Sevastopol scientists will conduct a second large-scale expedition to the Caspian Sea in 2025

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a scientific analysis regarding the shallowing of the Caspian Sea. Scientists working on this and related issues have already noted that this process does occur and affects not only water levels, but also many aspects of the ecosystem. In September, the InBYUM team conducted a large-scale expedition for the first time in the coastal zone of the Caspian Sea. Their goal was to select samples of local marine life in order to conduct molecular genetic analysis and compare them with hydrobionts of the Azov-Black Sea basin, as well as check the levels of radionuclides in water and bottom sediments.

The laboratories of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences began analyzing materials selected by scientists in September 2024 during the first expedition to the western coast of the Caspian Sea. <…> The next comprehensive expedition is planned for the spring of 2025the message says.

As Natalia Milchakova, the head of the laboratory of phytoresources of the InBYUM, Candidate of Biological Sciences, explained to TASS, it is too early to draw conclusions within the framework of the stated scientific topics, since laboratory research will take some more time. So far, the main result has been the receipt of a large number of high-quality samples for this work.

According to the ministry, in two weeks the scientists covered the path along the coast from the northern to the southern border of Dagestan — about 600 km. They collected specimens of macrophytes, fish and crustaceans. Using modern methods of molecular genetic research, scientists plan for the first time to establish how closely related ties exist between Caspian species and the inhabitants of the Azov-Black Sea basin, to identify intra-population variability, to understand not only the paths of evolution and distribution of species, but also the mechanisms of their adaptation to the conditions of closed and semi-closed seas, and also answer the question of how these organisms developed after the collapse of the ancient Tethys Ocean, which included all three seas.

It is added that another goal is to check the levels of gamma-emitting radionuclides in water, bottom sediments and aquatic organisms. Such work has not previously been carried out in the coastal zone of the Caspian Sea. The obtained parasitological and toxicological data will help determine whether Caspian fish pose a danger to humans. And the study of macrophyte communities—environmental indicators—will make it possible to assess the water quality of the coastal zone of the Caspian Sea. The research is carried out within the framework of a state assignment with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.

source: TASS