A new island has appeared in the northern part of the Caspian Sea

Russian researchers have officially recorded the emergence of a new land area in the northern waters of the Caspian Sea. The island, which has yet to receive an official name, is the result of the continuing decline in the level of the world's largest inland body of water.

As reported to TASS by the press service of the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the new geographical feature was discovered during a comprehensive scientific expedition.

"During a comprehensive expedition of the IO RAS, the Caspian branch of the IO RAS, and the Astrakhan State Reserve to the Northern Caspian, scientists were able to confirm the existence of a new island 30 km southwest of Maly Zhemchuzhny Island. Initially, the drying of the bank was noticed in satellite images by employees of the Caspian branch of the IO RAS in November 2024, but the question of the island's existence remained debatable until recently. The discovered island was formed as a result of the falling level of the Caspian Sea and the emergence of the Srednyaya Zhemchuzhnaya bank to the surface," the statement says.

Although researchers were unable to land on the newly formed land due to surrounding shallows and unfavorable weather conditions, they were able to study the island in detail using modern technology. The expedition conducted aerial photography using a quadcopter, which provided the first visual data of the new geographical feature.

"Currently - during the period of maximum Volga flow at the peak of the flood, the island is land slightly elevated above the sea surface. It is obvious that during the low-water period, when the water level will be minimal, the elevation of the island above the water line will be more significant. At the time of the survey, the surface of the island was a moistened flat plain, complicated by ridges of sand waves," the institute said.

Scientists predict that if the trend of declining Caspian Sea levels continues, the area of the new island may increase significantly in the coming years. This will give it special ecological value as a potential nesting site for rare bird species and a possible haul-out site for the Caspian seal - an endemic species that is endangered.

In the near future, the scientific group plans to complete the initial description of the new geographical feature and present proposals for its official name.