Site Implementation Plan: Nestos River Delta, Greece

Table of Contents

1. Site Information
2. Summary
3. Location description
   1. Soils
   2. Geology
   3. Annual rainfall and seasonality
   4. Photographs of the experimental area
4. Stakeholder information
5. Land use
6. Conservation measures and experimental setup
7. Monitoring activities
8. Analysis

Location description

Coordinates:

• Latitude: 40,9529652725906
• Longitude: 24,8864948842675
• Easting: 322118,925
• Northing: 4535686,677
  

Situation: The coastal region of the East Nestos River Delta has limited freshwater supplies although irrigation is exceptionally intensive. The later is accomplished from groundwater sources although the quality is moderate at best. Data from previous projects and the DESIRE project revealed the intrusion of seawater into the coastal aquifers of the region under consideration. Groundwater level is usually between 1-3m below soil surface while the electrical conductivity varies from 2 to 7 mS/cm in accordance to the season and the distance from the sea.

Due to continuous irrigation with brackish groundwater several hectares of land have been rendered unproductive. Electrical conductivity values up to 10 mS/cm, pH values up to 10 and the formation of a hardpan below the ploughing layer are common soil characteristics.

Physiographic setting of the plots: The study site is a plane region with slopes less than 0.5%. The distance from the sea is less than 4 km. Groundwater contamination with salts (seawater intrusion) and the lack of surface freshwater supplies are the major water resources problem.