Climate Change Shrinks Caspian Sea to Historical Low

The Director General of Environmental Protection in Mazandaran Province warned of an unprecedented drop in the Caspian Sea’s water level, pointing to the accelerating impacts of climate change on the body of water.

Young Journalists Club (YJC) reported on Thursday, August 13, quoting Mohammad-Reza Kan’ani: “Over the past two decades, the water temperature of the Caspian Sea has risen by approximately 1.5 degrees Celsius, which has led to a 10 to 15 percent increase in evaporation rates.”

According to Kan’ani, this ongoing trend has caused the Caspian Sea’s water level to “decline by about 10 to 20 centimeters annually. Under current conditions, the Caspian Sea stands at its lowest water level in nearly 200 years.”

The Caspian Sea is the world’s largest enclosed inland body of water. Its water balance is determined by the equilibrium between inflow from precipitation and rivers and outflow via evaporation.

Kan’ani identified “river inflow” and “evaporation” as the primary driving factors behind the sea’s water level, noting that rising temperatures and higher evaporation rates have pushed the Caspian’s overall water budget into a negative balance.

Precipitation accounts for 25 percent of the Caspian Sea’s water supply, while rivers supply the remaining 75 percent. Among these, the Volga River serves as the primary inflow source, accounting for roughly 80 percent of all river water entering the sea.

Speaking to reporters, the Mazandaran environmental chief emphasized that the continuation of this decline is not merely an environmental concern but a threat to the livelihoods of coastal communities, coastal infrastructure, and dependent ecosystems, including coastal wetlands.

Kan’ani concluded with a warning: “Changes in the Caspian Sea’s water level must be addressed as a multifaceted crisis, as a continued decline in water levels will exert far-reaching consequences on the environment, economy, and human activity across coastal regions.”