We must already know how serious climate change affects the oceans. However, the magnitude of the impacts of climate change does not stop there. Deep inland, things are also going badly!
Global warming causes glaciers to melt, pushing fresh water out into the ocean. Adding to the drought, the continental lakes and saltwater lakes are losing their precious water. As the Caspian Sea is an example.
Despite its name, Caspian is actually a lake, even the largest lake in the world. And according to a new study published in Communications Earth & Environment, that lake is in serious damage.
Experts say that the amount of salt water in the Caspian Sea will decrease by about 9-18m by the end of the 21st century if emissions continue to increase. This was a huge reduction, which could cause almost all of the northern shore and the southeastern part of the Caspian to disappear. The eastern area can also dry out completely.
In the worst case – the water level drops to 18m, research models show that at least 34% of the lake’s surface will shrink, creating a full-blown ecological crisis. However, the public’s consciousness was completely ignored, even in the scientific community.
In fact, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) did not notice that lakes on the continent dried up due to the effects of climate change. Nor does the United Nations (UN) include this issue in its prevention goals.
The Caspian Sea is very large – about 371,000 km2 with a salt concentration of about 1.2%. That is why it is called a sea, although it is actually just a lake. However, if you do not intervene soon, Caspian will gradually shrink to a true lake.
According to scientists, the situation of the Caspian Sea is probably too late to change based on the reduction of emissions alone. Currently, the amount of water has decreased at a rate of 6-7 centimeters per year. Therefore, regional adaptation and mitigation efforts will be needed, starting with public awareness. Because for decades, the decrease in the lake water level on the mainland has not been noticed by anyone, including experts.
Based on the state of the Caspian Sea, the author of the study called for a global campaign to increase public and scientific awareness of this issue. We’ve been ignoring it for such a long time.