Details

In order to assure self-sufficiency in providing adequate energy for the developing economy and industry, demands for a HydroElectric Power Plants (HEPPs) have become a major issue in Turkey in recent years. Although such plants have been designed to utilize natural resources, they may bear certain threats to the nature as well. Concerns are mostly concentrated on issues like multidamming over a single river bed and their adverse impacts to the river (land) ecosystems. However, almost no attention has been paid by the nation to the possible negative impacts of the plants to marine ecosystems in a country like Turkey, which is surrounded by seas at three sides. Adverse impacts of HydroElectric Power Plants have been experienced near Danube and Nile deltas in the past draining to the Black Sea and the eastern Mediterranean, respectively.

Outputs of this proposed project may be used as a guide to evaluate possible impacts of HEPPs to marine ecosystems for the first time in Turkey. To achieve this, Goksu river and its drainage area, situated near Silifke (Mersin), have been selected as pilot research areas. Eastern Mediterranean is known as the least productive basin among the world seas in terms of primary production. On its northeastern sector, Mersin and Iskenderun bays form an extraordinaryly productive region due to the substantial amount of freshwater inputs from the local perennial rivers draining to the Çukurova basin. Being located at both ends of the basin, Asi and Göksu rivers make significant contributions to the productivity of the basin waters. In addition to the present Ermenek and Gezende dams, new dams are planned to be constructed along the Göksu river in the near future. This will eventually deplete the riverborne nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus, silicate) loads necessary for the primary producers (phytoplankton) that form the base of the food chain in the marine environment, as these nutrients will either be consumed or fully sink behind the dam reservoirs. This may further deteriorate the marine food chain extending from bacteria to fish and lead to oligotrophy in the Goksu delta.
 
Water samples will be collected from several sites on a monthly basis along the Göksu river to compare changes in the nutrient concentrations & ratios with those of marine origin. In addition, changes in biological, chemical and physical properties of the delta will be compared with those of the peripheral marine stations. Freshwater and nutrient addition experiments will be carried out to understand impacts of freshwater input to the shelf and offshore flora extending from bacteria to phytoplankton. In order to highlight positive impacts of the freshwater inputs to the receiving water masses, in-situ bacterial and primary production experiments will be carried out both in the delta region and at offshore waters. Similar parameters will also be collected from the nearby Akkuyu nuclear power plant outlet area to form initial marine database for further comparisons and evaluations. Monthly river samplings will be realized from the land by the Institutes’ vehicles and seasonal marine surveys will be performed on board R/V Bilim-2 of the IMS-METU.