Spatial Evaluation and GIS based Mapping of Heavy Metal Pollution in Beşgöz Lake of Turkiye

In this research, Beşgöz Lake in Sarayönü district of Konya province, located in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkiye, was chosen as the study area. The changes in heavy metal concentrations in Beşgöz Lake in different periods were examined spatially. To determine the heavy metal concentrations of Beşgöz Lake, water samples were taken from eight different points representing the lake in four different periods (spring, summer, autumn, and winter). Al, Cr, Fe, Cu, Ni, and Zn concentrations were examined seasonally in Beşgöz Lake water. Heavy metal concentrations in the samples were determined on the ICP-MS device. The obtained concentration values were spatially modeled using spline interpolation techniques with ArcGIS 10.3.1, one of the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software. As a result of the research, the average of all periods was Al: 0.004±0.0012 mg/l, Cr: 0.023±0.0083 mg/l, Fe: 0.269±0.0286 mg/l, Cu: 0.115±0.0198 mg/l, Ni: 0.071±0.0099 mg/l, and Zn: 0.035±0.0085 mg/l. It was determined that the Fe, Cu and Ni concentrations in the lake water were higher than the upper permitted limit values. It is thought that the spatial modeling obtained from the study will significantly contribute to evaluating surface water resources and serve as an example for similar studies.