An Assessment of Shallow Groundwater Wells In An Agricultural And Coastal Area In Göksu Delta, Turkey

Abstract

The Göksu Delta of Turkey is an alluvial delta with intense agricultural activity and has great ecological and economic significance. The delta is environmental protection area in term of remarkable in natural life. In particular, water birds are an important point, delta chosen as Ramsar site. So, this special area is important in terms of monitoring water quality and effects of anthropogenic activities (such as agricultural). Water samples were collected monthly from 24 wells in the study area, and 13 water quality parameters were examined. The objective of the study was also to determination the water quality in wells of the Göksu Delta and assess levels of salinisation in the region. Piper diagrams and the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was used to generate ionic ratios to evaluate water quality in the study area in an efficient manner. Overall, the groundwater examined has medium levels of salinity and low sodium content.Piper diagram shows that all the samples collected from the region are located in NaCl, KCl, Na2SO4 zone. The increase in groundwater salinity and amounts of Na+ and Cl-are indicators of saltwater intrusion. Rock dissolution and ion exchange were also found to play an active role in the region. All of these factors affect the sustainability of the freshwater aquifers and lower their quality for wildlife species.

Investigation of Long and Short-Term Water Surface Area Changes in Coastal Ramsar Sites in Turkey with Google Earth Engine

“…It has a particular reputation for being one of the few remaining areas in the world where sea turtles lay their eggs. In this area, there are significant and intense agricultural activities each month of the year, due to the typical Mediterranean climate of hot and dry summers, and cool and rainy winters [35]. This area is also located on one of the world's important bird migration routes, and especially in cold winter conditions, when the lakes in Central Anatolia freeze, it provides shelter for bird communities of huge numbers [35].…”

“…In this area, there are significant and intense agricultural activities each month of the year, due to the typical Mediterranean climate of hot and dry summers, and cool and rainy winters [35]. This area is also located on one of the world's important bird migration routes, and especially in cold winter conditions, when the lakes in Central Anatolia freeze, it provides shelter for bird communities of huge numbers [35]. Several small lakes in the delta, usually less than 1 m deep, with limited areas having about 2 m depth, have abundant aquatic vegetation [9].…”

“…Several small lakes in the delta, usually less than 1 m deep, with limited areas having about 2 m depth, have abundant aquatic vegetation [9]. The factors threatening the Goksu Delta are briefly summarized below [35,36]. Agricultural activities constitute the most important land use in the Goksu Delta, and are the source of income for more than 80% of those living on the delta.…”

“…There are 328 species of approximately 450 bird species found in the Goksu Delta. Although it is prohibited, hunting causes significant damage to the bird's habitat [35,37,38].…”

Nitrates in Turkish waters: sources, mechanisms, impacts, and mitigation

“…Majority of people living in rural areas and making their living from agriculture and animal husbandry meet their irrigation and drinking water needs from groundwater to a large extent, while many of those groundwater resources are inappropriate for drinking. Results of a study (Güner et al 2018) showed that nitrate concentration in 74% of 34 wells across Hacıbektaş Region of Nevşehir was over upper limit for drinking water and that 12% of them had NO 3 concentrations over 100 mg L-1; the water from the wells are consumed for drinking by local people and domestic animals. Güner et al (2018) pointed out that high nitrate levels in the drinking water caused a signi cant decrease in serum LDH and ALP enzyme activities in Akkaraman sheep in the region and serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels of those high nitrate-exposed sheep were signi cantly lower than those unexposed ones.…”