İzmir Gulf & Seferihisar Akarca Bay Oceanographic Monitoring

The "Living Bay" program is being carried out in order to clean the Izmir Bay and protect its natural beauty and livability, encompassing the sea and its ecosystems. İZSU General Directorate has been working since 2003 in line with the goal of making İzmir Bay swimmable again.
It was started under the name of "İzmir Gulf Oceanographic Monitoring Project" in order to monitor the recovery process of the gulf between 2003-2020, when the Grand Canal Project was implemented. Within the scope of this project, we worked with Dokuz Eylül University Marine Sciences Institute without interruption. Since 2020, the marine studies continued and expanded under the name of "İzmir Bay, Yeni Foça and Seferihisar Akarca Bay Oceanographic Monitoring Project" carried out in cooperation with the Marmara Research Center of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK MAM), the gulf environment, physical, chemical, biological and microbiologically monitored. In the period of 2020-2022 and
the period of 2022-2024, studies are carried out with TÜBİTAK MAM under two separate
contracts. This project will continue in the following years. “İzmir Bay, Yeni Foça and Seferihisar Akarca Bay Oceanographic Monitoring Project” covering the years 2022-2024 and ongoing work, samples were taken from a total of 54 stations, 36 stations in İzmir Bay, 9 stations in Yeni Foça Bay and 9 stations in Seferihisar Akarca Bay, and physical (temperature, salinity and conductivity, a total of 13 parameters), chemical (a total of
15 parameters, primarily nutrients and heavy metals), biological (a total of 4 parameters, including Phytoplankton, Zooplankton), and microbiological parameters (Fecal Coliform, Intestinal enterococcus - 2 parameters) ) aims to examine 34 parameters seasonally (8 seasons) in 2 years. In addition, underwater imaging is carried out for scientific follow-up purposes at 9 points determined in Izmir Bay, Yeni Foça and Seferihisar Akarca Bay. Sampling covers the seawater column, sediment and analyzes of commercially important organisms (biota). In addition to the previous studies, monthly samples were taken from the main streams (Ağıl, AOSB, Peynircioğlu, Bostanlı, Ilıca, Bornova, Meles, Manda, Poligon, Haciahmet) and the points
where the Gediz River meets the sea, and the potential pollution load of the rivers was determined. It is planned to carry out studies on the effect of sediment transport and sediment transport on İzmir Bay. The effects on the gulf are determined by making seasonal samples from 3 stations located in the deep discharge area of the Mordoğan Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was put into operation in 2022.
In addition to these, while the above-mentioned studies were being carried out, Türkiye's first "Meteo-oceanographic Stations Network", which monitors the flow and water quality of sea water with 24/7 meteorological data, has been established since 2011. Today, monitoring studies continue with 5 meteo-oceanographic stations.