The Caspian Sea, considered the largest inland body of water on the planet, is shrinking. A new study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment reports that as global temperatures rise, the Caspian Sea will start to go dry, critically impacting the people and animals that call this place home.
Why Is the Caspian Sea Shrinking?
According to the new study, the water sources that typically feed the sea are contributing less and less water. So much so that these sources cannot keep up with evaporation. If climate change mitigation efforts enable global temperatures to rise only 2 degrees Celsius, it’s likely that the water levels in the Caspian Sea will still drop by 16 feet to 32 feet.
However, if global temperatures rise over 2 degrees Celsius, the sea could drop nearly 70 feet by 2100, according to the study. The Caspian Sea covers an area of 143,200 square miles, if action is not taken, this means that an area of over 43,000 square miles — an area larger than Iceland — would dry up.
