Determination of zinc concentration in water and sediment samples in the northwest region of Keban Dam lake

The research was conducted in Keban Dam Lake, located 45 km northwest of Elazığ, 65 km northeast of Malatya. In accordance with the purpose of the research, 50 sampling stations were determined on Keban Dam Lake. Sampling sites are distributed through the surface area of the lake in order to reflect the characteristics of the entire lake. Zinc was chosen as the research material. To search this heavy metal in aquatic ecosystem important is important as it is chemically active, being vital for metabolism of living organisms as a coenzyme. It is also used in many industrial sector for many purposes. The toxic effect of zinc over a certain concentration indicates the importance of researching this heavy metal in aquatic ecosystems. Zinc analyzes were carried out separately in water and core samples. The core samples were taken with a plunger system on a floating platform. The zinc analysis of the core samples was carried out with the ICP-MS device in ACME laboratories. Surface and deep water samples for zinc analysis were taken from 10 stations. The following findings of the study are as follows; Zinc concentrations in the surface and sediment increased or decreased irregularly at stations. Zinc concentrations in the sediment were higher than the zinc concentration in water.Zinc concentrations decreases and increases at the stations in similar pattern . Increasing in zinc concentrations were noticable at the 6th and 8th stations. The highest zinc value in core samples was recorded at 86 ppm at station 1, and the lowest concentration was 35 ppm (station 1, Ağın district)and lowest values was analyzed at 17 and 25 stations (Çemişgezek District). In water samples, the highest was recorded at station 10, the lowest concentrations were at 4, 6 and 9 stations. The highest concentration in water samples was determined at station 2 and the lowest at station 4.