ARTICLES

Changes in the water quantity and quality of the Euphrates river are associated with natural aspects of the landscape

Abstract
It has been argued that dam construction and irrigation projects in Turkey and Syria would diminish the flow of
the Euphrates River and increase salinity levels. However, previous studies have not systematically defined the
baseline changes in the quantity and quality of the river water. In this study, we associate variations in flow quantity
and quality of water with natural aspects. We analysed flow data from 1970 to 2010 for the river at the
Turkish-Syrian border to assess the effect of upstream dam construction, correlating these data with precipitation
variation in Syria in the same period. In addition, we compared flow data between Syria and Iraq in a period with
no dam construction in those countries (2000 to 2010). Regarding water quality, we collected samples from the
Turkish-Syrian and Syrian-Iraqi borders to identify levels of salinity through laboratorial analysis. We complemented
the data analysis with fieldwork along the river basin, and with evidence from the literature. We
conclude that the slight diminishing of flow as well as the increasing salinity towards downstream are both associated
with natural aspects of the landscape, more than human actions.

Keywords: Dam; Euphrates; Evolution; Precipitation; River flow; Salinity

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