Engineering and environmental effects of coastline changes in Turkey, northeastern Mediterranean

Cukurova University, Department of Geology, Adana, Turkey

The Seyhan, Ceyhan and Goksu deltas are where the most active shoreline changes have been occurring in the northeastern Mediterranean. Coastline changes at these locations were studied using aerial photos and satellite images taken at different times in this century, and the rates of progradation and retrogradation were determined. The results show that on the mouth of the Seyhan River, progradation summed up to about 98,437,625 m ² with a rate of 28,304 m ² /yr until 1954. Construction of a dam on the river in 1954 greatly reduced sedimentation in the delta and erosion started at a rate of 24,696 m ² /yr. As a result, from 1954 to 1995, an area of about 1,012,536 m ² has been lost due to coastal erosion, and the delta became retrogradational. On the mouth of the Ceyhan River, however, the total amount of progradation from 1947 to 1995 is about 3,097,745 m ² . About 90 percent of this progradation occurred with a rate of 74,977 m ² /yr before the construction of a dam on the river in 1984. The rate of progradation after 1984 reduced to about 29,418 m ² /yr, and only 323,597 m ² prograding occurred from 1984 to 1995. To the northeast, an area of 835,779 m ² was eroded by the sea due to no sediment influx on the abandoned Ceyhan River channel in Yumurtalik Bay between 1948 and 1995. The total amount of progradation, from 1956 to 1995, on the mouth of the Goksu River is 398,445 m ² . To the southwest, due to coastal erosion at a rate of 4,548 m ² /yr from 1951 to 1995, the lighthouse at Cape Incekum is now lying under the sea. The total amount of retrogradation here is about 200,125 m ² .

This record provided courtesy of AGI/GeoRef.