2. Lake Superior, Canada, USA (82 900) 5. Lake Guron, Canada 15. Ladoga Lake, Russia (59 580) (18 300) 14. Lake Ontario Canada/USA (19 400) 6. Lake Michigan, USA (58 020)

3. Lake Victoria, Africa 11. Lake Erie, (68 800) Canada/USA (25 680)

4. The Aral Sea, Uzbekistan/Kazkhstan 7. Lake Tanganyika, (65 500) Africa (32 900)

13. Lake Malawi, 10. Great Slave Lake, Africa Canada (28 570) (22 490) 1. The Caspian Sea (371 000)

8. Great Bear Lake, 12. Lake Winnipeg, 9. Lake Baikal, Canada Canada (31 330) Russia (24 890) (31 500) 0 500 1000 km

Fig. 1. Caspian Sea regarding the largest lakes of the World. In the brackets there is area in sq. km, area of the Aral Sea is given for 1960. (By Mary J. Burgis and Pat Morris “The Natural History of Lakes”, 1987) ?

Early Oligocene - Middle Kiscelian - Solenovian

Fig. 2. … (by Rögl, 1998). BIOZONES Berggren & al. 1995

H

a

r

C CENTRAL EASTERN

.

e

c

i f

i

A O

n

n

PARATETHYS PARATETHYS i

AGE o

.

t

P

m

k

a

n

E

M

STAGES STAGES r

a

l

o

P F

-

E

O

N I NN13

L E ZANGELAN DACIAN KIMMERIAN

P 5 C PL1 NN12 5.3 M14

E MESSINIAN PONTIAN PONTIAN

N

E b NN11

C

O I M13

M MAEOTIAN TORTONIAN NN10 e PANNONIAN

t

a a 10 L NN9b Khersonian 11.0 N - NN9a/8 A M12

I

R E Bes-

T

A

N M11- NN7

A

S sarabuian E SARMATIAN M8

M C Volhynian NN6 O SERRAVALLIAN

I

M M7

e

l

d

d BADENIAN NN5 15 i M6 M LANGHIAN TARKHANIAN M5 16.4 KARPATIAN M4 NN4 KOTSAKHURIAN

E OTTNANGIAN M3 BURDIGALIAN N NN3

E

C EGGENBURGIAN SAKARAULIAN

O 20 I M2

M

y

l r NN2

a E AQUITANIAN KARADZHALGAN M1 b 23.8 a NN1 EGERIAN 25 P22 NP25 CHATTIAN KALMYKIAN

E

N b E P21 C NP24

O a

G

I

30 L P20 O NP23 RUPELIAN KISCELLIAN SOLENOVIAN P19

NP22 PSHEKIAN P18 33.7 P17 NP21 P16 NP

35 E

N 19-20

E

C

O PRIABONIAN PRIABONIAN BELOGLINIAN

E P15 NP18

e

t

a

L

Fig. 3. … (by Rögl, 1998). А

Б

В

Г

Д

Е

Ж

З

Fig 4. Palaeohydrography of south-eastern Europe ad south-western Central Asia in the late Miocene- Pleistocene (by Starobogatov, 1994 with changes and additions).

Fig. 5. Water bodies of the Palaecaspian (by Aladin, Plotnikov, 2000). A – Balakhanian; B – Akchagylian; C – Postakchagylian; D – Apsheronian; E – Turkianian; F – Bakuvian; G – Venedian or Ushtalian; H – the Early Khazarian; I – the Late Khazarian; J – Atelian; K – the Early Khvalynian; L – Enotaevian; M – the Late Khvalynian; N – Mangyshlakian; O – the New Caspian; P – the present. GLOBAL CASPIAN BASIN CHRONOSTRAT. BIOSTRAT. STRATIGRAPHY 0 HOLOCENE NN21 KHVFLINIAN GIGKIAN N23 NN20 KHAZARIAN 0.5 BAKUVIAN PLEISTOCENE

NN19 1.0 N22 APSHERONIAN

N

O

I

L

S

L

I

R NN18

M

A

E

N

I 2.0

Y NN17

E

G N21

A LATE PLIOCENE AKCHAGYLIAN NN16 3.0

NN15

N19/20 NN14 4.0 EARLY PLIOCENE NN12 KIMMERIAN

NN12 5.0

Fig. 6. Stratigraphy of the Caspian Sea Region (by Boomer et al., 2000). U

r a l V o Kazakhstan lg a Peshnye Islands Russia Nothern Caspian Iskusstvennyi Island

Tiuleniy Island Kulaly Island Fort Shevchenko

Makhachkala Middle Caspian Kosa Ada Izberbash

Derbent Kara Bekdash Bogaz Gol Bay Azerbaijan Kara Bogaz Gol Sumgait Zhiloy Island Baku Kuuli-Mayak u Krasnovodsk K ra T

u

r

Svinoi Island k

m

Ogerchinskiy Island e

n

i Southern Caspian s Astara t

a

n

Gasan-Kuli

Iran

Fig. 7. Caspian Sea water area (by Rodionov, 1994). H, m 200 1 100

0

T, years -100 -300 000 -200 000 -100 000 0 50 2

0

-50 -40 000 -20 000 10 3 0 -10 -20

-30 -15 000 -10 000 -5 000 0 -24 4 -26 -28

-30

-32 0 500 1000 1500 2000 -25 -26 5 -27 -28

-29 1850 1900 1950

Fig. 8. Changes in the Caspian Sea level (by Maev et al., 1986). Years B.P. 3000 2000 1000 0 -20 Caspian Sea

-25

-30

-35

l

e

v 60

e

l Aral Sea

a

e

s

w

o l 50

e

b

/

e

v

o

b

a

40

m

,

l

e

v

e

l

r 30

e

t

a

16W 20 Issyk-Kul Lake

1610

1600

Fig. 9. Water level changes of the largest enclosed lakes in Central Asia during the last 3000 years by documentary and proxy data. Dotted bars represent a variety of estimates, whereas solid lines show more reliable data. V km3 500 A 400

300

200

B 80

40

E Km3 C 420

340

3 VmKBG D 20

H, m abs. 0

-26 ω 1033km

-27 E 390 -28 370 -29 350 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980

Fig. 10. Changes of the Caspian Sea water balance, level an area from 1900 till 1996. Dotted line – reconstructed level (without taking water). a b 1.5

10 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5

8 10 6 4

c d

1.5 1.0 0.5 0.1-0.2

1 2

25 1 2

20

15

3

m

k

,

V

10

5

0 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1986

Fig. 11. A – Position of Brine Border and Depths (m) in Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay (Terziev et al., 1986). Years: a – 1933, b – 1971, c – 1982, d – 1983 December. 1 – Dried bead of bay. 2 – Periodic inundation borders of salts zone. B – Long-term Inflow Changes of Caspian Waters intu Kara-Bogaz- Gol Bay (cu km/annum) 50º 60º 70º 80º E

’ a

r b

o

O

h

c P e

60º

I r

60º t

y s Lake Ladoga h

l

o

b

o

T Moscow a Kam Minsk a k O 50º l ra 50º DKiev U ne pr a b Vo n m Do lg E Syr Dar a ya Aral Sea

Am u Da r y 40º Lake a Tbilisi K Sarykamysh 40º ura Ankara Yerevan Baku

Drainage Basin

0 200 400 600 800 km

0200400600 800 mi 50º 60º

Fig. 12. The Caspian Sea basin (by Rodionov, 1994). 10 11 11 13 11 12.5 12.5 9 9 10 12 10 12 12 12.5 12.5 12

11 11 10 10

13 13 13 13 13 11 12.5 12 12.5 12 11 14 12 12 11 11 12.5 12.5

February April August November

Fig. 13. Mean salinity (g/l) on the surface in the Caspian Sea: February, April, August, November. 45 3 6 2 1 2 4 1 6

8 8 10 10 1 2 12 1 4 2 6 4 6 6 8 10 12 81012 April June

4 4 2 1 6 12 6

8 8 10 1 10 1 2 2 4 4 6 12 12 8 1012 6810 12 August October

Fig. 14. Mean salinity (g/l) in the Northern Caspian Sea: April, June, August, October. 3 S, g/l Q km 310 1 10 280 9 250 8 220 7 2 190 6 5 160 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990

Fig 15. Long-term changes in the salinity of the Northern Caspian Sea (1) and the annual Volga run-off (2). 38° 40° 44° N 0 12.6 12.7 a 50 12.8 100 12.85 150 12.9 13.0 200 200 300 13.0 12.9 400 13.1 500 600 700 800 H, m

37° 40° 44° N 0 12.9 12.0 12.3 50

100 12.8 12.9 120 12.9 b 200 200 13.0 300 12.9 12.85 400 500 13.0 12.9 600 13.0 700 800

H, m

Fig. 16. Salinity (g/l) on the longitudinal transect: a – February, b – August. 6 7 1211 10 8 1413 9 25 15 24 11 10 10 24 2 11 23 14 3 4 9 16 5 22 20

6

8 7 21 23 22 17 9 8 24 18 10 19 9 11 20 10 12 25 21 13 26 14 27 15 28

February April August October

Fig. 17. Mean temperature (˚C) on the surface in the Caspian Sea: February, April, August, October. 38° 40° 44° N 0 а 50 10 9 100 5 150 8 6 7 2 200 200 1 300 7 5

4 400 4.5 500 3 600 6 700 800 H, м

37° 40° 44° N 0 25 20 15 50 10 7 8 100 6 7 120 8 б 200 200

300 7 5 400 6 500 600 700 800

H, м

Fig. 18. Water temperature (˚C) on the longitudinal transect: a – February, b – August. In the insert are shown the hydrological transects: 1 – Divichi – Kenderli, 2 – Zhiloi – Kuuli, 3 – Kurinsky Kamen – Ogurchinsky, 4 – longitudinal. 7.5 5.0

7.0 6.3 6.0 4.5 5.5 4.0 3.5 5.0 4.5

3.0 5.5 5.0 4.5 2.5 4.0

2.0

5.5 6.5 5.5 5.0 4.5 6.0 6.5 4.54.0 4.0 3.0

6.0 2.5 5.5 5.0 4.5

4.0

4.5 2.0

Fig. 19. Distribution of dissolved oxygen (ml/l) at the longitudinal transect: a – in February, b – in August. 1 1 2 3 2 4 3 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 9 10

April-May June-July

1 1.5 1 2 1.5 3 2 4 3 5 4 6 6 8

7

August-September October-November

Fig. 20. Transparency of the water (m) in the Northern Caspian Sea: April-May, June-July, August- September, October-November. 2.5 5 2 10 5 10 10 10 2 5 10 15

15

5 20 10 5 5 15 15 2.5 2 5 10 5

Febfuary April August November

Fig. 21. Transparency of the water (m) in the Caspian Sea: February, April, August, November. a b

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

Fig. 22. Faunal composition of free-living Metazoa of the Caspian Sea, %. (Atlas …, 1968; Mordukhai-Boltovskoi, 1960, 1978). a – In systematic groups: 1. Turbellaria, 2. Nematodes, 3. Rotatoria, 4. Annelida, 5. Crustacea, 6. Mollusca, 7. Pisces & Cyclostomata, 8. others. b – In faunal complexes: 1.Autochthonous, 2. Freshwater, 3. Mediterranean, 4. Arctic. heksna S Kama

Rybinsk Kama reservoir reservoir C a

h

g u u

s

l Perm’ a o

t v

m e a V V o y r t y a Ivan’kovskoe Uglich s a t o k reservoir reservoir a K Votkinsk Kostroma reservoir Moscow- Yaroslavl Volga K canal lyaz Gorky Lower Kama ’m Be a reservoir la reservoir y fa MOSCOW a U M Cheboksary o s Vladimir reservoir c Nizhny

o w Novgorod Kazan Naberezhnie Chelny O Kaluga ka Cheboksary Ufa Ryazan

Ulianovsk Kuibyshev reservoir Samara S am ara Saratov reservoir

S e v e Saratov rn y a D g o l n o e t V z Tsymlyanskoe Volgograd reservoir reservoir lga- on Vo Do Volgograd D n cana l Rostov- on-Don

Astrakhan

Sea of Azov

Legend:

{ cities and settlements

Fig. 23. Scheme of Volga-Kama hydroelectric power stations cascade

Fig. 24. Long-term changes in the levels of the Caspian Sea and the biomasses of bottom invertebrates of different ecological complexes of the benthos, g/m2. 1. Sea level, 2. Marine complex, 3. Complex of Coastal and mildly saline water forms, 4. Complex of brackish water forms. H, m -26.0

-27.0

1 -28.0

-29.0

thous. t 200 2 100

0 thous. t 400

300

200 3 100

0 thous. t 200

100 4 Years 0 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990

Fig. 25. Dynamics of semi-migratory and river catches in connection with fluctuations of sea level and Volga runoff during floodwaters. 1. Sea level in m abs., 2. Volga discharge for April-June, cu km (running means of three), 3. Semi-migratory fish catches in thous. t, 4. River fish catches, thous. t. Barentz Sea

Kara Sea Taimyr Western drainage route

Northward drainage outlets Putorana Mountains B Verkhoyansk la c West Seberian Lowlands Mountains k S e a Pur / Mensi Lakes

s te ou r od lo F

Aral Sea

Fig. 26. The Northern Caspian

Arctic

Atlantic

Autochthones

Freshwater

Middle and Southern Caspian

Atlantic Arctic

Freshwat






























































































































er

Autochthons

Fig. 27. Autochthonic, Freshwater, Atlantic and Arctic elements in the Caspian Sea fauna.