Determination by Landsat Satellite Imagery to Local Scales in Land and Pollution Monitoring: A Case of Buyuk Melen Watershed (Turkey)

Buyuk Melen Watershed provides drinking water from the Western Black Sea region to Istanbul province, which Buyuk and Kucuk Melen rivers, Asar, Ugur and Aksu rivers. Many settlement areas, fertilized agricultural lands, industrial plants and solid/liquid waste dumping areas have present in Melen watershed, causing substantial pollution problems. Melen watershed has been at a serious risk of pollution that a lot of settlement areas, agricultural lands, industrial facilities, and solid and liquid waste. In this study, LANDSAT satellite data was used to monitor the status of this area on the potential of the region studied. In the watershed change of 1987, 2001, 2006 and 2010 and also supported by satellite data. However, contaminants in the watershed discharges to the inner parts as shown from the satellite data have also been observed that the increase in pollution

Determining climate classifications and producing climate border maps with GIS of Muğla province on the southern Aegean Sea coast of Türkiye

Climate is defined by the average of meteorological events observed over an extended period in a region, expressing the weather conditions of that area. Numerous scientists have developed various climate classifications. The fundamental purpose of these classifications is to distinguish different types of climates and thereby reveal similarities between regions. Such classifications can be based on factors like temperature and precipitation patterns. Understanding climate characteristics enables us to determine the boundaries of different climate types. This, in turn, is crucial for ensuring the sustainable use of regional resources and shaping land use plans. This study evaluates the process of creating climate boundary maps for Muğla province. Various climate classification methods, including Thornthwaite, Trewartha, Erinç, De Martonne, Köppen─Geiger, and Köppen, are comprehensively examined and compared. Our findings indicate that each method offers different approaches to defining Muğla’s climate, each with its unique advantages and limitations. For instance, while the Thornthwaite method provides detailed data, the Köppen─Geiger method offers a more generalized approach. The results suggest that combining various climate classification methods helps in more accurately and comprehensively mapping the climate boundaries of Muğla province. This study underscores the importance of integrating these diverse methods to contribute to the determination of climate boundaries and regional planning processes

Geographical information systems-based analysis of site selection for wind power plants in Kozlu District (Zonguldak-NW Turkey) by multi-criteria decision analysis method

This study aimed to examine the selection process of the installation sites for wind power plants (WPP) to be built in Kozlu district of Zonguldak province of Turkey in the framework of geographical factors and through the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) - Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methodology and ArcGIS 10.2 software. According to the results obtained from this study, it was deduced that the study area, Kozlu, where the WPPs were likely to be installed had low and medium sensitivity levels. Wind turbines with sufficient power generation capacity should be installed initially at appropriate sites at least

GIS-based Georoute Design for Using in Geotourism by Using Network Analysis: a Case Study from Safranbolu in Türkiye

Geotourism activities are increasing day by day for the purposes of research, learning, visiting, and geological protection. Today, georoutes, as cultural routes, are accepted as an important activity area that offers various activities to visitors who want to learn about the historical, cultural and natural heritage of a region and provides the distribution of income from tourism to large areas. With its unique cultural and architectural history, geological and geomorphological features, Safranbolu plays the role of hosting for one of Türkiye’s culturally important regions. In this study, it is aimed to transfer the geological heritage elements that make up the geotourism locations of Safranbolu to the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) environment and to determine the georoutes using the network analysis method. The proposed GIS route analysis reveals a great potential for geotourism in the region for geo-heritage asset detection in the digital environment, considering the economic benefits and time savings. In this manner, it will be possible to visit and protect almost all of the assets in the field by using this road map created during the analysis

Utilizing the Geological Diversity for Sustainable Regional Development, a Case Study-Zonguldak (NW Turkey)

WOS: 000401442800008For a sustainable regional development and geotourism, the detection, utilisation and protection of geological heritage areas is of great significance. In this study, the development of awareness of geological heritage issues in recent years, geosite areas and the geological heritage elements of Zonguldak city centre and adjacent areas are discussed. The mineral waters, caves, faults, landslides, cliffs, quartz sand, column andesite, coal and coal fossils, which contain records traces of the past of the region, have been identified as elements of geological heritage and investigated one by one. It has been found that, as the region has geological formations with scientific, economic and visual value, the Zonguldak basin could be evaluated as a large geopark with its geological diversity identified as geosites. As the geological heritage elements identified in the study area are very important in terms of sustainable regional development, they have been mapped. Furthermore, in terms of geotourism, suggestions are made about the protection, introduction and utilisation of the geological diversity which is identified as geosites. It is believed that, besides their contribution to the sustainable regional development, such studies will help to raise a generation who are conscious about protecting nature and the environment and who have a concept of geological heritage

A comparison of GIS-based landslide susceptibility assessment of the Satuk village (Yenice, NW Turkey) by frequency ratio and multi-criteria decision methods

Landslide is one of the most influential natural disasters that cause losses of life and property on a large scale. To identify the landslide susceptible areas, the layers of data showing different characteristics of the earth must be evaluated together. In the course of evaluating data layers together, the emerging technology of geographical information systems (GIS) allows the collection, processing and analysis of data. The purpose of this study is to produce a landslide susceptibility map of the Satuk village in the Yenice district of the province of Karabuk in the Western Black Sea Region where landslides causing frequent loss of life and property occur frequently. In the area, the slope, lithology, aspect, elevation, distance to river and distance to road parameters were considered as the parameters causing the landslides. All of the parameters were standardized in a common scale using fuzzy membership functions. Then, the contributions of each of these parameters for the landslide occurrence were investigated by frequency ratio, and GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis, and the weight values of the parameters were calculated. The generated landslide susceptibility map is divided into five classes. Additionally, the landslide inventory map was compared to the obtained landslide susceptibility maps to find out how well the constructed models fit the reality. An overlap of 81.56% was found based on the multi-criteria decision analysis method and an overlap of 89.96% was found based on the frequency ratio method. The results showed that the frequency ratio method provides better results than the multi-criteria decision analysis method considering the data used for the study area

Determining optimal solar power plant (SPP) sites by technical and environmental analysis: the case of Safranbolu, Türkiye

© 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.Solar energy is among the sustainable and renewable energy sources that has become an important and inevitable part of our lives today. It is of great importance to consider economic, environmental, and social factors in determining the installation locations of solar power plants (SPP). In this study, we aimed to determine suitable areas where SPP can be established in Safranbolu District by using the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP), which is one of the multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) method together with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), to enable the decision-makers to express their preferences in approximate or adaptable ways. The criteria addressed in the technical analysis process were also determined by supporting the basic principles of impact assessment systems. Within the scope of the environmental analysis, the relevant national and international legal frameworks were also examined and the legal constraints were identified. Thus, in the process of determining the optimal areas for SPP, it has been attempted to produce sustainable solutions that are expected to have minimal impact on the integrity of the natural system. This study was carried on within a scientific, technical, and legal framework. According to the results obtained, the Safranbolu District had low, medium, and high sensitivity properties for SPP construction, and the areas suitable for SPP construction provided medium and high sensitivity of 10.86% and 27.26% correspondence detected according to the Chang (Eur J Oper Res 95(3): 649-655, 1996) and Buckley (Fuzzy Set Syst 17(3): 233-247, 1985) methods, respectively. There are very suitable areas for SPP installations in the central and western parts of Safranbolu District, and there are also areas suitable for SPP installation in the northern and southern parts of the district. Thanks to this study, suitable SPP establishment areas were determined for the under protection in a location in Safranbolu where clean energy is needed. It was also observed that these areas do not conflict with the basic principles of impact assessment systems

GIS-based landslide susceptibility assessment: a case study in Kelemen Valley (Yenice-Karabuk, NW Turkey)

WOS: 000384333000059This study focuses on revealing the landslide susceptibility of mainly the Kelemen Valley and adjacent valleys in the Western Black Sea Region of Turkey by investigating the parameters causing landslide occurrences in the region in a GIS environment and applying the frequency rate method on landslide-prone areas. Many buildings and houses in the study area, 382 houses to be exact, had to be evacuated by the General Directorate of Disaster Affairs of Turkey based on the findings from landslide studies conducted in the region since 1950 and were declared "unsuitable for construction and residence due to disaster." Therefore, it is of a vital significance to disclose the factors of landslide occurrences in the Kelemen Valley and consequently to prepare landslide susceptibility maps. For this purpose, 82 landslide exposed areas are determined by field surveys and checked against satellite imagery. All 82 landslides are found to have occurred in the Cretaceous Ulus Formation with the same climate and same vegetation, which are not considered distinctive parameters for the region. These findings have given rise to exclude these parameters from analyses on the basis that they are proclaimed as common parameters; instead, the parameters such as slope, aspect and distance to river are taken into consideration and assessed in ArcGIS software. Finally, the landslide susceptibility of the region has been obtained. Furthermore, a comparison is conducted between the existing landslides and the outcome map, and it is deduced that the map produced has a correlation ratio of 86 % with the existing occurrences for high-risk areas. This finding clearly dictates that land-slideprone areas need to be accounted for when planning for new settlement areas

Allowable bearing capacity based on Schmertmann method for sandy soils

WOS: 000287940100015In this study, since the city of Bartin in Northwest Turkey on the Black Sea is in the first-degree seismic zone and its residential area only occupies 7% of the total acreage that is expected to expand with newly flourishing urbanization, soil samples were obtained from a total of five different locations where there are open areas for the construction of dwellings. Engineering properties of the soils were assessed by laboratory experiments and the allowable bearing capacity and elastic settlement (Schmertmann method) values of the soils were calculated. The results showed that calculated settlement values are very high and can damage the foundation systems of any building constructed in future; therefore, allowable settlement value was fixed at 50 mm and allowable bearing capacities of the soils were obtained from back calculations by using the Schmertmann method. The aim of calculating allowable bearing capacity modified by settlement analysis is to propose a procedure about the foundation designs of the building laying on compressible sandy soils.Zonguldak Karaelmas University Scientific Research Projects UnitBulent Ecevit University [2007/2-45-05-06]; Zonguldak Karaelmas UniversityBulent Ecevit UniversityThis study was funded by Zonguldak Karaelmas University Scientific Research Projects Unit (2007/2-45-05-06). The authors would like to express their gratitude to Zonguldak Karaelmas University for their financial support

Assessment of geo-environmental properties depressing urban development with GIS: a case study of Kozlu settlement, Turkey

Kozlu is a mining town only 5 km away from the main city of Zonguldak and initially was not favored for settlement due to its rugged and hilly topography. However, along with hard coal production in large quantities throughout the years came the industrialization at its full speed with plenty job opportunities which then gave rise to intense population in the region where there were only a few sheds and slums just a century ago. Workers migrating to Kozlu in thousands needed dwellings to live in, but the law, so-called the Coal Basin Restrictions Law which came in effect in 1910, hindered the implementation of zoning plans. Planned housing was not possible in the region not until the abolishment of the law in 1986. During these 76 years, the settlement in the area mostly by the mining and industry workers was carried out without proper zoning plans, usually on demand basis. Today because of this unplanned housing and harsh topography, the Kozlu settlement area (KSA) has a history of being attraction point for many natural and man-made disasters which can be summarized as are topography, geological and carstic structure, mining activities and mass movements. In this study, a settlement suitability map is produced for the study area using a geographic information system. The map produced is designated into four settlement suitability zones, namely suitable to settlement, slightly suitable to settlement, suitable to settlement with precautions and unsuitable to settlement. It clearly shows that 24.73% of the study area lies in suitable and slightly suitable to settlement areas while the bulky rest pertains to suitable to settlement with precautions and unsuitable to settlement. The latest studies show that the 37.5% of the buildings and houses in the KSA are situated on the lithologic units identified as hydrogeological permeable and semipermeable, 7.8% on carstic caverns and a hefty rate of 47.6% on the surfaces deformed by mining-induced subsidence. Therefore, it is needless to claim that the administrators of Kozlu should promptly develop a settlement plan for the welfare of the city