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Ice floats moving to south of Caspian Sea can cause risk for oil platforms in Azerbaijan

09 February 2012 13:50 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Kamala Guliyeva â€“ APA. The ice floats moving from north to south of the Caspian Sea can create a serious risk to the oil platforms, Deputy Director of the Institute of Geography of the Azerbaijani National Academy of Sciences Ramiz Mammadov told APA.

According to him, the northern part of the Caspian Sea always freezes. This process starts in November and continues till March. When it is cold a lot, this freezing reaches Makhachgalaâ€™s circles of latitude and when it is colder it reaches Derbend: â€œThis process also reaches Absheron peninsula in coldest years. The most icing was observed in 1953. Then the environs of the Absheron peninsula froze in winter of 1969-1970, 1972. The freezing of sea water is not so dangerous. But the ice flow shouldnâ€™t be left without consideration. Ice floats in Derbend, Makhachgala or around Absheron separate from each other. The flows move from north to south and they can cut the oil platforms like a saw. It is very dangerous. The Soviet government was very careful. In 1953 the USSRâ€™s air reconnaissance broke the ice floats in pieces by bombing them in order to prevent it. It seems to me that Azerbaijanâ€™s corresponding organizations must be also ready for it. Breaking the ice floats in pieces by bombing is not an expensive process. Several flights are enough for itâ€.

Mammadov also explained the influence of freezing water to the Caspian Seaâ€™s biodiversity: â€œAny water freezes. But this process occurs late in the salty water. The sea water will never freeze in -1 C temperature conditions, because active dynamical movement, high speed flows, waves. But if the temperature is low for a long time, these flows can not overcome the temperature and the freezing process starts. One thinks that it can cause a problem to the biodiversity, but there is no problem. In this case, the sea fauna descend to sea depth. Some faunas can find oxygen on sea depth, but it is not enough for the others. It cause problem. This process can influence the migratory birds at the coast, because they canâ€™t go to the sea depth. There were such years that the migratory birds were killed by frost. This case can occur againâ€.