The article “River-to-sea plastic pollution: A pilot toolbox for the Caspian Sea”, co-authored by Elnur Safarov, Senior Researcher, Department of Caspian Sea Hydrometeorology, Institute of Geography named after Acad. G. Aliyev, MNO AR, was published in the journal Chemosphere (ELSEVIER) (Q1, IF 8.8, CiteScore 18.1).

The article is devoted to the study of the problems of plastic pollution in the Caspian Sea through the Kura River. The researchers presented the first comprehensive assessment of plastic pollution in the Kura River delta, where the river flows into the hydrologically closed Caspian Sea, using a modular toolbox consisting of four complementary components. Using this framework, hotspots of litter accumulation were identified and an approach was developed for assessing plastic pollution in semi-closed systems.