DYNAMICS OF WATER LEVEL CHANGES IN THE KAZAKH PART OF THE CASPIAN SEA

The Caspian Sea is subject to various fluctuations, and in recent years the level has been gradually decreasing. In 2023, the mean sea level reached minus 28.7 m in the northeast and minus 29.04 m in the east. The annual sea level decrease in the Kazakh part of the sea is up to 8 cm. The main factor in sea level change is the inflow of river water, most of which originates from the Volga. Analysis of the average annual water volumes of the main rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea showed that 86.1% of the flow comes from the Volga River, 5.1% from the Kura River, 2.9% from the Zhaiyk River, 2.4% from the Terek River, and 3.5% from other rivers. There is no statistical relationship between mean annual sea levels and the amount of water inflow, but the synchronous dynamics of their changes indicates the influence of river water on sea level trends over many year.