Aura River (Finland)

Fischweg on Aurajoki

Template: Infobox River / Obsolete

The Aurajoki [ ɑu̯rɑjɔki ] ( swedish Aura å) is a river in south-western Finland. The river rises in the area of Oripää and flows through Pöytyä, Aura, Lieto and Kaarina to Turku.

He does not belong with around 70 kilometers in length actually the most important rivers south-west of Finland, also the guided amount of water does not justify this position. But he gets a prominent position of the city of Turku lying at its mouth.

The name means aura in Finnish plow ( joki is the Finnish word for river). This is an indication that in the area around the river agriculture in Finland had its origin. Thus, on the banks of the river numerous prehistoric remains have been found that date back to the Iron Age ( around 550 BC ). Older, Stone Age finds could not be dated.

The sources of the river are located in the clay hills around the village Oripää. Due to the small retaining facilities and the high degree of agricultural use in its catchment area, the amount of water out of the river varies as well as the its tributaries seasonally strong. During cold months in winter and in dry summers the river at Hallistenkoski, the second largest and the last rapids upstream of the mouth, no water leads. ( The biggest rapids is the Nautelankoski on the territory of the municipality Lieto. ) To snowmelt and after heavy rains the water can rise up to 300 cubic meters per second, with 7 cubic meters per second represent the annual average value. The river flows at the port of Turku in the Archipelago Sea.

The water is brownish colored by the Einschwemmung of loamy ground, and also heavily loaded with nutrients. To prevent excessively get a lot of nutrients in the sea, ensure there with the under for algal blooms are to be built in the coming years, dams, so to settle the nutrients. Despite indeed improved in recent years but poor quality of the water, about 95 % of the potable and non-potable water demand for the City of Turku will be covered from the river.

Geographically, the river is young and understood by the uplift of the Finnish land masses growing. Through the melting away of some 3000 m thick ice since the last ice age about 10,000 years ago, rests on the country less weight so that it rises several centimeters annually from the sea.