Browsing by Author "Baba, A"

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    Geochemical and radionuclide profile of Tuzla geothermal field, Turkey
    Baba, A; Deniz, O; Ozcan, H; Erees, SF; Cetiner, SZ
    Tuzla geothermal basin is situated in north-western Turkey on the Biga Peninsula, which is located at the west end of the Northern Anatolian Fault system. Soil and water samples were collected between August 2003 and June 2004 to initiate development of a geochemical profile of surface and subsurface waters in the geothermal basin and radionuclide concentrations in soils. All water samples were found to fall within Turkish Water Quality Class 4, meaning they were remarkably contaminated for any water consumption sector (industrial, human use or agricultural) based on sodium and chloride ions. Such waters could be used only after appropriate water treatment. The water samples are of the chloride type in terms of geochemical evaluation. Preliminary geochemical evidence shows that the N-S flowing part of the Tuzla River acts as a natural barrier within the basin. Heavy metal concentrations in the soil samples show slight elevations, especially those obtained from the east part of the basin where thermal springs are dominant. Geochemical calculations were carried out with PHREEQC (R) software to determine equilibrium concentration of chemical species and saturation indices, by which it is suggested that chloride is the most important ligand to mobilize the heavy metals in the studied system. In addition, the activity concentration and gamma-absorbed dose rates of the terrestrial naturally occurring radionuclides were determined in the soil using gamma-ray spectrometry. The soil activity ranged from 42.77 to 988.66 Bq kg(-1) (averaging 138 Bq kg(-1)) for (238)U, 13.27 to 106.31 Bq kg(-1) (averaging 32.42 Bq kg(-1)) for (232)Th, and 99.28 to 935.36 Bq kg(-1) (averaging 515.44 Bq kg(-1)) for (40)K. The highest value of (238)U was found in the soil samples obtained from an area close to the hot spring.
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    An assessment of the quality of various bottled mineral water marketed in Turkey
    Baba, A; Erees, FS; Hicsönmez, Ü; Çam, S; Özdilek, HG
    Fifteen bottled mineral waters purchased at random all over Turkey were analyzed for their chemical composition by OPTIMA-2000 ICP-AES Perkin Elmer techniques. Results show a wide spread in the chemical specification of these mineral waters, with differences in chemical composition observed in the regions being due to the geological environment and the majority of bottled mineral waters exceeding the pH limit of Turkish drinking water standards. When the concentrations of elements are evaluated, it can readily be seen that generally there are three types of mineral water in Turkey. The concentrations of Al, B, Ba, Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn Pb and Zn in mineral water were compared with the limits established by the Turkish Standard for Natural Mineral Waters (Turkish Official Gazette 2004); water standards prepared by World Health Organization (2006) and the United States of America Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) drinking water standards (1993). Such a comparison shows that, except for Ba and Mn, the concentrations of the other heavy metals are lower than the limit of the US.EPA in Turkey. Some parameters examined were found to comprise strong correlations pair-wise.
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    Environmental and exergetic aspects of geothermal energy
    Baba, A; Ozgener, L; Hepbasli, A
    Geothermal energy is already in the form of heat, and from the thermodynamic point of view, work is more useful than heat because not all heat can be converted to work. Therefore, geothermal resources should be classified according to their exergy, which is a measure of their ability to do work. In recent years there has been a remarkable growth of interest in environmental issues-sustainability and improved management of development in harmony with the environment. Environmental impact assessment is one of the most widely used tools in environmental management. In this study, the environmental and exergetic aspects of geothermal energy, namely the rapid impact assessment matrix method, and, specific exergy index, were studied first. They were then applied to the Tuzla geothermal field in Canakkale and Balcova geothermal field in Izmir, Turkey, respectively. Finally, the results obtained are given and discussed.
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    Groundwater recharge estimation using HYDRUS 1D model in Alasehir sub-basin of Gediz Basin in Turkey
    Tonkul, S; Baba, A; Simsek, C; Durukan, S; Demirkesen, AC; Tayfur, G
    Gediz Basin, located in the western part of Turkey constituting 2% land of the country, has an important groundwater potential in the area. Alasehir sub-basin, located in the southeast of the Gediz Basin and subject to the extensive withdrawal for the irrigation, constitutes the study area. Natural recharge to the sub-basin due to precipitation is numerically investigated in this study. For this purpose, 25 research wells, whose depths range from 20 to 50 m, were drilled to observe the recharge and collect the necessary field data for the numerical model. Meteorological data were collected from 3 weather stations installed in the study area. The numerical model HYDRUS was calibrated using the field water content data. Soil characterization was done on the core samples; the aquifer characterization was performed, and the alluvial aquifer recharge due to precipitation was calculated. As a result, the computed recharge value ranges from 21.78 to 68.52 mm, with an average value of 43.09 mm. According to the numerical model, this amount of recharge corresponds to 10% of the amount of annual rainfall.
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    Estimation groundwater total recharge and discharge using GIS-integrated water level fluctuation method: a case study from the Alasehir alluvial aquifer Western Anatolia, Turkey
    Simsek, C; Demirkesen, AC; Baba, A; Kumanlioglu, A; Durukan, S; Aksoy, N; Demirkiran, Z; Hasözbek, A; Murathan, A; Tayfur, G
    The estimation of groundwater recharge is an essential process for hydrogeological study. Realistic determination approach is crucial for assessing groundwater potential in an aquifer system and estimating of groundwater levels and/or changes in dry periods. Based on these matters, we employ a GIS-integrated groundwater level fluctuation method to determine the groundwater recharge for a hydrological period in the Alasehir alluvial aquifer (W. Anatolia). The method basically takes into account both increasing and decreasing of the groundwater levels due to the recharge and discharge mechanisms in the aquifer. In this study, 16 pumping and monitoring wells were drilled with a total depth of 1300 m, and water level data loggers were installed into the monitoring wells to determine the groundwater level changes. The spatial distribution of the monthly groundwater level change map was multiplied by the aquifer storage distribution map and then the accurate water volume is calculated by using the 3-D spatial analysis. According to our evaluation in the aquifer, positive volume change of the groundwater is 187 hm(3) in a year, which is considered as a recharge value of groundwater. It is concluded that the GIS-integrated water table fluctuation method gave rise to estimate the total recharge amount of the groundwater in the Alasehir aquifer. The total groundwater recharge indicates that total inflow in the aquifer from precipitation, leakage from surface water and irrigation waters. It can be stated that the recharge estimation of groundwater in a surficial aquifer, like the Alasehir aquifer, is fairly easy using the GIS-integrated water table fluctuation method.