Kazakhstan spends $560,000 on research into Caspian Sea issues

Kazakhstan’s government has spent 305 million tenge, equivalent to more than $560,000, on research into issues affecting the Caspian Sea.

The funding will support the further development of a research institute, enabling timely and effective laboratory studies in hydrobiology, hydrochemistry and hydrometeorology, as well as satellite monitoring and other research tasks.

The institute’s work includes assessing fish stocks, developing methods and technologies to conserve them, studying fish fauna, identifying the causes of mass seal deaths and preserving the seal population.

It will also study hydrological processes, monitor sea levels and analyse climate change and its effects on the ecosystem. In addition, the institute will collect and analyse data on water quality, biodiversity and other indicators in Kazakhstan’s section of the Caspian Sea and along its coastline.

According to environmental campaigners, the Caspian Sea’s water level is falling by 70 centimetres annually. In some regions of Kazakhstan, the shoreline has already retreated by up to 18 kilometres.

In May, Russian scientists confirmed that a new island had emerged in the northern Caspian Sea as a result of falling water levels.