Aksu River (Turkey)

Aerial photo of the Aksu Çayı's delta, with up being south.
For the river in northern Turkey, see Aksu Deresi.

The Aksu (Bronze Age name in Hittite: 𒁉𒋻𒀀𒅀, Kaštaraya, ancient name in Greek Κέστρoς, Kestros), is a river in Antalya Province (southwestern Turkey), which rises in the mountains of Toros. The course of the Aksu is between the Düden to the west and of the Köprüçay to the east. It discharges into the Mediterranean near the city of Antalya.[1] The river is about 145 km long and has a total catchment area of 3652 km².[1] There are several lakes in its catchment area, including Lake Kovada and the reservoirs created by the Karacaören-1 and Karacaören-2 Dams.[1]

The Aksu is primarily fed by karstic springs in the Taurus Mountains.[2]: 342  In contrast to the many seasonal streams in the region, the Aksu flows year-round, although its volume can fluctuate dramatically throughout the year.[2]: 342  For example, its flow was measured in 1942 to be 250 m³/s in January and 7.5 m³/s during the summer.[2]: 342  Like other karstic streams, the Aksu does not carry much sediment with it.[2]: 342 

In its lower reaches, the Aksu forms a soft, fertile alluvial plain, which contrasts sharply with both the hard travertine complex around Antalya to the west and the rocky Pleistocene terraces to the east.[2]: 342  The Aksu's delta is wave-dominated, due to the river's low sediment load and strong coastal currents.[2]: 342  These processes have turned some former river mouths into closed-off limans and created four distinct systems of dunes running parallel to the coast, reaching heights of up to 12 m.[2]: 342  Some parts of the delta, particularly around river mouths, are swamps which were historically sources of malaria.[2]: 342 

Today, the river is impacted by human activities. The Karacaören-1 dam was built to provide water for irrigation, produce electricity, and control flooding downstream.[1] The Karacaören-2 dam was built to provide drinking water for residents of Antalya.[1] The dams siphon off a lot of the Aksu's water to generate electricity, and intensive agriculture in the areas downstream also uses up a lot of the water.[1] As a result, the lower Aksu carries much less water and may even run dry sometimes.[1] The river is also impacted by pollution at several areas: the dam reservoirs are used for domestic and industrial wastewater discharge, and a water treatment plant also discharges into the Aksu.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Tuzan Dugan, S.; Uslu, A.; Orhan, P.; Muhammetoglu, A.; Yesiltas, M.; Kocer, M.A.T.; Muhammetoglu, H. (2022). "Evaluation of Aksu Stream water quality under the influence of anthropogenic pollution and climate change". "Youth" in the Forefront: Before and After World Water Forum. Online Youth Water Congress: "Emerging Water Challenges Since COVID-19": 10–11. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Brückner, Helmut; Kelterbaum, Daniel (2019). "The Aksu Çayı (Kestros River) coastal plain and the harbour of Perge". In Kalaitzoglou, Georg; Lüdorf, Gundula (eds.). Petasos: Festschrift für Hans Lohmann (e-book). Brill. pp. 341–53. ISBN 978-3-657-77739-6. Retrieved 1 February 2023.