Assessment of the desertification vulnerability of the Cappadocian district (Central Anatolia, Turkey) based on aridity and climate-process system

The present study discusses climate of the Cappadocian district in Turkey on the basis of Thornthwaite’s climate classification and water budget, Erinç’s aridity index and United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) aridity index, along with the spatial and inter-seasonal variations of precipitation and air temperatures. Vulnerability of the Cappadocia to desertification processes was also investigated with respect to the aridity, lithology dominated by tuffs and climate-process system and present land-use features of the district. The data analysis revealed that coefficients of variation (CV) of the mean and maximum temperatures are the greatest in summer and the smallest in winter. Nevşehir and Kayseri environs are the most continental parts of the Cappadocia with a high inter-annual variability and low temperatures. Cappadocia is characterized with a continental rainfall regime having a maximum precipitation in spring. Variability of summer precipitation totals is greater than that of other seasons, varying from 65.7% to 78%. The CVs of the annual precipitation totals are about 18% at north and about 20% at south. Semi-arid and dry sub-humid or semi-humid climate types prevail over Cappadocia according to Thornthwaite’s moisture and Erinç’s aridity indices. Steppe is the dominant vegetation formation with sparse dry forests. The Cappadocia is vulnerable to the desertification processes due to both natural factors (e.g. degree of aridity, climate-process system, weathering of tuffs, erosion, climate change, etc.) and human-involvement (e.g. land degradation and intensive tourism, etc.). In order to mitigate desertification and to preserve the historical and cultural heritages in Cappadocia, sustainable land-use management and tourism planning applications are urgently needed

Desertification

IPCC SPECIAL REPORT ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND LAND (SRCCL) Chapter 3: Climate Change and Land: An IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystem

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Taha Toros Arşivi, Dosya No: 111-Kütüphanelerİstanbul Kalkınma Ajansı (TR10/14/YEN/0033) İstanbul Development Agency (TR10/14/YEN/0033

A new species of the genus Xysticus C. L. Koch from Turkey (Araneae: Thomisidae)

A new species of Xysticus C. L. Koch, 1835 is described from Turkey. Differences between the new species and related species are discussed. Copyright © 2006 Magnolia Press

Palmer Kuraklık İndisi’ne Göre İç Anadolu Bölgesi’nin Konya Bölümü’ndeki Kurak Dönemler ve Kuraklık Şiddeti

The study aims to determine major drought periods, their starting and ending times and severity at Konya, Karaman, Aksaray and Karapınar stations over the Konya sub-region of the Central Anatolia Region, using the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). The PDSI is based on precipitation, evapotranspiration and available water capacity of the soil (field capacity). Amount of the evapotranspiration was computed by the Thornthwaite’s method making use of monthly mean temperature and precipitation totals. In this frame, first, monthly PDSI values were calculated by using monthly precipitation and calculated evapotranspiration totals and available water capacity of the soil for the period from beginning of the station records to 2006. Major results reached by examining monthly PDSI and Moisture Anomaly Index time-series are as follows: (i) Decreases in the precipitation amounts in the common periods determined for four stations vary between 30% and 80%. Decreases of the precipitation during these periods are more evident particularly in winter and autumn seasons. (ii) According to the analysis of the Mann-Kendall rank correlation coefficient performed for both usable water amount (P-PE) and the PDSI time-series, although there is no any statistically significant trend in these series, a general decreasing trend (i.e. a run towards the drier conditions) is evident. (iii) The drought events of 1972-1974 and 1999-2001 were considerable sever