Kızılırmak Delta

The Kızılırmak Delta (Turkish: Kızılırmak Deltası) is the delta of the Kızılırmak River, 40 km east of Samsun.[2] It is the biggest wetland in the Black Sea Region[3] and is one of several internationally important[4] Ramsar sites in Turkey on account of its rich bird and plant life.[5] There is a bird reserve.

Kızılırmak Delta
Kızılırmak Deltası
The delta from a bridge over the river
Map showing the location of Kızılırmak Delta
Map showing the location of Kızılırmak Delta
LocationBafra, Samsun Province
Coordinates41°36′N 36°05′E
Websitesamsun.ktb.gov.tr/TR-216809/kus-cenneti.html
www.samsun.bel.tr/tesis/kus-cenneti
www.19mayis.bel.tr/foto/kizilirmak-deltasi-kus-cenneti.html
Official nameKizilirmak Delta
Designated15 April 1998
Reference no.942[1]

Over half the land is used for farming. All of the first and second delta plains and most of the third delta plain is dominated by agriculture.[6]

Geography

The Kızılırmak is the longest river entirely within Turkey and has the second largest drainage basin.[2]

The delta covers an area of about 56 thousand hectares of which 16,110 are wetland. Rainfall averages 719 mm a year.[7] The coast is retreating, mainly due to less sediment coming down the river.[8]

Lakes

There are over 20 lakes,[2] which average 1.5m deep but double that in spring.[7] Balık Lake is brackish but the rest are freshwater.[7] Some of the lake water is eutrophic due to agricultural pollution.[9]

Geology

A canyon cut into the previous delta platform during the Last Glacial Period has filled.[10]

Soil

Most soil is hydromorphic,[2] most soil is alluvium,[11] the soil is Cambisol or Kastanozem,[12] and there are dunes on the coast. [13]: 14 

Climate

The climate is temperate,[14] with hot dry summers, warm wet winters, and foggy and rainy springs.[13]: 15 

Ecosystems

In the delta are many wetland ecosystems: bottomland hardwood forest, freshwater and brakish lakes, reed beds and sand dunes. There is also broadleaved woodland and farmland.[2]

Plants
Sea daffodil

There are over 500 species of plants.[2]

Birds
Dalmatian pelican

70% of bird species in Turkey have been recorded and the delta is important for birds which directly cross the Black Sea.[15] White stork breed here[16] and there are many other species such as: grey-headed swamphen and great white egret. There is a bird ringing station called Cernek Ringing Station.[17] At Ondokuz Mayıs University there is a bird research center,[18] which has ringed 165 thousand birds from 175 species in the delta.[19]

Reptiles

Reptile species found in the delta are Greek tortoise, European pond turtle, Darevskia saxicola lizard, European green lizard, Balkan green lizard, slow worm, European cat snake, Caspian whipsnake, grass snake, dice snake, and horned viper.[20]

Amphibians

Of the nine species of amphibians found in the delta, two species are salamanders and seven species are frogs. The main species in the area are the southern banded newt (Triturus vittatus), southern crested newt (Triturus karaelinii), common toad (Bufo bufo), European green toad (Bufo viridis), European tree frog (Hyla arborea), eastern spadefoot toad (Pelobates syriacus), agile frog (Rana dalmatina), and Uludağ frog (Rana macrocnemis).[20]

Fish

Small numbers of sturgeon have been observed in the estuary and may still attempt to migrate upstream.[21]

Threats

A 2020 study found both sewage and agricultural pollution in the channels.[22] Gendarmes are stationed to prevent illegal hunting.[23] Pumping of groundwater causes seawater intrusion,[24] and in 2021 academics called for such pumping to be stopped.[25] Climate change in Turkey has changed bird migrations.[15]

Management

One of 14 Ramsar sites in Turkey covers 21700 hectares.[26] Some traditional practices help with the management: for example water buffalo and fishing boats help keep the connections between the lakes open.[27]

Agriculture

The land is one of the most fertile plains in the country. There are more buffalo than anywhere else in the country. The most important crop is rice.[2]

Tourism

Residents say that tourism benefits local employment.[28]

History
Ottoman map

Festivals included a stork feast, spring release of water buffaloes, and sheep breeding.[27] Traditionally it is considered sinful to kill certain animals and plants always or at certain times of year.[27] In 2016 it was inscribed in the tentative list of World Heritage Sites in Turkey.[2]

There is a tobacco museum in Bafra.[29]

References
  1. "Kizilirmak Delta". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. "Kızılırmak Delta Wetland and Bird Sanctuary". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2019-03-14.
  3. "38 Black Sea wetlands to visit" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-04-14.
  4. "Ramsar Sites of Turkey".
  5. "Kızılırmak Delta". tr:Doğa Derneği. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  6. Ozesmi, Uygar (2006). "Ecosystems in the Mind: Fuzzy Cognitive Maps of the Kizilirmak Delta Wetlands in Turkey". arXiv:q-bio/0603022.
  7. Burak, Zinet; Gazi̇oğlu, Cem; Müftüoğlu, Ahmet. "Geomorphological features of Kızılırmak Delta". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. Alpar, Bedri (2009-06-01). "Vulnerability of Turkish coasts to accelerated sea-level rise". Geomorphology. Coastal vulnerability related to sea-level rise. 107 (1): 58–63. doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2007.05.021. ISSN 0169-555X.
  9. "Ramsar Information Sheet" (PDF). Ramsar Convention. December 2007.
  10. Ertunç, Gülgün (2016-11-25). Paleoenvironmental interpretations for Kizilirmak Delta Plain using Sedimentological records, Multiproxy Analysis And Palynology (Thesis). Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences.
  11. "Kuraklık eylemi planı" [Drought action plan] (PDF).
  12. "Soil Geographical Database of Turkey at 1:1,000,000 scale" (PDF).
  13. Natural Protected Areas of the Wetland and Bird Paradise in the Kizilirmak Delta in Samsun: 2019-2023 Management Plan (PDF) (Report). Environment Ministry.
  14. "Kızılırmak Delta Wetland and Bird Sanctuary". Archiqoo. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  15. "Küresel ısınma Kızılırmak Deltası'ndaki kuş varlığını da değiştirdi".
  16. Yavuz, Kiraz Erciyas; Yavuz, Nizamettin; Tavares, José; Barış, Y. Sancar (2012). "Nesting habits and breeding success of the White Stork, Ciconia ciconia, in the Kızılırmak delta, Turkey". Zoology in the Middle East. 57: 19–26. doi:10.1080/09397140.2012.10648959. S2CID 87042198.
  17. Özkoç, Ömral Ü; Oğuz, Deniz; Nacar, Can; Erciyas-Yavuz, Kiraz; Barış, Y. Sancar (2020-01-02). "Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus recorded at the Turkish Black Sea coast for the first time". Zoology in the Middle East. 66 (1): 91–93. doi:10.1080/09397140.2020.1711629. ISSN 0939-7140. S2CID 213663552.
  18. "Ornitoloji Araştırma Merkezi". ornitolojiarmer.omu.edu.tr. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  19. "OMÜ Ornitoloji Araştırmalar Merkezi'nden Kızılırmak Deltası'nda 165 Bin Kuş Halkalandı" [165 Thousand Birds Ringed in the Kızılırmak Delta from OMÜ Ornithology Research Center]. Son Dakika (in Turkish). 2023-05-10. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  20. "Kızılırmak Deltası, Kuş Cenneti ve Mandacılık" [Kızılırmak Delta, Bird Sanctuary and Buffalo Farming]. Samsun Governorate.
  21. "Biological Data Derived from Sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus, Acipenser gueldenstaedtii and Huso huso) by-catch along the Coasts of the Southern Black Sea (Turkey)" (PDF). Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.
  22. Şener, Şehnaz; Şener, Erhan; Varol, Simge (2020-11-01). "Hydro-chemical and microbiological pollution assessment of irrigation water in Kızılırmak Delta (Turkey)". Environmental Pollution. 266 (Pt 1): 115214. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115214. ISSN 0269-7491. PMID 32688111. S2CID 220671466.
  23. "Kızılırmak Deltası'nı, atlı jandarma timi koruyor" [Mounted gendarmerie team guards the Kızılırmak Delta.]. Hürriyet (in Turkish). 22 June 2018.
  24. Ersoy, Arzu Fırat; Turan, Nazlı Ayyıldız; Özgül, Hava Yıldız (2020-10-15). "Kızılırmak Delta Kıyı Alanındaki Tuzlanma Sürecinin Stuyfzand Hidrojeokimyasal Modelleme Sistemi ile Değerlendirilmesi" [Evaluation of Salinization Process in Kızılırmak Delta Coastal Area with Stuyfzand Hydrogeochemical Modeling System]. Gümüşhane Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Dergisi (in Turkish). 10 (4): 949–960. doi:10.17714/gumusfenbil.727322. ISSN 2146-538X.
  25. Ersoy, Arzu; Turan, Nazli; Arslan, Hakan; Kuleyin, Ayse (2021). "Assessment of seawater intrusion in Kızılırmak delta coastal area (North Turkey) using hydrochemical and isotopic data". Environmental Earth Sciences. 80 (11). doi:10.1007/s12665-021-09700-9. ISSN 1866-6280.
  26. "Ramsar Alanlarımız" [Our Ramsar sites] (PDF).
  27. Gül, Seyfullah (2020). "Kızılırmak Deltasında Yazılmamış Kanunlar: Bir Sulak Alanın Korunmasında Geleneksel Ekolojik Bilginin Rolü". International Journal of Geography and Geography Education. 25 (42): 321–324. ISSN 2630-6336.
  28. "The Perspectives of Local Residents on the Rural Tourism: the case of Samsun Kizilirmak Delta".
  29. "Bafra Tütün Müzesi". samsun.ktb.gov.tr. Retrieved 2023-05-11.

Further reading
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Kızılırmak Delta Bird Reserve.

Media related to Kızılırmak Delta at Wikimedia Commons

See also

Water supply and sanitation in Turkey

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