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- MakaleYalnız künye2026Scopus SJRQ2Multi-scale greening dynamics in Türkiye’s Ecoregions (2001–2024): the effects of elevation and land cover on NDVI change tendencies
Işık, Fatih; Eraslan, Selim
Understanding vegetation dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems is critical under the pressures of global climate change and anthropogenic activities. This study analyzes vegetation dynamics from 2001 to 2024 in Türkiye’s 13 biodiverse terrestrial ecoregions using a multi-scale approach, focusing not only on the main drivers, but also on the interactive and context-specific role of these factors. Using the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform and MODIS Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data, integrated through a structured multi-scale framework, we applied statistical methods including the Mann–Kendall test, Kruskal–Wallis test, and LOESS curves optimized with leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) to objectively model non-linear dynamics. The results revealed statistically significant positive NDVI change tendencies in all 13 terrestrial ecoregions (Mann–Kendall test, p < 0.05). Forest-dominated ecoregions exhibited the strongest greening, with Sen’s slope values reaching +0.0032 NDVI year⁻1 in the Euxine–Colchic Broadleaf Forests, whereas steppe ecosystems showed more moderate increases (e.g., Central Anatolian Steppe: + 0.0019 NDVI year⁻1). Across elevation gradients, the most consistent and strongest greening occurred at mid-elevations (500–1500 m; τ ≈ 0.40–0.65), while change tendencies weakened and became more heterogeneous at higher elevations. Land-cover-based analysis further showed that natural vegetation types exhibited the strongest nationwide tendencies (“Trees”: τ = 0.71; “Shrubland”: τ = 0.66), whereas anthropogenically influenced classes displayed weaker or regionally variable responses. Beyond documenting general greening patterns, the original contribution of this study lies in introducing a structured multi-scale framework that integrates long-term MODIS NDVI time series (2001–2024) with ecoregion, elevation, and land cover contexts. This approach enables the objective identification of ecosystem-specific and scale-dependent vegetation dynamics that cannot be captured by conventional single-scale or linear trend-based analyses commonly applied in previous studies in Türkiye.
AtıfWoS1OpenAlex1İncele - BildiriYalnız künye2022Scopus SJRQ4Assessment of Rapid Urbanization Effects with Remote Sensing Techniques
Yagmur, Nur; Dervisoglu, Adalet; Bilgilioglu, B. Baha; Ahmed, M.B.; Boudhir, A.A.; Kara, I.R.; Jain, V.; Mellouli, S.
Istanbul is the most populous city in Turkey. The population, which was approximately 5.5 million in 1985, has reached 15.5 million in 2020. Population growth is the most important factor behind human activities that put pressure on the environment. An increasing population means depletion of limited resources, increasing environmental problems, and rapid urbanization. In parallel with the increase in population and urbanization, there has also been an increase in demand for housing, leading to new residential areas in almost every district of Istanbul. This study examined the transformation from vegetation areas to residential areas between 1985 and 2020 in a selected region in Buyukcekmece, one of the 39 districts of Istanbul. The relationship between land use and land cover (LULC) change in the area and Land Surface Temperature (LST) change caused by urbanization was analyzed. It is seen that the built-up area has increased from 57.1 ha to 781.4 ha in 35 years. In every five years, an increase in surface temperatures was determined in parallel with increasing urbanization, and this increase was determined as about 5.4℃ from 1985 to 2020. Also, when the temperature data of the Buyukcekmece Meteorological station is analyzed, it is seen that there has been an increase of approximately 2 ºC in air temperatures in the last five years. In addition, movements were observed in the stability of structures in rapid urbanization areas after analyzing with the PSI time series InSAR method. The main causes were determined as construction sites around the buildings and geological conditions of the ground, which are triggered by urbanization.
AtıfScopus1OpenAlex2İncele