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Artwork "I was here/I was not"(II)
Lena Pozdnyakova
Collage (2025)
The work raises questions about our place within the broader ecological framework and emphasizes the temporal dimension in relation to human existence. While rooted in an anthropogenic perspective, it also considers timescales that extend beyond a single human lifetime. This invites reflection on how our actions today impact future generations—both human and more-than-human communities.
The Caspian Sea isn’t really a sea but, in fact, a giant lake (the world's largest inland body of water) that spans roughly 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from north to south, at under 400,000 square km.
In the winter, ice often forms over the lake’s northernmost reaches, while the central and southern parts remain ice-free. Temperatures are generally lower in the north, so you might guess that the ice owes its existence purely to the higher latitude. But the reality is more complex: From north to south, the Caspian Sea also exhibits differences in salinity and depth.
It has a shallow Northern basin, fed by the Ural and Volga rivers, that has salinity levels of fresh water, and a deeper middle and Southern basin, which has one-third of the ocean’s salinity. Water levels in the Caspian decreased by 7 centimeters (3 inches) per year from 1996 to 2015, about 1.5 meters (5 feet) total. The fluctuation of the Caspian Sea's water level can be primarily attributed to reduced inflows from the Volga River, which accounts for about 80% of the total water inflow into the Caspian Sea, as well as heightened evaporation rates in the shallower areas of the sea. .
NASA Earth Observatory. (2010, January 4). Caspian Sea. NASA. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/44253/caspian-sea
Alarming estimates put forth by officials suggest that by the end of the 21st century, Caspian Sea water levels could potentially decline by a staggering 18 meters, with the northern basin, where depths do not exceed 16 feet, facing the dire prospect of disappearing within the next 75 years. This severe environmental crisis has the potential to inflict irreparable harm upon the Caspian region's ecologically vital wildlife, threatening its delicate balance and biodiversity.
Rising average surface and water temperatures, coupled with the shrinking surface area of the shallower Caspian Sea waters, have significantly diminished the thickness, seasonal duration, and quality of sea ice. This adverse environmental shift has deprived the Caspian Seals of suitable ice cover necessary for their distribution and reproductive processes. As a result, these seals are compelled to seek refuge on land or inhabit other areas of the Caspian Sea, which introduces them to unsustainable living conditions, compromises their quality of life, and elevates the density of seal populations.
The ecological collapse of the Caspian Sea is no accident — it's the predictable consequence of decades of exploitation, political inertia, and corporate greed. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Caspian was no longer just a body of water; it became a battleground for geopolitical influence and a treasure trove of oil and gas wealth
Oil extraction remains the largest threat to the ecological health of the Caspian Sea. Beyond the visible pollution caused by frequent oil spills that contaminate the water and coastline, the industry's damage runs deeper and is far more insidious. Rivers like the Volga and Ural, which supply up to 85% of the sea’s water, carry with them massive volumes of industrial and household waste as they pass through densely populated urban centers. This waste includes synthetic chemicals, phenols, petroleum byproducts, and heavy metals — all of which end up in the Caspian. In recent years, the situation has been further worsened by the growing presence of plastic pollution in the sea.
Yet the impact of oil operations extends beyond water contamination. Caspian crude, known for its high sulfur content, releases thousands of tons of toxic substances such as sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide into the atmosphere. Gas flares have been documented burning migratory birds mid-flight. At the Tengiz oil field, millions of tons of sulfur were stored in open-air pits for years — a stark example of environmental neglect.
Tracing accountability of the oil companies remains difficult, with evidence and cases often lost in bureaucratic opacity and corporate denial. Meanwhile, the governments of Caspian-bordering countries — Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan — continue to rely heavily on oil revenues. In Kazakhstan especially, oil is a cornerstone of the national economy. As a result, public discourse around ecological degradation is often muted
A cluster of oil rigs (bright dots) in the Caspian Sea surrounded by oil slicks are visible in the right-hand side of the image. The imaged area is located east of Baku.
Satellite: ERS-2, instrument: SAR
Caspian flora and fuan face an additional and escalating threat from wastewater pollution. According to Russia’s state environmental watchdog Rosprirodnadzor, approximately 850 million cubic meters of wastewater are discharged into the Caspian from Dagestan alone each year. Of this, around 80 million cubic meters are completely untreated, while the rest undergoes only partial treatment. The toxic load entering the sea is enormous — contaminating vital marine habitats and accelerating the decline of vulnerable species like the Caspian seal.
Communities at Risk.
Northern coastal populations are likely to face severe challenges as declining fish stocks eliminate a vital source of income, while extreme weather conditions make alternative livelihoods such as farming increasingly unviable—posing a risk to social cohesion.
Some urban centers around the Caspian, including Aktau in Kazakhstan, rely on desalination to meet freshwater needs. However, falling water levels are already disrupting these systems.
A shrinking Caspian Sea may also alter regional climate patterns, potentially reducing precipitation and contributing to drier conditions across Central Asia, thereby indirectly harming agricultural productivity.
Moreover, given the Caspian Sea's importance as an energy hub, the combined pressures of environmental degradation, economic decline, and social unrest driven by climate change could have far-reaching global consequences.
European Space Agency. (2002, March). SAR image of oil spills in the Caspian Sea. ESA. https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2002/03/SAR_image_of_oil_spills_in_the_Caspian_Sea
Mityagina, M. I., Lavrova, O. Y., & Kostianoy, A. G. (2019). Examples of manifestations of sea surface oil pollution in the oil-producing area "Oil Rocks" in satellite images. In Main Pattern of the Caspian Sea Surface Oil Pollution Revealed by Satellite Data (Figure 2). ResearchGate.
Alekseeva, M. (2025, May 19). Marine life cemetery: The Caspian Sea ecosystem is collapsing under pressure from global warming and pollution. The Insider. https://theins.ru/en/society/281416
Sources and references for quotes, schemes and other information used in creation of thsi awareness-raising artistic project
Nelson, H. (2023, June 20). Kazakhstan makes efforts to save the declining Caspian seal population. Caspian Policy Center. Retrieved from https://www.caspianpolicy.org/research/security-and-politics-program-spp/kazakhstan-makes-efforts-to-save-the-declining-caspian-seal-population
Maps are sourced from: Court, R., Lattuada, M., Shumeyko, N. et al. Rapid decline of Caspian Sea level threatens ecosystem integrity, biodiversity protection, and human infrastructure. Commun Earth Environ 6, 261 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02212-5 https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02212-5
NASA Earth Observatory. (2021, October 8). The Caspian’s Shallow North. NASA. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/149054/the-caspians-shallow-north
Nakispekova, A. (2023, August 9). Shrinking Caspian Sea and pollution lead to unwanted consequences. The Astana Times. https://astanatimes.com/2023/08/shrinking-caspian-sea-and-pollution-lead-to-unwanted-consequences/
Beysembayev, D. (2025, February 5). Есть опасения, что Каспий может повторить судьбу Арала [There are concerns that the Caspian may share the fate of the Aral Sea]. The Village Kazakhstan. Retrieved from https://www.the-village-kz.com/village/city/situation/39269-est-opaseniya-chto-kaspiy-mozhet-povtorit-sudbu-arala
Gasanov, A. G. (2021). Caspian Sea region oil and natural gas infrastructure [Figure 4]. In Caspian Region: Geopolitical Arena. Clash of Interests and Energy Security. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Caspian-Sea-region-oil-and-natural-gas-infrastructure-Source-Caspian-oil-and-gas-in-a_fig3_348310105