[yuxt]

In the late 1980s, I went on an expedition along Kazakhstan's eastern shore of the Caspian Sea. One of our stops was supposed to be a fishing village, but when we got there, it was completely empty. Hundreds of mud huts sat abandoned as everyone had just disappeared. In one of the yards, a camel was still there. It felt haunting, like walking through a ghost town. The strangest part? There was no sea anywhere nearby! The Caspian had dried up so quickly that people had to leave their homes behind because they couldn’t live there anymore.

[Self-Perfection]

I think your expedition was actually along Aral sea. That is dried.

Caspian sea is rather stable.

[yuxt]

The Volga Hydroelectric Station, located on the Volga River, directly impacts the Caspian Sea. The Volga River, Europe’s longest, flows into the Caspian Sea and contributes about 80% of its freshwater inflow. The construction of the Volga Hydroelectric Station and other dams along the river has altered its natural flow, reducing the volume of water reaching the Caspian Sea. This reduction has contributed to the sea’s declining water levels. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/150452/the-caspian-...

[citrin_ru]

I wonder how Caspian Sea levels looks on a graph over a longer time span (haven't found one quickly).

In 1970s there was a project to connect rivers Pechora and Kama [1] to redirect water flow and increase levels of the Caspian Sea which were declining at that time. The project was abandoned but the Caspian sea levels started to increase in late 70s and 80s even without geoengineering.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pechora%E2%80%93Kama_Canal

[Izikiel43]

Is that the dam from metro exodus?

[danielskogly]

Would make sense considering a previous level is called «The Volga», and the level with the dam[0] supposedly was to be called that. The oil rigs in the later level is decidedly the Caspian[1] though!

[0] https://metrovideogame.fandom.com/wiki/The_Taiga_(Metro_Exod...

[1] https://metrovideogame.fandom.com/wiki/The_Caspian_(Metro_Ex...

[superhuzza]

Doesn't seem like it's that stable at all

https://geographical.co.uk/science-environment/the-caspian-s...