Civil Engineering / İnşaat Mühendisliği
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11147/13
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Conference Object Evidence for Sea Water Intrusion in Karstic Aquifer of Karaburun Peninsula, Nw Turkey(International Water Association, 2017) Baba, Alper; Gündüz, Orhan; Şimşek, Celalettin; Elçi, Alper; Murathan, Alim; Sözbilir, HasanKarstic aquifers are considered to be significant sources of groundwater and are mostly under threat due to sea water intrusion in many parts of the world. Seawater intrusion is also a common problem on karstic aquifers of Karaburun Peninsula in north of Mediterranean Region. The hydrogeology of Karaburun Peninsula is fairly complex and is mostly characterized by highly permeable karstic formations with significant water storage in an otherwise water scarce area. The karstic aquifers of the region were recently found to be under severe salt water intrusion, which significantly altered the position of fresh water/sea water interface as a result of excessive pumping and fault zones controlling the karstic network.Conference Object Citation - WoS: 2Citation - Scopus: 2Arsenic in Groundwater in Western Anatolia, Turkey: a Review(University of Silesia Press, 2010) Gündüz, Orhan; Baba, Alper; Elpit, HandanOccurrence of arsenic (As) in groundwater has been a major problem worldwide for the last hundred years. Considering its toxic effects on human health, the presence of elevated levels of arsenic in groundwater resources used in drinking water supply has been an active research field throughout the world (Van Halem et al., 2009). In this regard, case studies from Bangla-desh, India, Nepal, El Salvador, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Chile, China, Canada, Argentina, Peru, Taiwan, United States, Bolivia and Turkey have been documented with regards to the detection of natural levels in groundwater, the occurrence and distribution mechanisms, the human health effects and the in-situ and ex-situ treatment techniques (Jean et al., 2010). In many of these locations, arsenic is naturally found in the subsurface strata within volcanic and sedimentary formations as well as in areas of geothermal systems related to tectonic activity. Western Anatolia in Turkey is one such area of complex geology with active tectonics and high geothermal potential. This natural setting serves as a suitable environment for the presence of high levels of arsenic in subsurface waters. Based on these fundamentals, this study presents a general overview of arsenic presence in western Anatolia.Conference Object Sustainability of Groundwater and Its Effects on Ecosystems(National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic (NAS KR), 2011) Baba, Alper; Gündüz, OrhanGroundwater’s global role as a vital source of fresh drinking water is well documented, and efforts are underway in many parts of the world to manage groundwater reserves responsibly and sustainably. A large percentage of the world’s population lives in cities and either depends on or is affected in some way by groundwater. This ever increasing demand on groundwater has led to overexploitation of the aquifers and degradation of groundwater quality particularly in the last 50 years. Available evidences indicate that regional changes in climate (i.e., increases in temperature and reduction in precipitation totals and patterns) have already affected groundwater resources and ecosystem in many parts of the world. In future, climate change is expected to intensify groundwater related problems due to reduced recharge rates and increased demand for domestic, agricultural and industrial water supply. Thus, the basic concern is the sustainable management of groundwater resources such that it is not depleted while the increasing demand is effectively satisfied. Based on these fundamentals, the purpose of this study is to present an overview of groundwater problem in different parts of the world and to present an overview of the current knowledge in the area of climate change impacts on water resources. Case studies from the Mediterranean Region, the Caspian Sea Region and the Aral Sea where safe water resources are typically scarce and became steadily scarcer are presented. In particular, access to high quality drinking water will become more of a problem than it currently is in these and in many other parts of the world. Decreasing precipitation and reduced recharge of groundwater resources are now considered to be one of the reasons for declining groundwater quality. Finally, these drastic changes in the hydrology of the groundwater system are also responsible for many changes in ecosystems where some are irreversible.Conference Object Tracing the Relative Distribution of Arsenic Species in Groundwater and Its Association With Soil Arsenic Levels in the Simav Graben Area, Turkey(2016) Gündüz, Orhan; Şimşek, Celalettin; Elçi, Alper; Baba, Alper; Gürleyük, HakanA comprehensive hydrogeochemical assessment was conducted in the Simav Plain, Turkey where major health concerns were reported and elevated arsenic (As) levels were previously found. Boreholes drilled in the plain were used to take core samples from the alluvial aquifer from which most groundwater was extracted. The results of core analyses revealed several orders of magnitude higher values than global average. Groundwater samples were later collected from these boreholes and analyzed for arsenic and its species as well as other related hydrochemical parameters. The results of groundwater quality assessment revealed that the groundwater in the plain was enriched with arsenic that exceed 1 mg/L level and was mostly under reducing conditions. The dominant arsenic specie in groundwater was arsenite in more than 70% of all samples.Article Citation - WoS: 18Citation - Scopus: 22The Health Risk Associated With Chronic Diseases in Villages With High Arsenic Levels in Drinking Water Supplies(Springer Verlag, 2017) Gündüz, Orhan; Bakar, Coşkun; Şimşek, Celalettin; Baba, Alper; Elçi, Alper; Gürleyük, Hakan; Mutlu, Merdiye; Çakır, AyşeThis study is intended to compare and assess the distribution and possible causes of current chronic diseases in villages with high arsenic levels in drinking water supplies. It is a cross-sectional epidemiological research that analyzes the frequency and underlying risk factors of chronic diseases in villages with varying levels of arsenic exposure through drinking water. Sample space of study included 1003 individuals, 614 of whom were from villages with high arsenic levels in drinking water and remaining 389 were from two control villages with below-limit arsenic levels in drinking water. While nutritional habits and living environments of two groups were similar, cigarette smoking and alcohol use were higher in villages with low arsenic levels. Mini mental state examination test results in 60+ age group were lower in villages with high arsenic levels. Although no statistically significant differences were detected in chronic disease occurrence between the groups, the number of cases was higher in villages with higher percentage of cigarette smoking and alcohol use. Moreover, cases of lung, colon, and stomach cancers were higher in villages with high arsenic levels in drinking water supplies.Conference Object Citation - Scopus: 4High Arsenic Levels in Groundwater Resources of Gediz Graben, Western Turkey(CRC Press, 2016) Baba, Alper; Gündüz, Orhan; Şimşek, Celalettin; Elçi, Alper; Sözbilir, Hasan; Murathan, AlimGediz Graben situated in western Turkey is an area containing extensional structures with active tectonics and geothermal systems that serves as a suitable environment for the presence of high levels of arsenic (As) in groundwater. The results of a comprehensive monitoring program in the basin revealed that the maximum As concentration detected during the monitoring program was 3086 ppb and the average value was calculated to be 23.63 ppb. In addition, As levels in 28% of the water samples were above the 10 ppb limit value making them unsuitable for drinking water supply. These high As concentrations in the basin was mostly associated with long detention times of water in altered rocks located along detachment faults, strong water–rock interaction processes in the alteration zones and anthropogenic influences made within the geothermal fluid reservoir. © 2016 Taylor & Francis Group, London.Article Citation - WoS: 27Citation - Scopus: 31Statistical Analysis of Causes of Death (2005-2010) in Villages of Simav Plain, Turkey, With High Arsenic Levels in Drinking Water Supplie(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2015) Gündüz, Orhan; Bakar, Coşkun; Şimşek, Celalettin; Baba, Alper; Elçi, Alper; Gürleyük, Hakan; Mutlu, Merdiye; Çakır, AyşeThe purpose of this research was to compare the causes of death in 5 villages situated in Simav Plain, Turkey, during 2005-2010 where different arsenic levels were detected in drinking water supplies. Since groundwater in Simav Plain had arsenic concentrations that ranged between 7.1 and 833.9 ppb, a two-phase research was formulated. In the first phase, public health surveys were conducted with 1,003 villagers to determine the distribution of diseases. In the second phase, verbal autopsy surveys and official death records were used to investigate the causes of death. In total, 402 death cases were found in the study area where cardiovascular system diseases (44%) and cancers (15.2%) were major causes. Cancers of lung (44.3%), prostate (9.8%), colon (9.8%), and stomach (8.2%) were comparably higher in villages with high arsenic levels in drinking water supplies. Furthermore, the majority of cases of liver, bladder, and stomach cancers were observed in villages with high arsenic levels. © 2015 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.Article Citation - WoS: 2Citation - Scopus: 2Sample Collection Into Sterile Vacuum Tubes To Preserve Arsenic Speciation in Natural Water Samples(American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), 2013) Gündüz, Orhan; Gürleyük, Hakan; Çakır, Ayşe; Elçi, Alper; Baba, Alper; Şimşek, CelalettinThe accurate speciation analysis of arsenic is a serious concern for water quality monitoring programs. Because the preservation of sample integrity until analysis is one of the most important aspects of speciation, this study aims to compare the performance of four different sample preservation methods under diverse conditions of sample quality. Natural samples with different characteristics were collected into the following containers to study their effectiveness: (1) standard high-density polyethylene bottle with no preservative; (2) empty, sterile Vacuette tube with no preservative; (3) sterile tripotassium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (K3EDTA) Vacuette tube with K3EDTA additive; and (4) empty, sterile Vacuette tube with added hydrochloric acid (HCl). Known concentrations of arsenite [As(III)] were also added to each container to monitor the oxidation of As(III) to arsenate [As(V)]. The results revealed recovery ratios exceeding 95% in all containers with sterile vacuum conditions. In particular, the K3EDTA Vacuette tube yielded a recovery very close to 100% of the spiked As(III), which is known to rapidly oxidize to As(V). Overall, collecting the sample into a container under sterile vacuum conditions and using a universally accepted preserving agent such as EDTA or HCl significantly improved the preservation of the original species distribution in the water matrix studied, compared to sampling without the use of preservation methods. After validation by future research, these sterile vacuum tubes can possibly be utilized for collecting and storing samples for the routine speciation analysis of other elements such as selenium, chromium, and antimony.