Browsing by Author "Cetin, Mehmet"

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Analyzing of usability of tree-rings as biomonitors for monitoring heavy metal accumulation in the atmosphere in urban area: a case study of cedar tree (Cedrus sp.).
(2019-12-10T00:00:00Z) Sevik, Hakan; Cetin, Mehmet; Ozel, Halil Baris; Akarsu, Hatice; Zeren Cetin, Ilknur
It is important to monitor the heavy metal pollution in order to identify risk zones and to determine the change in the heavy metal concentration of the atmosphere within the process. For this, it is necessary to carry out measurements for many years; however, this is not possible. Especially from past to present, one of the most effective methods to determine the changes of heavy metal concentrations in the atmosphere is to use the annual tree rings as biomonitors. Perennial plants growing in our country create annual rings, and it is possible to gain information regarding the changes of heavy metal concentrations in that region by determining the heavy metal concentrations in these rings. In this study, it was aimed to determine the annual changes of Pb, Co, and Fe elements' concentrations in these sections by determining the annual rings on the logs taken from the main stem of the cedar tree (Cedrus sp.), which was cut by the end of 2016, in December, 2016, in Kastamonu province. Within the scope of the study, the element concentrations were also determined in the inner and outer bark. As a result of the study, it was found that the heavy metal values in the organelles taken from the road-facing part, especially the heavy metal concentrations in the outer bark were higher than the metal concentrations in the inward-facing part, and that the concentrations changed significantly on organelle and year basis.
Application of artificial neural networks to predict the heavy metal contamination in the Bartin River.
(2020-12-01T00:00:00Z) Ucun Ozel, Handan; Gemici, Betul Tuba; Gemici, Ercan; Ozel, Halil Baris; Cetin, Mehmet; Sevik, Hakan
In this study, copper (Cu), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb) analyses were performed, and the results were modelled by artificial neural networks (ANN) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). Samples were taken from 3 stations selected on the Bartin River for 1 year between December 2012 and December 2013. Radial basis neural network (RBANN), multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural networks models, and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) were applied to the data in order to predict the heavy metal concentrations. As a result of the study, the RMSE and MAE values of all the heavy metal models were found to have very low error values during the test phase, and it was found that the models created using MLP had R values higher than 0.77 during the test phase; the test phase R values of the models using RBN method were found to be ranging between 0.773 and 0.989, and the test phase R value of the ANFIS model was higher than 0.80. If sorted from the best model to the worst by taking the MAE and RMSE values into consideration based on the test evaluation results, according to the heavy metal types, where all of the MLP, RBN, and ANFIS models were generally approximate to each other, RBN was successful for Cu, Zn, and Mn, while MLP model was successful for Ni and ANFIS model for Fe and Pb. According to the results, it can be inferred that the heavy metal contents can be estimated approximately with artificial intelligence models and relatively easy-to-measure parameters; it will be possible to detect heavy metals which are harmful to the viability of the rivers, both quickly and economically.
Assessing the effects of wind farms on soil organic carbon.
(2021-04-01T00:00:00Z) Pekkan, Ozge Isik; Senyel Kurkcuoglu, Muzeyyen Anil; Cabuk, Saye Nihan; Aksoy, Talha; Yilmazel, Burcu; Kucukpehlivan, Tuncay; Dabanli, Ahmet; Cabuk, Alper; Cetin, Mehmet
Wind energy is considered one of the cleanest and most sustainable resources among renewable energy sources. However, several negative environmental impacts can be observed, unless suitable sites are selected for the establishment of wind farms. The aim of this study is to determine the change in the soil organic carbon (SOC) stock resulting from land cover changes that were caused by wind farm establishments in the Karaburun peninsula. Within the scope of the study, remote sensing and geographic information system technologies were utilized. Maximum likelihood algorithm, one of the supervised classification techniques, was used to classify the land cover, and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) analyses were performed to determine land cover changes. The findings were correlated with the "Turkey Soil Organic Carbon Project" data. As a result, depending on the establishment of wind farms in the Karaburun Peninsula, a total decrease of 18,330.57 tons of SOC in the study area between 2000 and 2019 was determined. It should be taken into consideration that besides many other negative effects (effects on human health, effects on the ecosystem, effects on animals, etc.), land cover changes caused by wind farms may indirectly cause important problems such as climate change. Recently, this situation shows that there is an important dilemma in terms of current implementations. Wind farms are the most invested renewable energy sources and alternative energy supply to fossil fuels in terms of preventing climate change. However, the results of this study have reviewed that lack of proper approaches and methods to establish wind farms may result in various problems such as physical, chemical, and biological degradations and an increase in the amount of atmospheric carbon. Consequently, the investments in renewable energy sources should be comprehensively reevaluated in terms of current technologies, quality in the scope of environmental impact assessment and strategic environmental assessment processes, legal regulations and national policies, long-term environmental costs, etc.
Base alteration of some heavy metal concentrations on local and seasonal in Bartin River.
(2019-08-28T00:00:00Z) Ucun Ozel, Handan; Ozel, Halil Baris; Cetin, Mehmet; Sevik, Hakan; Gemici, Betul Tuba; Varol, Tugrul
Fresh water resources have always been an extremely invaluable economic and strategic resource in the world. There are about 1.4 billion people who have no access to pure water resources mainly due to the discharge of 95% of unpurified wastewater and 70% of industrial wastes into water resources in underdeveloped and developing countries. More than half of the world's rivers are contaminated. Eighty percent of diseases are caused by contaminated waters in developing countries. Among the pollutants in these streams, heavy metals are of particular significance, as heavy metals do not dissolve and degenerate easily in nature. They also tend to bio-accumulate. This is why determining heavy metal concentrations is of great importance because it can help detect risk zones and risk levels. This study aims to determine the alteration of some heavy metal concentrations during a year in Bartin River on a point and seasonal base. Within the scope of the study, samples were collected from 5 chosen locations on Bartin River during a year and the alteration of Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn, Ni, and Pb concentration amounts were determined monthly. As a result of the study, it was determined that there were various rates of contamination with heavy metals at all stations, and that the amount of all studied heavy metal concentrations decreased depending on seasonal alteration when precipitation and hence the flow rates were high, and the highest concentrations were calculated in samples that were collected from L3 and L5 stations. Results shows that some of the toxic metals' accumulations are higher than the suggestion of value, which recommended that the Bartin River is to some extent a toxic metal polluted river and that animals are not totally safe. Since this study constitutes a sample, all international samples should be controlled especially in the Organized Industrial Zone and foundation areas and the wastewater entering the river should be controlled and the pollution source should be determined and precautions should be taken. According to the results of the study, it also shows the water quality of the rivers in general. Pollution levels of rivers should be taken into account in the use of river water and care should be taken to use river water directly or indirectly in agricultural activities that may cause harm to human health. The results of this study can be a guide for identifying suitable areas to use the water of rivers. In future river planning, these studies will have an important guide value.
Ca, Cu, and Li in washed and unwashed specimens of needles, bark, and branches of the blue spruce (Picea pungens) in the city of Ankara.
(2020-06-01T00:00:00Z) Cetin, Mehmet; Sevik, Hakan; Cobanoglu, Oguzhan
The use of certain types of plants to determine the accumulation of HMs (heavy metals) has yielded quite consistent results in the research fields. Many researches have focused on particular types of HMs due to their common presence in the air (Pb, Cd, Ni, Co, Cr to name a few). However, it is equally as important to shed light on other types of HMs and the scale of their existence in our atmosphere, hence this paper. Blue spruce (Picea pungens) tree organs were used in an experiment to calculate the recent concentration of HMs. The research concentrates on Ca, Cu, and Li elements in the washed and unwashed needles, branches, and barks, and these organs were evaluated depending on the organ age. The study results showed that the concentration of the elements subjected to the research changed depending on the organ, washing status and organ age, and that the lowest concentrations of Ca and Cu elements were obtained in the barks in general. In relation to the organ age, it was found that there was an increase in the concentration of Ca with age, and that the concentration of Li element was inversely proportional to age.
Changes in heavy metal accumulation in some edible landscape plants depending on traffic density.
(2020-01-02T00:00:00Z) Sevik, Hakan; Cetin, Mehmet; Ozel, Halil Baris; Ozel, Senem; Zeren Cetin, Ilknur
Food scarcity is one of global issues that our world faces today. A significant portion of the world's population has no access to adequate food, and it is stated that approximately 830 million people suffer from chronic famine. This predicament is estimated to grow even further. Many attempts have been made to solve the food problem. Some examples are using new resources which have not been used for dietary purposes up to this point, planting new areas to produce food products, and increasing the potential harvest per an area unit. One of the solution proposals, which has come up recently within this scope, is the term of "edible landscaping", which means the use of edible plants in the landscaping works, and thus maximizing the potential for food security. However, edible landscaping poses a considerable risk. Heavy metal accumulation in plants grown in urban centers can reach to high levels, and consuming these plants will allow these heavy metals a direct access into the human body and wreak havoc to the public health. But since this subject has not been sufficiently studied yet, the extent of such a risk is not accurately determined yet. This study aims to determine the changes of Ni, Co and Mn concentrations depending on traffic density in the leaves, branches, barks and fruits of cherry, plum, mulberry and apple trees growing in areas with dense traffic, low-density traffic and no-traffic zones in Kastamonu province. The results showed that the concentrations of Ni and Co elements increased in many organelles depending on traffic density, and that the heavy metal concentrations in fruits could be very high. This situation indicates that fruit and vegetables grown in industrial zones and urban centers, where heavy metal pollution may be high, can be harmful to the public health if consumed as crops.
Determination of Pb and Mg accumulation in some of the landscape plants in shrub forms.
(2020-01-01T00:00:00Z) Sevik, Hakan; Cetin, Mehmet; Ucun Ozel, Handan; Ozel, Halil Baris; Mossi, Mansour Mossi Mohammed; Zeren Cetin, Ilknur
Heavy metals have a separate precaution in the air pollution components as they are not easily deteriorated in nature, they tend to bioaccumulate, they are carcinogenic or poisonous, and they can be toxic even at low concentrations. Therefore, monitoring of heavy metal pollution is of great importance. Plants are frequently used as biomonitors to monitor the heavy metal pollution. However, the heavy metal accumulation capacities of plants can vary considerably depending on the plant species, as well as on the organelle basis and the amount of particulate matter in the environment. It is also very important to determine how much of the heavy metal concentrations found in plants are derived from the plant species and how much from the particulate matter on the organ. In this study, it was aimed to determine the change of heavy metal accumulation in some landscape plants grown in the city center of Kastamonu depending on plant type, plant organism, washing status, and traffic density. For this purpose, leaf and branch samples were collected from individuals of Ligustrum vulgare L., Euonymus japonica Thunb., Biota orientalis L., Juniperus sabina L., Berberis thunbergii DC, Mahonia aquifolium (Pursh) Nutt., and Buxus sempervirens L., which are frequently used in urban landscape designs growing in areas with heavy, low dense, and no traffic. Some of the collected samples were washed, and heavy metal analyses were conducted to determine the amount of Pb and Mg concentrations. It was remarkable that Pb concentration was higher in branches than in the leaves for all the species. And the alteration depending on traffic density on the base of the factors studied was in different proportion depending on the metals.
Determination of the nighttime light imagery for urban city population using DMSP-OLS methods in Istanbul.
(2020-11-26T00:00:00Z) Ortakavak, Zeynep; Çabuk, Saye Nihan; Cetin, Mehmet; Senyel Kurkcuoglu, Muzeyyen Anil; Cabuk, Alper
Demography researchers and scientists have been effectively utilizing advanced technologies and methods such as geographical information systems, spatial statistics, georeferenced data, and satellite images for the last 25 years. Areal interpolation methods have also been adopted for the development of population density maps which are essential for a variety of social and environmental studies. Still, a good number of social scientists are skeptical about such technologies due to the complexity of methods and analyses. In this regard, a practical intelligent dasymetric mapping (IDM) tool that facilitates the implementation of the statistical analyses was used in this study to develop the population distribution map for the Istanbul metropolitan area via night light data provided by the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's Operational Linescan System (DMSP-OLS) and the census records of the study area. A population density map was also produced using the choropleth mapping method to enable to make a comparison of the traditional and intelligent population density mapping implementations. According to the dasymetric population density map, 38.5% of the study area fell into sparse density category while low, moderate, high, and very high population density class percentages were found to be 9.4%, 5.5%, 2.9%, and 0.1% respectively. On the other hand, the percentages of the same population density classes ranking from sparse to very high in the choropleth map were determined to be 90.7%, 7.3%, 1.7%, 0.3%, and 0%. In the change analysis made as a result of the classification, the changes between the city area and the population were revealed. During this period, the city area and population grew. Spatial change has also been interpreted by comparing it with population changes. There appears to be a remarkable increase in both surface area and population. It is observed that the increase is especially in the south and northwest of the city. With the population increase, the number of new residential areas has increased. It is thought that behind this growth, there are different reasons besides the effect of the increase in residential areas. When the environmental awareness of people has increased more than in the past centuries, new solutions should be produced in order to be more controlled, smart, and sustainable while planning the cities of the future. Considering that the development of technology and remote sensing techniques is progressing in parallel with this technology, this study in which GIS technologies integrated with satellite images are used, it is thought that it will contribute positively to the studies in this area in terms of regular development of urban areas, increasing the opportunity to make fast and correct decisions, and creating infrastructure for studies such as monitoring and prevention of illegal housing.
Determining potential planting areas in urban regions.
(2019-02-13T00:00:00Z) Varol, Tugrul; Gormus, Sevgi; Cengiz, Serhat; Ozel, Halil Baris; Cetin, Mehmet
Impermeable surfaces are getting larger in Turkey, as they are in most parts of the world as urban sprawl increases. The increase in impermeable surfaces leads to air pollution, floods, and overflows due to changes in urban landscapes and ecosystems. In order to prevent such damages, impermeable surfaces must be reduced by the means of urban afforestation. The main purpose of this study is to determine which areas are suitable for urban afforestation, and thus to improve the ecological conditions of the city. Accordingly, the study adopts a method that takes urban density into account. Satellite image classification, canopy measurement and determination of potential afforestation areas have been performed within the boundaries of Bartın Municipality. The IKONOS satellite images have been taken as a base for the study, which has been carried out via ENVI, GIS, and SPSS techniques and Tree Canopy Cover. By excluding the too-small spaces within the study area, as well as the ones too close to infrastructural facilities, I have been able to identify potential planting areas using GIS-based decision-making mechanisms. The existing trees and other plant covers have been noted in order to plan the potential plant cover.Considering the locational suitability of the planting areas and the canopy of the trees, the planting areas have been set out using three grid types: 15 × 15 m (large tree), 10 × 10 m (medium tree), and 5 × 5 m (small tree). A total of 29,773 potential trees have been planned for. After corrections, the potential canopy cover has been calculated to be 0.71 km. Of the potential trees, 93.34% are small, 5.23% are medium, and 1.43% are large trees. If the potential planting areas determined in this study are forested as calculated, the canopy in Bartın city will increase by approximately 2%. In the city, where impermeable surface areas have expanded because of rapid urban sprawl, this new increase will make an important contribution to the improvement of the city's ecosystem.
Determining the bioclimatic comfort in Kastamonu City.
(2015-10-01T00:00:00Z) Cetin, Mehmet; Cetin, M
Bioclimatic comfort defines the optimal climatic conditions in which people feel healthy and dynamic. Bioclimatic comfort mapping methods are useful to urban managers and planners. For the purposes of planning, climatic conditions, as determined by bioclimatic comfort assessments, are important. Bioclimatic components such as temperature, relative humidity, and wind speeds are important in evaluating bioclimatic comfort. In this study of the climate of Kastamonu province, the most suitable areas in terms of bioclimatic comfort have been identified. In this context, climate values belonging to the province of Kastamonu are taken from a total of nine meteorological stations. Altitude (36-1050 m) between stations is noted for revealing climatic changes. The data collected from these stations, including average temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed values are transferred to geographical information system (GIS) using ArcMap 10.2.2 software. GIS maps created from the imported data has designated the most suitable comfort areas in and around the city of Kastamonu. As a result, the study shows that Kastamonu has suitable ranges for bioclimatic comfort zone. The range of bioclimatic comfort value for Kastamonu is 17.6 °C. It is between a comfort ranges which is 15-20 °C. Kastamonu City has suitable area for bioclimatic comfort.
Determining the bioclimatic comfort in Kastamonu City.
(2015-10-01T00:00:00Z) Cetin, Mehmet
Bioclimatic comfort defines the optimal climatic conditions in which people feel healthy and dynamic. Bioclimatic comfort mapping methods are useful to urban managers and planners. For the purposes of planning, climatic conditions, as determined by bioclimatic comfort assessments, are important. Bioclimatic components such as temperature, relative humidity, and wind speeds are important in evaluating bioclimatic comfort. In this study of the climate of Kastamonu province, the most suitable areas in terms of bioclimatic comfort have been identified. In this context, climate values belonging to the province of Kastamonu are taken from a total of nine meteorological stations. Altitude (36-1050 m) between stations is noted for revealing climatic changes. The data collected from these stations, including average temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed values are transferred to geographical information system (GIS) using ArcMap 10.2.2 software. GIS maps created from the imported data has designated the most suitable comfort areas in and around the city of Kastamonu. As a result, the study shows that Kastamonu has suitable ranges for bioclimatic comfort zone. The range of bioclimatic comfort value for Kastamonu is 17.6 °C. It is between a comfort ranges which is 15-20 °C. Kastamonu City has suitable area for bioclimatic comfort.
Determining the suitable settlement areas in Alanya with GIS-based site selection analyses.
(2023-03-01T00:00:00Z) Dogan, Sedat; Kilicoglu, Cem; Akinci, Halil; Sevik, Hakan; Cetin, Mehmet
Urbanization, which is defined as an irreversible global-scale problem nowadays, necessitates the foundation of new settlement areas. In general, no sufficient scientific assessment and analysis were performed during these processes, and thus, various natural disasters cost the loss of many lives and properties every year. Nevertheless, considering the areas that are risky in terms of natural disasters during the selection of settlement areas might prevent a large-scale loss of lives and properties because of natural disasters. Within the scope of this study, it was aimed to determine suitable settlement areas in the Alanya district, which is one of the significant points of interest for tourists in our country and has a large population and new settlement areas because of this increasing population. Within this scope, besides the risks of flood and landslide that are the most important natural disasters in the region, and a forest fire that is among the most significant risks for the region, also the biocomfort zones were included in the assessments. As a result of the study, it was determined that the most important natural disaster risk was flooding in a large portion of the region and that only 6.72% of the study area was suitable for settlement in terms of all the criteria examined in the present study.
Development of forest fire risk map using geographical information systems and remote sensing capabilities: Ören case.
(2021-02-27T00:00:00Z) Ozenen Kavlak, Mehtap; Cabuk, Saye Nihan; Cetin, Mehmet
Forest fires globally cause severe losses in vegetation, soil and habitats and inevitably have direct and indirect negative environmental impacts such as deforestation, climate change and drought. According to the official records, there has been an increase of 58% in the number of the forest fires in Turkey in the last 30 years, between 1988 and 2018. Therefore, it is vital to determine the forest fire risks in the country and develop more effective methodologies to mitigate them. From this point, in the first phase, forest fire risk map of Kütahya-Ören region was prepared via the analyses of a variety of spatial data using geographical information system capabilities. The visibility analysis for the current fire towers was also performed. The results showed that very-high and high-risk, moderate-risk and low-risk zones respectively comprised 36.86%, 60.39% and 2.76% of the total study area, and 82.8% of the region was visible from the towers. In the second phase of the study, remote sensing methods were utilized for the detection of the areas burned in October 2001 in Ören-Çamdibi region, which was officially recorded as 4 hectares. The results revealed that the actual amount of the burned area was 5.6 hectares, and 83% of the burned surfaces was classified as moderate-risk areas in the fire risk map, while 17% of it was that of very-high and high-risk zones.
Estimation of the water footprint of kiwifruit: in the areas transferred from hazelnut to kiwi.
(2022-10-01T00:00:00Z) Bilge Ozturk, Gulsah; Ozenen Kavlak, Mehtap; Cabuk, Saye Nihan; Cabuk, Alper; Cetin, Mehmet
Agriculture is the largest consumer of freshwater and plays a critical role in addressing global water scarcity. While numerous studies have focused on the water footprint (WF) of various agricultural products, little attention has been paid to changing cropping patterns and their impact on WF. Here, we investigate the impact of conversion from hazelnut fields to kiwi orchards on green, blue, and gray WF between 2010 and 2021 in Ordu, Turkey. Our results show a total increase of 803,901 tons WF for all green, blue, and gray WF. Compared to the previous situation, changing the agricultural product and growing kiwifruit on previously established hazelnut fields increases green WF by 372,106 tons and blue WF by 334,167 tons. Thus, the change of cultivation pattern could significantly contribute to the water scarcity in the area, and at the same time, the increase in WF. Although kiwi cultivation might be advantageous economically, this economic benefit might be an ecological disadvantage as kiwi production is highly dependent on limited blue water resources. Therefore, it is suggested to further promote the rain-fed product, the hazelnut.
Evaluating the recreation potential of Ilgaz Mountain National Park in Turkey.
(2016-01-01T00:00:00Z) Cetin, Mehmet; Sevik, Hakan
In recent years, natural areas have become a preferred recreation area for people looking to escape their busy urban lives. The world has become so complicated that people now seek solace in areas of nature. Recreational activities conducted in natural areas, such as Ilgaz Mountain National Park, should be respectful of the environment to ensure balance and no negative environmental impact. This balance should safeguard environmental protection and only be used with the right to establish recreation planning. National parks are protected areas where the most beautiful wonders of nature exist. Thus, urban planning for recreation, and demand for recreation areas, must demonstrate both the potential of recreation resources and the protection of Ilgaz Mountain National Park. Urban open and green spaces have an important function, and in this study, it has been looked at Ilgaz Mountain National Park to examine the current situation. The aim of this study is to ensure the sustainability of natural and cultural resources via an evaluation to reveal the necessary practices and precautions regarding the area's recreational potential. As a result, Ilgaz Mountain National Park's recreation potential was found to be 72 %, and thus, it is considered to be an area of high recreation potential.
Evaluation of comparing urban area land use change with Urban Atlas and CORINE data.
(2022-04-01T00:00:00Z) Aksoy, Talha; Dabanli, Ahmet; Cetin, Mehmet; Senyel Kurkcuoglu, Muzeyyen Anil; Cengiz, Adem Emre; Cabuk, Saye Nihan; Agacsapan, Balca; Cabuk, Alper
Urban Atlas (UA) data covering the large urban areas have been produced by the European Environment Agency for a variety of European countries including Turkey since 2006. The use of the UA data for the determination of spatiotemporal land use and density changes in urban areas. UA data of Eskisehir, Turkey, were used in order to detect the spatiotemporal changes between 2012 and 2018. CORINE data-based change detection and NDVI analysis were also made and compared with the results obtained from the UA data. The results based on the UA data revealed that the artificial surfaces in the study area increased by 17.65% and there was a 18.32% increase in the total amount of agricultural lands, natural lands, forests, and vegetation. Although CORINE data-based analyses showed a similar trend in land use/land cover changes, the amount of changes between 2012 and 2018 in CORINE and UA data-based analyses were found to be 4.99% and 17.55%, respectively. A 9.30% mismatch between the UA changes and NDVI difference data was also calculated. Research findings revealed that the utilization of the UA data in the urban territories would be advantageous especially in planning processes to detect and compare the changes in the artificial and non-artificial surfaces and NDVI analysis would be very supportive to control and compare the results. It is also concluded that this study may be a useful model to monitor the cities in accordance with the 2030 and 2050 policies of European Council on Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry.
Evaluation of UTFVI index effect on climate change in terms of urbanization.
(2023-05-22T00:00:00Z) Cevik Degerli, Burcu; Cetin, Mehmet
Urban heat island density and occurrence are closely related to land use/land cover and land surface temperature variation. The effect of UHI can be described quantitatively with the urban thermal area variance index. This study aims to evaluate the UHI effect of the city of Samsun with the UTFVI index. LST data from 2000 ETM + and 2020 OLI/TIRS Landsat images were used to analyze UHI. The results showed that the UHI effect increased in Samsun's coastline band in 20 years. As a result of the field analysis made from the UTFVI maps created, in 20 years, 84% decrease in the none slice, 104% increase in the weak slice, 10% decrease in the middle slice, 15% decrease in the strong slice, 8% increase in the stronger slice, and 179% increase in the strongest slice are observed. The slice with the most intense increase is in the strongest slice and reveals the UHI effect.
Heavy metal accumulation in rosemary leaves and stems exposed to traffic-related pollution near Adana-İskenderun Highway (Hatay, Turkey).
(2019-08-09T00:00:00Z) Bozdogan Sert, Elif; Turkmen, Musa; Cetin, Mehmet
Pollution has become a problem on a global scale and poses a significant risk in terms of human health and natural ecosystems. Generally, the biggest sources of pollution are municipal and industrial facilities. However, traffic-related air pollution cannot be overlooked as a dangerous source either. There have been various methods of interventions to measure and reduce the risk and effects of traffic-related pollution. In the case of measuring, the use of certain plant species that can accumulate pollutants in their tissues is considered a practical solution. In this study, the aim is to find out the metals that are accumulated in rosemary leaves and stems and the rosemary leaves. In other words, the leaves and the stems are to be used as a biomonitors to reveal the rate of metal pollution along the highway. We try to identify the accumulation ability of traffic-related heavy metals (Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) of the Rosmarinus officinalis L. (rosemary) which is used in the refuge and slopes along the highway connecting Adana with İskenderun (Hatay). Our findings concluded that the rosemary could have a decent capacity to accumulate Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn in both leaves and stem. We therefore believe that R. officinalis is a great tool in determining the amount of traffic-related pollution in urban areas.
Influence of climatic factor of changes in forest fire danger and fire season length in Turkey.
(2021-01-03T00:00:00Z) Ertugrul, Mertol; Varol, Tugrul; Ozel, Halil Baris; Cetin, Mehmet; Sevik, Hakan
In contrast to the expectations of an increase in annual fire activity and the severity of fire season due to climate change and large fires, which have been occurring in recent years, a downtrend has been identified in fire activity in many studies conducted for the whole of Europe in recent years. Similarly, in Turkey, according to the General Directorate of Forestry statistics, while there is an increase in the number of annual fires, the burnt area has a downtrend pattern. In this study, fire activity and climate data statistics for Turkey were examined along with the fire season length and severity. The results obtained conform with the studies conducted in places from Spain at the westernmost part of Mediterranean Europe to Israel at the easternmost part of the Mediterranean. Considering the changes in temperatures, temperature rise of 2 to 3 °C was detected at all stations in the study area. No decrease was observed in the average temperatures at any of the stations within the study period between 1940 and 2018. On the other hand, the precipitation trend varied according to the stations. Although there have been increases in precipitation in Fethiye, Isparta, and Marmaris since 1960, the decrease in precipitation by 132 mm in Afyon since 1970 and the decrease in precipitation by 137 mm in Bodrum since 1940 are attention-grabbing. These stations are followed by Izmir station with 66 mm and Cesme station with 37 mm of decrease, despite being smaller decreases. In the study, the long-term (1940-2018) data of the meteorological stations discussed within the study, the Canadian Fire Weather Index (FWI) and the Fine Fuel Moisture Code (FFMC) values were calculated. According to the FWI results used in determining the severity and length of fire season on the coastline of Turkey from the northern Aegean to Antalya, the likelihood of large fires decreased by about 52% in 2018 compared to 1970. This decrease in FWI value indicates that the fire severity is reduced. The specified decrease in fire severity also explains the reason of the decrease in the burnt area that occurred over the years in Turkey. No significant change was observed in the FFMC values indicating the possibility of human-induced fires between 1970 and 2018.
Investigation of the relationship between burned areas and climate factors in large forest fires in theÇanakkaleregion.
(2019-11-09T00:00:00Z) Ertugrul, Mertol; Ozel, Halil Baris; Varol, Tugrul; Cetin, Mehmet; Sevik, Hakan
Fires pose a serious threat to the forests that lay on the western and southern coastline of Turkey that start with North Aegean coasts and end with the provincial boundaries of Hatay. Çanakkale, a western province of Turkey, is located in the North Aegean boundary and its topography (Dardanelles Strait), climate, and vegetation cover combine to form an inviting recipe to forest fires. Although the province is located in a transitional zone in terms of climate and vegetation, each year it witnesses highly dry and hot fire seasons. Thus, large forest fires occur periodically. In this research, the relationship between the large periodic fires (larger than 100 ha) and the climate data was investigated, with a particular focus on the most severe 8 fire seasons from 1969 to 2007. We established that there is a relationship between 1977, 1985, and 1986 fire seasons and the climate data for the corresponding periods. The remaining 5 seasons in which conflagrations occurred were also found to coincide with the days with high daily severity indices (DSR). These are 1969, 1977, 1985, 1987, and 2008. Additionally, 2008 was determined as the year with the highest fire risk, followed by year 1969.