Investigation of the effects of lower Caspian Sea water level on Gorgan Bay

According to researches, the continuation of the trend of lowering the water level as a new round of oscillating features of the water level in the Caspian Sea is not unexpected. Due to the separation of Gorgan Bay from the Caspian Sea, many irreparable environmental and economic risks will affect micro and macro management in regional and supra-regional dimensions. According to studies, Gorgan Bay is not endangered and the decrease in water level is considered part of the natural behavior of Gorgan Bay against the fluctuation of the Caspian Sea water level. The proposed option is dredging the Ashuradeh canal after the water level reaches minus 27.5 meters. However, according to the results of the current study, declining water levels have caused nutritionalism, destructive ecological substitutions, changes in the structure of biological communities, morphological changes, increased sedimentation, bay drought and increased salinity, damage to ecotourism and marine infrastructure and reduced the depth of inputs in Gorgan Bay. Accordingly, the issue of urgency and crisis in Gorgan Bay is obvious. Therefore, finding a solution that can save Gorgan Bay from the emergencies and crises ahead is inevitable. It is suggested that short-term action be taken to align the Caspian Sea basin countries to determine water rights from rivers and dredge traditional canals to prevent the Gulf from being cut off from the sea. In the long-term action, the construction of a new canal is proposed to increase self-purification and prevent the emergence of degraded ecosystems.