sc. (Geography) Said Safarov, Dr. Sc. (Philology) Elnur Safarov and Dr. Sc. (Philology) Emil Bayramov, was published in the highly rated journal Water (2024, 16(12), 1744; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16121744).

It was reported that researchers studying hydrological changes in the Volga River from 1938 to 2020 and their impact on the Caspian Sea level found a correlation between the high discharge of the Volga River and an increase in precipitation in its basin. However, in recent years (2005-2020), a significant decrease in the discharge coefficient has been observed at the Verkhneye Lebyazhye hydrological station due to climate warming, exceeding global temperature anomalies. The impact of this warming on river runoff and sea level has been measured, resulting in a sea level drop of 133 cm from 1977 to 2020. The speaker noted that historically, the change in Caspian Sea level has reflected the fluctuations in Volga runoff until 2005, but since 2006, sea level has dropped significantly in response to changes in river runoff. Comparison with recent studies suggests that changes in wind patterns that affect surface evaporation over the Caspian Sea may have had a significant impact on the rapid decline in sea level in recent years.