CHANGES IN NATURAL AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS IN KALMYKIA ASSOCIATED WITH THE RISING LEVEL OF THE CASPIAN SEA

Abstract

Space images were used to study changes in natural conditions along the Kalmyk coast of the Caspian Sea as a consequence of the rise in its level since 1977. An associated elevation of the water table inland from the coast, an intensification of water-logging, and a reduction of the stability of wetland natural communities were phenomena accompanying this rise. The potential influence of the rising sea level on changes in land use in different areas was investigated. Translated by Edward Torrey, Alexandria, VA 22308 from: Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. seriya geograficheskaya, 1997, No. 6, pp. 90-97.