The hydrochemical structure of the Caspian Sea, which is formed and changed under the influence of the dynamics of water and the intensity of production and destruction processes, has been studied. The formation of the biogenic base and hydrochemical structure of the waters of the Caspian Sea is greatly influenced by the phytoplankton community. The dominant species of Pseudosolenia calcar-avis and Prorocentrum cordatum, which constitute 60–95% of the population and more than 80% of the total phytoplankton biomass, are mainly responsible for the redistribution of chemical components in the sea.

An entire generation of American politicians were concerned about the growing U.S. dependence on imported oil and natural gas. However, in the last few years the situation has changed dramatically: there was started the development of not only the resources of shale gas, but shale oil. As a result in political and economic circles they began to talk about it as the most significant breakthrough in the energy resources development since the oil boom in Texas in the late 1920s. How large are these resources? What problems have to be overcome if the available potential will be realized? How will this problems affect the U.S. energy policy? Concerns about the adequacy of regulation, in particular the environmental issues associated with the non-conventional hydrocarbons production, have led to the internal public debate on the impact of unconventional oil and gas resources mining boom. One thing is clear: significant amounts of additional oil and gas supplies in the U.S. will have far-reaching political consequences for the world. The article presents the different points of view on the prospects for oil and gas production in North America, as well as on the political issues related to it.

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The world oil market is changing rapidly, there rises a new global center of world oil production – North America, which production opportunities are estimated by experts as outperforming those of Middle East. This is made possible thanks to inception of commercial oil production from oil shale in North America. The article deals with the problems and prospects of the development of shale oil in the U.S. and the impact of the growth of its production on the configuration of the world oil market.

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