Investigation of sea water intrusion in coastal aquifers: A case study from Karaburun Peninsula, Turkey

Abstract

Groundwater is an important natural resource; as of today, more than 2 billion people depend on groundwater. Determination of the quantity of available water resources is crucial due to continuously increasing water demand and unequal spatial distribution of water in the world. Coastal areas are typically considered to be areas of limited supply and large demand and groundwater is mostly the resource that is used for water supply purposes for coastal communities. Thus, there exist numerous studies in literature that focus on the determination of the groundwater characteristics in coastal regions with particular emphasis on the geological, hydrogeological and hydrochemical properties of coastal groundwater. Coastal aquifers are considered to be significant water resources and are mostly under threat due to salt water intrusion. The reason for salt water intrusion is mostly anthropogenic such as over exploitation but occasionally natural causes like tectonic boundaries or fault lines could be influential. When coupled with low recharge rates that are common in semi-arid regions such as the Mediterranean, effective and sustainable supply of water with sufficient quality and quantity becomes a real challenge for coastal communities.