Academic literature on the topic 'Ecological problems of the Caspian Sea'

Both the insufficiency of water resources and the contamination of even transboundary water bodies are serious problems. Water quality analyses of the transboundary (between Russia and Kazakhstan) Ural River and the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea, and their assessment are the main research questions of this study. It is shown that the Ural River is heavily contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyls, heavy metals, oil contaminants, and pesticides, arising from industrial enterprises and agricultural objects. The results show that these toxicants are not only present in water, but they are also accumulated in the muscular tissues of all fish (Abramis brama, Sander lucioperca, Aspius aspius). The Caspian Sea is heavily contaminated by petroleum hydrocarbons due to off shore oil production. A sufficiently high level of accumulation of petroleum hydrocarbons, organochlorine pesticides and heavy metals was determined in the muscles of Caspian fish. All these contaminations lead to the loss of biodiversity and bio-productivity of the Caspian Sea. The authors propose a methodology for a quantitative assessment of the environmental safety level in relation to the Kazakh part of the Caspian Sea, based on bioindication methods. Recommendations, aimed for maintaining acceptable values of water resources quality, are suggested.

The subject of the study is the process of development of environmental protection activities of post-Soviet Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, as well as Iran in the Caspian Sea. The study used such methods of historical research as retrospective analysis, comparative analysis, document analysis, periodization method, systematic approach. The author considers such aspects of the topic as the problem of periodization of complex social processes, the actual periodization of the development of joint environmental activities of the Caspian states, the main characteristics of the stages of development of international relations in the field of environmental activities in the Caspian Sea. The author pays special attention to the problem of awareness by the "Caspian five" of the ecological integrity of the Caspian Sea and the need to develop collective solutions to environmental problems and the protection of the natural diversity of the sea. В As a result of the analysis, the author's periodization of the development of environmental activities in the Caspian Sea in the post-Soviet period of the history of the region and the characteristics of the selected stages are proposed, which is the novelty of the study and the author's special contribution to the study of the topic. In total, the author identifies three stages that differ qualitatively from each other (the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s). The periodization is based on a qualitative assessment of the development of relations between the national states of the Caspian region within the framework of the regional subsystem of international relations, characterized as the "Caspian node", which distinguishes it from other well-known approaches to periodization and characterizes as promising.


 
 
 
 In Azerbaijan, since the earliest times, the Caspian Sea has contributed to the Received in revised form: 07.10.2021 settlement of population and structure of the economy. The favourable natural geographical conditions of the coasts, exploitation of offshore oil and gas fields and rich tourist-recreational potential favoured the economy of Azerbaijan significantly. However, sea-level fluctuations and environmental damage observed due to exploitation of natural resources served as curbing factor in the development. In modern times, planning of residential areas in the coastal areas, improvement of industrial, agricultural and tourism infrastructure, and successful management of the ecological situation are achievable through effective use of the natural resources and human potential of the Caspian Sea. The coastal region of the Caspian Sea, composed of three zones, is favourable for the development of Azerbaijan’s economy. Theattractiveness of coastal areas is related mainly to preferences of natural conditions and resources and the advantages of their transport- geographical location. As a result, the development level of the economy of the Pre-Caspian region is higher compared to other regions of the country. The region accounts for 88.7 % of the total industrial output in the country. The main part of it, i. e. 95.7 % is shared by the city of Baku. The cause of significant difference in development level between the regions and the capital Baku is associated with the use of oil and gas resources of the Caspian. Thus, offshore oil and gas reserves in the Caspian have played a notable role in the development of coastal areas, and of the country’s whole economy. This has led to inequality in terms of regional development. This factor prompted the need to study the role of the use of resources of the Caspian Sea in the sustainable development of Azerbaijan’s economy. In order to achieve the goal, a comparative analysis of the leading economic branches in the Pre-Caspian regions was carried out from a historical point of view. The obtained information was systematized, and the socio-economic aspects of sustainable development were identified based on statistical-mathematical materials. Aerospace data were used as well.
 
 
 

The object of research is ecological monitoring of the Caspian Sea. This article addressed the objectives and components of environmental monitoring. It also describes the objectives for the establishment of a Unified State Environmental Monitoring System. Special attention is paid to the structure of the environmental network monitoring system, which consists of three levels: low, medium and high. One of the main problems is the establishment of the Unified State Environmental Monitoring System of the Caspian Sea. This article considered the main functions and objectives of the Unified State Environmental Monitoring System. Here are also discussed the computing center of the environmental monitoring system and its functions and components. The research used three main components for environmental data processing: database management systems, geographic information system and integrated software packages. Examples of a computer system of environmental monitoring include: ArcGIS, MapInfo, ArcView and OCEAN. The main scientific results of this research are the main functions, objectives and components of environmental monitoring of the Caspian Sea to reduce pollution levels. The obtained results can be used to optimize the characteristics of environmental information systems, which are used to organize environmental monitoring. Innovative technological product of this research is the development of an algorithm for the organization of environmental monitoring of the Caspian Sea. It will allow ecologists to monitor the environmental situation of the Caspian Sea and further improve it. The obtained innovative technological product will be useful for carrying out environmental monitoring of the most contaminated section of the water basin, and more precisely for monitoring the scale of pollution and further improving the environmental situation of the water area.

Since 1998 the growing importance of the Caspian Sea's oil reserves for the international markets has put a new pressure on Georgia's energy transit capacities. One of the new transit facilities – the Kulevi Oil Terminal located on the country's ecologically-sensitive central Black Sea coast - has emerged as a controversial development evoking several cross-cutting environmental policy, economic and political conflicts at the international, national, and local levels. This paper explores and tracks the nature of this multi-level environmental conflict over land-use and reveals it to be a complex product of the interplay between social, political and economic power. From a political ecological perspective it is possible to interpret the controversy over Kulevi as a 'regional' conflict of interests between different land managers. Our analysis discloses the links between these conflicts and their triggers at different spatial scales with a view to articulating an emerging political ecology of oil for Georgia and the Caucasus. The paper reflects on how the threat of economic loss has forced environmentally unfriendly decisions in the region, causing internal problems and a derogation of the reputation of Georgia at the international arena. Several suggestions for resolution are offered, but their success depends on the contribution of the main players in the conflicts and their commitment to fulfill their obligations.Keywords: Georgia, Oil, Kulevi, Political Ecology

Aim. The presented study aims to substantiate the objective need for legal regulation of interaction between the Caspian states in the development of Caspian resources as a starting point for balanced economic cooperation.Tasks. The authors develop baselines for analyzing the state of economic cooperation between the Caspian Five countries, laws and regulations adopted by the Caspian states to regulate interaction in the Caspian Sea; analyze the impact of the current legal regulator of relations on the possibility, nature, and directions of cooperation between the Caspian states in the investment sphere and key sectors (energy, trade, transport, etc.).Methods. This study uses general scientific methods of cognition in various aspects to substantiate approaches to analyzing the legal framework of Caspian economic cooperation, identify key problems of regulating the rights of the Caspian Five states as owners of the Caspian Sea, and propose major directions for solving these problems.Results. Analysis of laws and regulations governing the interaction between the Caspian Five states in the usage of the Caspian Sea and its resources in the context of the current stage of development of their relations shows the uncertainty of the legal status of the Caspian Sea to be the main reason for economic problems in the cooperation between the Caspian states. The identified problems determine the selection of approaches to the formation of the fundamentals of legal regulation of interaction between the Caspian states and their application to determining the content of such concepts as “the Caspian Sea as an object of law”, “legal status of the Caspian Sea”, and the principles of formation of norms regulating the legal status of the Caspian Sea serving as the main missing elements of the legal framework of cooperation between the Caspian states – the owners of the Caspian Sea and its resources.Conclusions. Establishing the legal status of the Caspian Sea has become one of the main goals and at the same time a major problem of interaction between the Caspian states in the investment sphere, energy, trade, and transport infrastructure since their unification into the five co-owners of the Caspian Sea. This problem has not been resolved to this day.

For many years, the primary environmental problem of the Caspian Sea has been oil pollution, which is associated both with oil production and transportation, as well as changes in sea level, leading to secondary pollution, river runoff and even seismic activity, which provokes natural oil spills from the bottom of the sea. Abnormal bloom of waters every year becomes more and more long and covers more and more areas, and also occurs in areas where it was not previously observed. However, the current state of the sea, and the trends of its evolution has not been studied enough, which determines the relevance of the solution of the main task of the ongoing Russian Science Foundation Project “Assessing ecological variability of the Caspian Sea in the current century using satellite remote sensing data”. Implementation of the proposed project will assess the relative contribution of each of the sources of pollution of the Caspian Sea, which varies in different periods depending on climatic factors, on the intensity of various hydrodynamic and hydrometeorological processes, on seismic activity and human economic activity. The goal of the project is to assess the changes in the ecological state of the Caspian Sea since the beginning of the current century under the impact of natural and anthropogenic factors. This calls for a detailed analysis of large banks of satellite data acquired over the Caspian Sea from 1999 to 2022 jointly with multi-year hydrometeorological and in situ data. The goal is achievable due to powerful capabilities of the “See the Sea” (STS) information portal developed by the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IKI RAS) as part of IKI - Monitoring Center for Collective Use. STS offers oceanographers new and unique tools to work with remote sensing data, enabling comprehensive analysis of data different in physical nature, spatial resolution and time of acquisition.

Дисертація присвячена вирішенню науково-практичного завдання щодо комплексного екологічного аналізу рівня техногенного навантаження в Каспійському регіоні, впливу зміни інфраструктури регіону на його сталий розвиток, застосування технологій захисту навколишнього середовища для підвищення рівня екологічної безпеки морської акваторії, можливість розвитку співробітництва прикаспійських держав для забезпечення екологічної безпеки. Основними завданнями дисертаційних досліджень було розроблення системи захисту Каспійського моря від техногенного впливу на його акваторію; розроблення рекомендацій щодо зниження імовірності екологічних ризиків Каспійського моря; проєктування регіональної системи раннього сповіщення загрози екологічної безпеки Каспійського моря. Каспійське море є внутрішньою замкненою водоймою, розташованою на значному материковому просторі на межі Європи та Азії, оточена п’ятьма прибережними державами – Республіка Азербайджан, Ісламська республіка Іран, Туркменістан, Республіка Казахстан і Росія. Головною відмінністю Каспію є його мінливість гідрометеорологічних та гідродинамічних режимів, на які впливають як природні, так і антропогенні фактори. Зростає ймовірність екологічних проблем у Каспійському регіоні, пов’язаних зі зміною інфраструктури промисловості. У зв’язку з цим особливої актуальності набуває вивчення процесів як природних, так і тих, що обумовлені господарською діяльністю зі зміною інфраструктури промисловості, що впливають на екологічну стабільність Каспію та сталий розвиток Каспійського регіону. Мета дисертаційного дослідження полягає у підвищенні рівня екологічної безпеки Каспійського моря та реалізації принципів організації раціонального природокористування та сталого розвитку регіону. Автором було поставлено та вирішено такі завдання дисертаційного дослідження: провести аналіз екологічного стану Каспійського моря; визначити основні фактори, що впливають на сталий розвиток регіону; провести екологічний моніторинг Каспійського моря; дослідити екологічний стан та його формування під впливом техногенного впливу; розробити технологію захисту довкілля для утилізації забруднень; оцінити вплив вуглеводневого забруднення Каспію; розробити рекомендації щодо захисту навколишнього середовища від нафтового забруднення; розробити рекомендації щодо зниження виникнення екологічних ризиків; розробити рекомендації щодо створення регіональної системи екологічної безпеки. Автором проаналізовано процеси, що формують екосистему Північного Каспію у природних умовах і, тим більше, у стані стресу при надзвичайних ситуаціях нафтового розливу. Вони настільки складні, різноманітні і взаємозалежні, що прогнозувати їх розвиток в кількісних співвідношеннях фактично неможливо. Стохастичний характер цих процесів досить очевидний. Їх статистичний опис, тобто визначення невипадкових характеристик цих випадкових процесів, потребують виконання величезної кількості моніторингових та експедиційних спостережень на єдиній методичній основі. Сьогодні це неможливо, тому необхідно спиратися на приблизні оціночні характеристики типу часу відновлення, уразливості і чутливості до нафтового забруднення. Звичайно, на разі, ці величини визначені на інтуїтивному рівні, проте їх чітке формулювання в контексті стохастичної моделі дозволить досить обґрунтовано оцінити ризики ураження біоти при аварійних нафтових розливах. Результати сучасних наукових досліджень підтверджують, що море знаходиться під впливом потужних антропогенних впливів, що призводять до певних негативних екологічних наслідків. Так, окремі райони Каспію вже перетворилися в мертві зони, де майже не зустрічаються риби і безхребетні тварини. Загалом, води Каспійського моря характеризуються як "забруднені". Встановлено, що екологічні проблеми Каспію і його узбережжя є наслідком усієї історії екстенсивного економічного розвитку в країнах регіону. На цьому позначаються як довгострокові природні зміни (вікові коливання рівня моря, зміна клімату), так і соціально-економічні проблеми (економічні кризи, регіональні конфлікти, розвиток видобутку нафти тощо). Облік і дослідження техногенних факторів забруднення акваторії Каспійського моря, їх взаємозв’язок із природним середовищем – це складне та багатофакторне завдання. Воно вимагає інформаційної підтримки різних факторних даних і застосування сучасних методів їх аналізу. Автором встановлено, що значної шкоди водним об’єктам завдає сільське господарство за рахунок, переважно, стоку з полів використаних хімікатів (добрив і пестицидів). Через ігнорування встановленої відсоткової норми та легку розчинність мінеральні добрива, що є солями неорганічних кислот (нітратами, фосфатами калію і амонію), мігрують в поверхневі й підземні води. Наслідком їх впливу є підвищення вмісту біогенних елементів у воді, бурхливий розвиток синьо-зелених водоростей, що викликає «цвітіння води» і протікання процесу евтрофікації. Найнебезпечнішими з позицій екологічної безпеки є фосфор- і хлормісткі пестициди, у складі яких є високотоксичні органічні речовини, особливо дихлордифенілтрихлоретан і гексахлорциклогексан. Варто відмітити, що механічні та фізико-хімічні методи боротьби з нафтовими забрудненнями здатні видалити нафту з водної поверхні, однак у боротьбі з емульгованою нафтою і тонкої нафтовою плівкою вони малоефективні. Біоремедіаційний спосіб очищення водної екосистеми допомагає усунути недоліки цих методів і може застосовуватися спільно з ними для більшої ефективності очищення. Автором запропоновано суміщений метод очищення нафтових забруднень, що працює в два етапи і дозволяє досягти високого ступеня очищення. Перший етап очищення – механічний, який забезпечує збір нафти до заданої товщини нафтової плівки, який розраховується на основі фізико-хімічних властивостей нафти і гідродинамічних особливостей морської акваторії, другий – біоремедіаційний. Все вищезазначене підтверджує актуальність теми дисертаційного дослідження, яка має важливе наукове та практичне значення, оскільки спрямована на вирішення актуального науково-практичного питання підвищення екологічної безпеки Каспійського регіону. Автором вперше для зниження техногенного навантаження на Каспійське море проведений комплексний аналіз екологічних проблем, що дозволив виявити річковий стік як переважаюче джерело забруднення морського середовища нафтопродуктами, пестицидами та важкими металами. Автором вперше на підставі проведеного екологічного моніторингу Каспійського моря із урахуванням його екологічного стану методами дистанційного зондування визначені техногенно напружені зони та одержано дані динаміки нафтового забруднення морського середовища. Автором вперше для оцінювання техногенного навантаження на Каспійське море з використанням інтегрально-диференційного методу розроблено систему індикаторів та сигнальних показників якості, що враховує як фізико-хімічні властивості абіотичної компоненти екосистеми, так і параметри еколого- трофічних груп біоти. Автором вперше з метою підвищення екологічної безпеки Каспійського моря під час утилізації нафтових забруднень встановлено закономірності зміни показників рН та газоутворення процесу деструкції нафтових вуглеводнів після внесення гібридного біопрепарату, одержаного на основі біохімічних відходів. Автором вперше розроблені заходи щодо запобігання загроз екологічної безпеки та попередження екологічних ризиків в Каспійському регіоні та запропоновані варіанти удосконалення нормативної бази, яка регламентує екологічну безпеку регіону. Автором розвинуто гідродинамічні моделі розтікання та розливу нафти, що дозволили визначити об’єм і площу нафтової плівки для прогнозування масштабів аварійних розливів нафти в море і зону максимального ураження екосистеми. На підставі проведеного екологічного моніторингу Каспійського моря запропоновано комплекс заходів щодо забезпечення екологічної безпеки та сталого розвитку Каспійського регіону. Обгрунтовано біохімічний спосіб ліквідації нафтових розливів як найбільш ефективний, у результаті чого розроблено та одержано біопрепарат у формі гранул, що містить іммобілізовані активні штами мікроорганізмів, які володіють нафтодеструктивною здатністю. Запропонована технологія утилізації нафтових забруднень із використанням гібридного біохімічного препарату показала високу ефективність деструкції нафти та нафтопродуктів. Реалізовані рекомендації щодо розробки нормативних та методичних матеріалів забезпечення екологічної безпеки та правових відносин прикаспійських держав. Розроблені заходи щодо зниження потенційного екологічного ризику від техногенного впливу антропогенного походження, що дає можливість підвищити рівень екологічної безпеки Каспійського регіону. Результати дослідження впроваджено в навчальний процес кафедри екології та природозахисних технологій Сумського державного університету під час викладання дисциплін "Техноекологія" та "Міжнародне співробітництво в галузі екології". Дисертаційна робота є завершеним дослідженням у науковому напрямку екологічної безпеки. Основні положення, розробка та обгрунтування наукової новизни та практичного значення дисертаційної роботи отримано автором самостійно. Основні результати роботи доповідались та опубліковані в матеріалах міжнародних та всеукраїнських конференцій та наукових виданнях.<br>The dissertation is devoted to solving a scientific and practical problem of comprehensive environmental analysis of the man-made load level in the Caspian region, the impact of changes in the region’s infrastructure on its sustainable development, application of environmental protection technologies to improve the ecological safety of marine waters. The main objectives of the dissertation research were to develop a system of protection of the Caspian Sea from man-made impact on its waters; development of recommendations to reduce the probability of environmental risks of the Caspian Sea; design of a regional system for early warning of the threat to environmental safety of the Caspian Sea. The Caspian Sea is an inland closed body of water located on a large continental area on the border of Europe and Asia. It is surrounded by five coastal states – the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Turkmenistan, the Republic of Kazakhstan and Russia. The main difference of the Caspian Sea is its variability of hydrometeorological and hydrodynamic regimes, which are influenced by both natural and anthropogenic factors. There is a growing probability of environmental problems in the Caspian region due to changes in industrial infrastructure. In this regard, the study of both natural and economic processes with changes in industrial infrastructure, which affect the ecological stability of the Caspian Sea and the sustainable development of the Caspian region, becomes especially relevant. The goal of the dissertation research is to increase the level of environmental safety of the Caspian Sea and the implementation of the principles of rational environmental management and sustainable development of the region. The author set and solved the following tasks of the dissertation research: analysis of the ecological state of the Caspian Sea; identification of the main factors that influence the sustainable development of the region; conducting ecological monitoring of the Caspian Sea; study of the ecological state and its formation under the influence of man-made influence and developing of the pollution utilization technology; assessment of the impact of hydrocarbon pollution of the Caspian Sea; development of recommendations for protection of the environment from oil pollution; development of recommendations to reduce the occurrence of environmental risks; development of recommendations for the creation of a regional system of environmental safety. The author has analyzed the processes that form the ecosystem of the North Caspian Sea under natural conditions and, moreover, in a state of stress during oil spill emergencies. They are so complex, diverse and interdependent that it is virtually impossible to predict their development in quantitative terms. The stochastic nature of these processes is quite obvious. Their statistical description, i.e. determination of nonrandom characteristics of these random processes, requires a huge number of monitoring and expeditionary observations on a single methodological basis. Today it is not possible, so it is necessary to rely on approximate estimates of the type of recovery time, vulnerability and sensitivity to oil pollution. Of course, at present time, these values are defined on an intuitive level, but their clear formulation in the context of the stochastic model will allow a fairly reasonable assessment of the risks of ecosystem’s damage in emergency oil spills. The results of modern scientific research confirm that the sea is under the influence of powerful anthropogenic influences that lead to certain negative environmental consequences. Thus, some areas of the Caspian Sea have already become dead zones, where fish and invertebrates are almost non-existent. In general, the waters of the Caspian Sea are characterized as «polluted». It was found that the ecological problems of the Caspian Sea and its coast are a consequence of the whole history of extensive economic development in the countries of the region. This affects both long-term natural changes (age fluctuations in sea level, climate change) and socio-economic problems (economic crises, regional conflicts, the development of oil production, etc.). Accounting and research of man-made factors of pollution of the Caspian Sea, their relationship with the natural environment is a complex and multifactorial task. It requires information support of various factor data and the use of modern methods of their analysis. The author found that significant damage to water bodies is caused by agriculture, mainly due to runoff from the fields of used chemicals (fertilizers and pesticides). Due to ignoring the percentage rate and easy solubility, mineral fertilizers, which are salts of inorganic acids (nitrates, potassium phosphates and ammonium), migrate to surface and groundwater. The consequence of their influence is an increase in the content of nutrients in the water, the rapid development of blue-green algae, which causes «water bloom» and the process of eutrophication. The most dangerous from the point of view of ecological safety are phosphorus- and chlorine-containing pesticides, which contain highly toxic organic substances, especially dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and hexachlorocyclohexane. It should be noted that mechanical and physico-chemical methods of combating oil pollution can remove oil from the water surface, but in the fight against emulsified oil and thin oil film, they are ineffective. Bioremediation method of water ecosystem treatment helps to eliminate the disadvantages of these methods and can be used in conjunction with them for greater treatment efficiency. The author has proposed a combined method of purification of oil pollution, which works in two stages and allows to achieve a high degree of purification. The first stage of purification is mechanical, which provides oil collection to a certain thickness of the oil film, which is calculated on the basis of physicochemical properties of oil and hydrodynamic features of the sea area, the second is bioremediation. All the above confirms the relevance of the topic of dissertation research, which has important scientific and practical significance, as it is aimed at solving the actual scientific and practical issue of improving the environmental safety of the Caspian region. For the first time to reduce the man-made impact on the Caspian Sea the author conducted a comprehensive analysis of environmental problems, which revealed the river runoff as the predominant source of pollution of the marine environment with petroleum products, pesticides and heavy metals. The author for the first time on the basis of the ecological monitoring of the Caspian Sea taking into account its ecological condition by methods of remote sensing has defined technogenic tense zones and received a data of dynamics of oil pollution of the marine environment. For the first time, the author has developed a system of indicators and signal quality indicators to assess the man-made load on the Caspian Sea using the integrateddifferential method, which takes into account both physico-chemical properties of the abiotic component of the ecosystem and parameters of ecological and trophic biota groups. For the first time, in order to increase the ecological safety of the Caspian Sea during the utilization of oil pollution, the author has found patterns of changes in pH and gas formation of the process of destruction of petroleum hydrocarbons after the introduction of a hybrid biological product based on biochemical waste. The author for the first time developed measures to prevent threats to environmental safety and prevent environmental risks in the Caspian region and proposed options for improving the regulatory framework governing the environmental safety of the region. The author has developed hydrodynamic models of oil spreading and spills, which allowed to determine the volume and area of the oil slick to predict the scale of emergency oil spills into the sea and the area of maximum ecosystem damage. A set of measures to ensure environmental safety and sustainable development of the Caspian region based on the conducted environmental monitoring of the Caspian Sea was proposed. The biochemical method of oil spill liquidation as the most effective has been substantiated. As a result biological preparation in the form of granules containing immobilized active strains of microorganisms with oil-destructive ability has been developed and obtained. Proposed technology of utilization of oil pollution using a hybrid biochemical has showed high efficiency of destruction of oil and oil products. Recommendations for the development of regulatory and methodological materials to ensure environmental safety and legal relations of the Caspian states have been implemented. Measures to reduce the potential environmental risk from man-made impacts, which makes it possible to increase the level of environmental safety of the Caspian region, have been developed. The results of the research were introduced into the educational process of the Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection Technologies of Sumy State University in the disciplines "Technoecology" and "International cooperation in the field of ecology". The dissertation is a completed research in the scientific field of environmental safety. The main provisions, development and substantiation of scientific novelty and practical value of the dissertation work were received by the author independently. The main results of the dissertation were reported and published in international and national conferences and scientific journals.

The role of economic theory in the preservation of nature in Kazakhstan is very current, because mining industry in this country is quite large and it is a considerable burden for the environment. This burden is obvious mostly in extraction and processing of crude oil. The main aim of this thesis is the analysis of state environmental policy with the focus on prevention of oil spills in the Caspian Sea in accordance with "State concept of ecological safety in Kazakhstan in 2004-2015" and also methods of oil spills removal as tools for environment protection including factual techniques and firm based costs linked to the removal of oil spills. Thesis will also include the comparison of effectiveness of existing models for oil spills removal used by companies in Kazakhstan. The first part of work is methodologically based on analysis of secondary sources: scientific articles and literature, ecology bulletins, official data of Ministry of environment in Kazakhstan, firm based data and "State concept of ecological safety".

The paper summarizes and examined extensive evidence on the environmental, geological and technological challenges of exploration and production of oil and gas, encountered during the development of the gigantic fields. Investigated environmental problems of underground disposal of wastes, the formation of zones of technogenic pollution, ecology megalonyx pressures and many others. Describes the environmental effects of oil and gas companies on the environment. The proposal for reducing the negative anthropogenic influence on the geoecological conditions of the environment. Justified the monitoring of the exploration and exploitation of deposits of natural raw materials.&#x0D; Is designed to masters, post-graduate students and students studying on the specialty "Environmental Geology", "Geology and Geochemistry of combustible minerals", "Geology of marine oil and gas fields", "Hydrogeology and engineering Geology", a wide range of scientific and industrial workers of the oil and gas industry, high school teachers and graduate students geoenvironmental, environmental, oil and gas fields.

The book covers the geological past of the Black Sea, physical-geographical and ecological characteristics, coastal wetlands of the northern part of the Black Sea, its natural resources. Much attention is paid to the problems of ecology and protection of the Black Sea. Additional information is presented for tourists, recommendations for conducting independent observations of the ecology of the Black Sea coastal zone, as well as an annotated list of fish species on the Ukrainian Black Sea coast for fishing enthusiasts. The publication is illustrated with original color photographs, drawings and diagrams.

The real fault line in American politics is not between liberals and conservatives.... It is, rather, in how we orient ourselves to the generations to come who will bear the consequences, for better and for worse, of our actions. So writes David Orr in Down to the Wire, a sober and eloquent assessment of climate destabilization and an urgent call to action. Orr describes how political negligence, an economy based on the insatiable consumption of trivial goods, and a disdain for the well-being of future generations have brought us to the tipping point that biologist Edward O. Wilson calls "the bottleneck." Due to our refusal to live within natural limits, we now face a long emergency of rising temperatures, rising sea-levels, and a host of other related problems that will increasingly undermine human civilization. Climate destabilization to which we are already committed will change everything, and to those betting on quick technological fixes or minor adjustments to the way we live now, Down to the Wire is a major wake-up call. But this is not a doomsday book. Orr offers a wide range of pragmatic, far-reaching proposals--some of which have already been adopted by the Obama administration--for how we might reconnect public policy with rigorous science, bring our economy into alignment with ecological realities, and begin to regard ourselves as planetary trustees for future generations. He offers inspiring real-life examples of people already responding to the major threat to our future. An exacting analysis of where we are in terms of climate change, how we got here, and what we must now do, Down to the Wire is essential reading for those wanting to join in the Great Work of our generation.

For the test sites of the Aralo-Caspian region subjected to degradation and desertification, the seasonal dynamics of the brightness temperatures of the underlying surface, measured from the SMOS satellite (Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity), was studied. On the example of a polygon in the northern part of the Caspian Sea, the influence of changes in the phrenological phases of the ice cover on the microwave radiation of the underlying surface is noted. The regularities of microwave radiation of inland water bodies and the sandy-saline desert Aralkum, formed on the site of the dried bottom of the Aral Sea, have been studied.

"At the modern stage of the development of Geosciences, the study of hydrothermodynamic and ecological processes occurring in the natural environment (sea, atmosphere, soil), their monitoring and forecasting become very relevant and are a necessary condition for sustainable development of society. The Caucasus region is one of the most difficult regions of the world from the point of view its physical and geographical features. These features include the Black and Caspian Seas and the complex terrain of the Caucasus. The Seas and the atmosphere are unified hydrodynamic systems, between subsystems of which processes of an exchange of energies, momentum and substances continuously take place. One of the most effective ways to study natural and environmental processes is methods of mathematical modeling, which allows reproducing these processes and phenomena and studying the quantitative contribution of various factors to the development of such processes. The purpose of the paper is to discuss the models of the Black Sea and atmospheric dynamics developed at M. Nodia Institute of Geophysics of I. Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, and some results of their implementation. The model of the Black Sea dynamics is based on a full system of ocean hydro-thermodynamics equations. Its high-resolution version, which is nested in the basin-scale model of the Black Sea dynamics of Marine Hydrophysical Institute (MHI, Sevastopol), is used to forecast main hydrophysical fields for the easternmost part of the Black Sea. The model of the atmospheric dynamics is based on a full system of atmospheric hydro-thermodynamics equations in hydrostatic approximation written in the terrain-following coordinate system and is realized for the extended territory including the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea and Black and Caspian seas and for the Caucasus region. These models, after some modification will form the basis of the coupled Black Sea-atmosphere limited-area modeling system."