Assessment of Metal Pollution in Water and Surface Sediments of the Seyhan River,Turkey, Using Different Indexes

The aim of this study was to assess the level of heavy metals (Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) contamination and enrichment in the surface sediments of the Seyhan River, which is the receiving water body of both treated and untreated municipal and industrial effluents as well as agricultural drainage waters generated within Adana, Turkey. Sediment and water samples were taken from six previously determined stations covering the downstream of the Seyhan dam during both wet and dry seasons and the samples were then analyzed for the heavy metals of concern. When both dry and wet seasons were considered, metal concentrations varied significantly within a broad range with Al, 7210–33 967 mg kg^?1 dw; Cr, 46–122 mg kg^?1 dw; Cu, 6–57 mg kg^?1 dw; Fe, 10 294–26 556 mg kg^?1 dw; Mn, 144–638 mg kg^?1 dw; Ni, 82–215 mg kg^?1 dw; Pb, 11–75 mg kg^?1 dw; Zn, 34–146 mg kg^?1 dw in the sediments while Cd was at non‐detectable levels for all stations. For both seasons combined, the enrichment factor (EF) and the geo‐accumulation index (I_geo) for the sediments in terms of the specified metals ranged from 0.56 to 10.36 and ?2.92 to 1.56, respectively, throughout the lower Seyhan River. The sediment quality guidelines (SQG) of US‐EPA suggested the sediments of the Seyhan River demonstrated “unpolluted to moderate pollution” of Cu, Pb, and Zn, “moderate to very strong pollution” of Cr and Ni. The water quality data, on the other hand, indicated very low levels of these metals suggesting that the metal content in the surface sediments were most probably originating from fine sediments transported along the river route instead of water/wastewater discharges with high metal content.     

Soil and water pollution derived from anthropogenic activities in the Porsuk River Basin, Turkey

This study aims to investigate the degree of the influence of contaminant sources on both the surface (Porsuk River) and groundwater in the Eskisehir plain, (Turkey) and to determine the changes in groundwater quality after the sewage system was started in 1998. For this purpose surface and groundwater samples were collected from various locations in the Eskisehir plain between May and October, 2001. The Porsuk River is already polluted in the upstream wastewater and by industries such as Nitrogen Fertilizer Factory, Sugar-beet Factory, and Magnesite Factory located around the city of Kutahya. This high-contaminated water forms an eutrophic environment which generates high phosphorus and nitrogen in downstream flow. Agricultural and industrial activities in the Eskisehir plain are an additional source of the pollution of the Porsuk River. The study revealed that some trace elements, Pb, Cr, Mn, Fe, and Cd, are present in high concentrations both in the surface and groundwater besides extremely high quantities of phosphorus, nitrogen and sulfide compounds. In addition, analyses of samples also indicated that there are no considerable contaminations in terms of local pesticides. High concentration of Cd, N and S are found in the groundwater. On the basis of a detailed analysis of the groundwater in the Eskisehir plain, it is concluded that groundwater is not suitable for drinking according to Turkish standards, European Union Standards (EU) and World Health Organization (WHO). An erratum to this article can be found at     

A Geochemical study of the groundwater in the Misli basin and environmental implications

The aim of this study was to determine geochemical properties of groundwater and thermal water in the Misli Basin and to assess thermal water intrusion into shallow groundwater due to over-extraction. According to isotope and hydrochemical analyses results, sampled waters can be divided into three groups: cold, thermal, and mixed waters. Only a few waters reach water–rock chemical equilibrium. Thermal waters in the area are characterized by Na⁺–Cl⁻–HCO₃⁻, while the cold waters by CaHCO₃ facies. On the basis of isotope results, thermal waters in the Misli basin are meteoric origin. In particular, δ¹⁸O and δ²H values of shallow groundwater vary from −10.2 to −12.2‰ and −71.2 to −82‰, while those of thermal waters range from −7.8 to −10.1‰ and from −67 to −74‰, respectively. The tritium values of shallow groundwater having short circulation as young waters coming from wells that range from 30 to 70 m in depth vary from 10 to 14 TU. The average tritium activity of groundwater in depths more than 100 m is 1.59 ± 1.16, which indicates long circulation. The rapid infiltration of the precipitation, the recycling of the evaporated irrigation water, the influence of thermal fluids and the heterogeneity of the aquifer make it difficult to determine groundwater quality changes in the Misli Basin. Obtained results show that further lowering of the groundwater table by over-consumption will cause further intrusion of thermal water which resulted in high mineral content into the fresh groundwater aquifer. Because of this phenomenon, the concentrations of some chemical components which impairs water quality in terms of irrigation purposes in shallow groundwaters, such as Na⁺, B, and Cl⁻, are highy probably expected to increase in time.     

In situ and laboratory treatment tests for lowering of excess manganese and iron in drinking water sourced from river–groundwater interaction

Manganese and iron are essential nutrients at low doses. However, long-term exposure in high doses may be harmful. Human activities and natural sources are responsible for manganese and iron contamination in water. This study aimed to investigate the source of high manganese and iron contents in shallow groundwater, where the groundwater is used for drinking purpose, and to decrease the excess manganese and iron from shallow groundwater. Based on the on-site analytical results taken from the wells in the study area, iron contents in water samples varied between 30 and 200 μg/L, which were under the allowable limits of Turkish Drinking Water Standards (TDWS) (Water intended for human consumption, http://rega.basbakanlik.gov.tr/eskiler/2005/02/20050217-3.htm, 2005). However, manganese levels varied from 30 to 248 μg/L, which some of them are higher than the allowable limits of TDWS (Water intended for human consumption, http://rega.basbakanlik.gov.tr/eskiler/2005/02/20050217-3.htm, 2005) (50 μg/L), and EPA (http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/index.cfm, 2006) (50 μg/L). The source of excess manganese is originated mainly from geogenic source besides Porsuk River interaction in shallow aquifer in the specific section of the study area. To decrease high manganese content from the well water and reservoir water, laboratory and in situ treatment tests were applied. Among these tests, chlorination, associated with filtration (by fine sand, active carbon and zeolite) and the use of different filtration procedures by cation exchange resin were determined as the most effective methods, which was not previously applied on-site as a combinative approaches to reduce the excess manganese in water.     

Dissolved Nutrient Distributions in Groundwater in the Mediterranean Coastal Plains – the Case of Silifke,Turkey

Total carbon, nitrogen, and phosphate parameters were studied for the first time in the groundwater in the Silifke coastal plain, which is a RAMSAR site in Turkey. Seasonal variations of these parameters in the plain were examined based on groundwater data collected from 21 wells during the winter, spring, summer, and fall seasons. Total dissolved organic carbon (DOC), inorganic carbon (DIC), inorganic phosphate (DIP), inorganic nitrogen (DIN), and total alkalinity (TAlk) average values in the groundwater were low in all seasons (<2.2 mg/L for DOC; <54 mg/L for DIC; <0.06 mg/L for DIP; <1.5 mg/L for DIN; <232 mg/L for TAlk). The results showed a strong relationship between DIC and as expected. The results indicate that the content of these parameters in the groundwater of Silifke coastal plain pose no or little risk at present. However, computed Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) values indicated that the groundwater has a tendency to form scale and CaCO₃ precipitation may occur.     

iSERVO: Implementing the International Solid Earth Research Virtual Observatory by Integrating Computational Grid and Geographical Information Web Services

We describe the goals and initial implementation of the International Solid Earth Virtual Observatory (iSERVO). This system is built using a Web Services approach to Grid computing infrastructure and is accessed via a component-based Web portal user interface. We describe our implementations of services used by this system, including Geographical Information System (GIS)-based data grid services for accessing remote data repositories and job management services for controlling multiple execution steps. iSERVO is an example of a larger trend to build globally scalable scientific computing infrastructures using the Service Oriented Architecture approach. Adoption of this approach raises a number of research challenges in millisecond-latency message systems suitable for internet-enabled scientific applications. We review our research in these areas.     

The QuakeSim Project: Web Services for Managing Geophysical Data and Applications

We describe our distributed systems research efforts to build the “cyberinfrastructure” components that constitute a geophysical Grid, or more accurately, a Grid of Grids. Service-oriented computing principles are used to build a distributed infrastructure of Web accessible components for accessing data and scientific applications. Our data services fall into two major categories: Archival, database-backed services based around Geographical Information System (GIS) standards from the Open Geospatial Consortium, and streaming services that can be used to filter and route real-time data sources such as Global Positioning System data streams. Execution support services include application execution management services and services for transferring remote files. These data and execution service families are bound together through metadata information and workflow services for service orchestration. Users may access the system through the QuakeSim scientific Web portal, which is built using a portlet component approach.     

Observation of excess heavy metal concentrations in water resources to infer surface water influences on shallow groundwater: a typical example of the Porsuk River (Eskisehir-Turkey)

Water Resources - The Eskisehir province is well-known due to its industrial and agricultural activities, which are a threat for the aquatic environment. Hence, monitoring of water quality in the...     

Trace Element Levels in the Groundwater of Mediterranean Coastal Plains – The Case of Silifke,Turkey

The Silifke plain is located near the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in Turkey. The delta in the plain is a highly fertile land that supports the agriculture of more than twenty types of crop. Some trace element content of the groundwater samples taken from the existing wells in this area are analyzed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP‐OES). The mean levels (ppm) of boron (B), barium (Ba), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), total chromium (TCr), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), and nickel (Ni) were obtained for the sampling points in the area for four seasons. Groundwater samples taken in the study area don't exhibit significantly elevated levels of these elements during a period of twelve months between December 2007 and November 2008. Furthermore, all of the elements exhibit values lower than 0.005 ppm, with the exception of B, Ba, and Fe. The results demonstrate that although these three elements produce the highest values, most are found to be appropriate for activities such as irrigation and human consumption in terms of trace elements.