International Journal of Environment and Geoinformatics

114-131

Authors: Bhumika N. Vaghela, Mona G. Parmar, Hitesh A. Solanki, Bhagirath B Kansara, Sumit K. Prajapati , Manik H. Kalubarme

Mangroves are coastal wetland forests established in the intertidal zones of estuaries, backwaters, deltas, creeks, lagoons, marshes and mudflats of tropical and subtropical latitudes. World-wide mangroves are disappearing at an alarming rate. Mangroves form one of the most important ecosystems of coastal areas. In real sense, mangrove is the Kalpvriksh (divine tree which fulfills all the desires) for the coastal communities. It nurtures and safeguards the local ecology of the coastal areas and provides livelihood options to the fishermen and pastoral families. Amongst the maritime States of India, Gujarat has the second highest mangrove cover after West Bengal. Additionally, during last three decades Gujarat has more than doubled its mangrove cover. In Gujarat State, mangroves are well developed in Lakhpat taluka (block) situated in Kachchh district. In recent past, Gulf of Kachchh experienced both natural and anthropogenic changes which made it a distinctive site to analyze how natural processes and anthropogenic activities determine the changes in mangrove vegetation density and health of mangroves in coastal areas. Multi-temporal Landsat TM data covering Lakhpat taluka (block) of February-1995, February-2017and Sentinel-2 multi-spectral data (spatial resolution 10 m) of April-2017 was analysed. The mangrove vegetation around the coastal areas was identified and classified into dense and sparse density classes based on Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) thresholding approach. The health assessment of mangroves in Lakhpat taluka was attempted using Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approach including various parameters like mangrove density based on NDVI, Distance of mangroves from human settlement, Distance of mangrove from Industries and Ports which have direct impact of growth and health of mangroves, Erosion/ Accretion over the period of last 22 years and availability of Saline water flow during the high tide for good mangrove growth. The buffers layers of various distances for example, 0 to 10 km, 10 to 20 km and 20 to 35 km were generated from the existing mangroves using Sentinel-2 multi-spectral image in GIS environment. The results indicate that the NDVI which is single parameter indicating the mangrove stand / vigour, growth condition and resulting health of mangroves in the area. This factor has been given highest weightage as compared to other parameters. The major anthropogenic factors like human Pressure and presence of Industries and Ports have negative impact on the mangrove health. Therefore, it was observed that presence of human settlements and Industries and Ports with the buffer region of 0 to 10 km distances from mangroves are unhealthy or prone to degradation in this region. The results of health assessment are very useful for sustainable planning and management of mangroves in the coastal areas of Lakhpat Taluka. The mangrove restoration and regeneration activity needs to be carried out as suggested by Upadhyay et al., 2015 with active participation of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to increase the mangrove density as well as mangrove health in this region.

154-168

Authors: Fatima Hayat Shaheen Zafar, Zarrien Ayub, Aasia Karim, Mohammad Zahid, Levent Bat

The aim of the current study was to determine common physico-chemical parameters (salinity, temperature, chlorophyll-a, dissolved oxygen, and pH) of coastal water of two rocky shores from Buleiji and Paradise Point rocky shores at Karachi monthly basis, from November 2007 to April 2009. The range of air and surface water temperature of Buleji varies from 19 ºC to 30 ºC and 21ºC to 29 ºC, respectively. Almost similar air temperature and seawater temperature (19º to 29º C) were recorded at Paradise Point. Salinity ranged from 35 to 39 ‰ at Buleji while it ranged between 35 to 40 ‰ at Paradise Point. The lowest concentrations of dissolved oxygen was recorded in November’07 and November’08 at both sites, at Buleiji which were 1.6 mg/L and 1.7 mg/L while at Paradise Point it was 1.8 mg/L and 1.7 mg/L, respectively. The pH value ranged from 7.0 to 8.3 at Buleji and from 7.5 to 8.4 at Paradise Point. The concentrations of chlorophyll-a were between 1.2 and 3.7 μg cm-2 at Buleji while it ranged from 0.9 to 3.3 μg cm-2 at Paradise Point. Results showed that the obtained values of temperatures, salinity, pH and chlorophyll-a are favorable for the continued survival of marine biota but the values of dissolved oxygen were found to be below 4 mg/L which are not suitable for various species. Prolonged periods of minimal dissolved oxygen directly upset larval stages of numerous marine organisms. In Karachi coastal areas, seasonal accessibility of surface water is very responsive to the monsoon climate and physiography of coastal belt. These concerns were used to inform the common people and decision-makers about the state of the coastal environments. To protect these dynamic significant habitats, the government organizations and researchers should work with appropriate consideration.

178-188

Authors: Aliihsan Şekertekin, Aycan Murat Marangoz, Saygın Abdikan

The aim of this study is to estimate and map soil moisture distribution using C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. Sentinel-1A is a new generation C-band SAR satellite, and in this study Sentinel-1A data acquired on 24 April 2016 were used to retrieve soil moisture map. An agricultural region in Bergama, a district of İzmir city, was chosen as the study area. In-situ soil moisture measurements were carried out in 20 test fields simultaneously with SAR data acquisition. The effects of soil moisture and local incidence angle on backscattering coefficient were analyzed, and then a multiple regression analysis was performed to generate an empirical model. The proposed model was evaluated using statistical metrics namely coefficient of determination (R2) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), and the results were 0.84 and 2.46 %, respectively. The obtained results showed that Sentinel-1A SAR data presented satisfying outcomes to estimate and map soil moisture content.

197-217

Authors: Salih Çelebioğlu

In this study, it is tried to give a system of Markov chains approach to the trend of annual mean temperatures in Turkey. For this reason, a data of annual mean temperatures between the years 1965 - 2012 of 58 meteorological stations of Turkey are used. Each scenario is given as a solution to a quadratic programming problem for which is spanned by the transition matrices of twelve groups. The steady-state distribution method given here facilitates the multiple station Markov chain applications. In the meantime, the linear regression approaches in which the averages of station groups are considered as independent variables are as well introduced. It is also given comments on some scenarios while an extreme scenario as a solution to a few problems is pointed out to which is feared in respect of climatic change

231-243

Authors: M.Tolga Esetlili, Filiz Bektas Balcik, Fusun Balık Şanlı, Mustafa Üstüner, Kaan Kalkan, Çiğdem Göksel, Cem Gazioğlu, Yusuf Kurucu

With the latest development and increasing availability of high spatial resolution sensors, earth observation technology offers a viable solution for crop identification and management. There is a strong need to produce accurate, reliable and up to date crop type maps for sustainable agriculture monitoring and management. In this study, RapidEye, the first high-resolution multi-spectral satellite system that operationally provides a Red-edge channel, was used to test the potential of the data for crop type mapping. This study was investigated at a selected region mostly covered with agricultural fields locates in the low lands of Menemen (İzmir) Plain, TURKEY. The potential of the three classification algorithms such as Maximum Likelihood Classification, Support Vector Machine and Object Based Image Analysis is tested. Accuracy assessment of land cover maps has been performed through error matrix and kappa indexes. The results highlighted that all selected classifiers as highly useful (over 90%) in mapping of crop types in the study region however the object-based approach slightly outperforming the Support Vector Machine classification by both overall accuracy and Kappa statistics. The success of selected methods also underlines the potential of RapidEye data for mapping crop types in Aegean region.

17-28

Authors: Faiza Khebour Allouche, Eric Delaître, Dalel Ouerchfeni Bousaida, Hanen Chaari

Oases of South Tunisia, plays an important role in environmental, social and economic aspects of this region. This research was conducted in ten regions located on the south which are affected by changes in conditions and composition of land cover change. For each study area, LANDSAT imagery, thematic maps and training data were acquired. These images were georeferenced and radiometrically corrected and landscapes product were generated using Decision Tree Classification. The landscapes typology were then evaluated using the extract oases. This study aimed to assess the potential of NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) to determine oasis cover using medium spatial resolution remote sensing imagery in the south of Tunisia. It explores the possibility of identifying and mapping oasis landscape types by using remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems and statistical analysis. The superposition of environment types map obtained with oasis extracted from NDVI map has shown six oasis landscapes in southern Tunisia: Gafsa-ElGuettar, El Hamma de Gabes, Douz-Kebili, Rjim Maatoug, Tozeur-Nafta and Tamerza Chebika oases. This research paper allowed to define a methodology for the construction of landscape types, in a computerized way, based on remote sensing and GIS and its result can be a draft work to make an Atlas of the landscapes of our site of study or, it can be used as a basic document to monitor the spatial extension of agricultural perimeters in order to ensure the sustainable development of these particular agro-systems.

36-50

Authors: Safa Bel Fekih Bousemma, Faiza Khebour Allouche, Ikram Saidane, Yosra Mechmech , Taoufik Bettaieb

This paper is about the concept of the greenways in Tunisia, defined as a structure allowing to connect the green spaces between them. Two steps have been applied to assess the use of greenway concept in Tunisia and especially in Sousse city. The first one shows Tunisian administrative documents recount and the second one explains the spatial distribution of Sousse city greenways using GIS software. The examination of the planning of the green spaces in Tunisia, either through the documents of town planning or through the specific programs, allowed us to reveal the place of this notion in the Tunisian political speech and to conclude that the notion of greenways and its foundations, is missing in the documents of town planning, in the Tunisian environmental policy (Green Plan of Grand Sousse) even if the use of the term "greenways" is not really explicit. Then, it is our belief that there is a great potential in Tunisia for the adoption of greenways as a planning alternative, and tools such as the GIS environment can contribute significantly to this effort.

68-75

Authors: Engin Meriç, M. Baki Yokeş, Zeki Ü. Yümün, Mustafa Eryılmaz, Fulya Yücesoy-Eryılmaz

The Sea of Marmara is under the influence of the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. The salinity difference between these two seas causes the formation of two-layer stratification in the Sea of Marmara, an upper layer formed by the fresh waters of the Black Sea and a denser layer formed below 25 m of depth, by the more saline waters of the Mediterranean. The salinity difference, together with the seasonally changing meteorological events are the major factors which shape the main current system. The Mediterranean waters enter the Dardanelles cross the Sea of Marmara and flows into the Black Sea via İstanbul Strait, which enables the dispersion of the alien foraminifer species already established on the Aegean coasts into the Sea of Marmara. Besides, the Sea of Marmara includes important harbors, suggesting that there is an extensive pressure of alien species introduced by ballast waters. In this study, 322 sediment samples, obtained from different localities in Dardanelles, İstanbul Strait and Sea of Marmara, were investigated for the alien foraminifer species. The results are combined with the previous records in the literature for creating an alien foraminifer checklist for the Sea of Marmara. 10 alien foraminifer species belonging to 9 genera were found in Dardanelles, 32 alien species from 28 genera in the Sea of Marmara, and only 2 alien species from 2 genera were found in İstanbul Strait. Majority of these alien species have Indo-Pacific or Atlantic origin, suggesting that shipping may be the most possible mode of introduction. But it is also observed that some of the Indo-Pacific originated species which were introduced Suez Canal and formed established populations along the Turkish coastline are also found in Dardanelles, indicating that major currents systems are also playing a role in the dispersion patterns of the alien foraminifers in the Sea of Marmara. Another important factor may be the thermal submarine springs found on the bottom of the Sea of Marmara, which may create suitable environmental conditions and enhance the establishment of thermophilic alien species.

84-93

Authors: Duygu Ülker, Orhan Ergüven and Cem Gazioğlu

As a result of climate change, it is clear in the coming years to provide an instability for conflict zones. Climate change has potential socio-economic consequences in addition to environmental impacts. Drought is one of the result of climate change especially in Mediterranean. It can also increase by unsustainable government policies and effects quality of life of people. Decreasing of water resources and rural land using force people to migrate from rural areas to urban areas as a consequence of low productivity from agriculture and animal husbandry, rising of food prices and decreasing of wealth level. Results of climate change have differences depends on features of countries as climate vulnerability, social policies, ethnicity. In this study we evaluate socio-economic impacts of 2006-2010 severe drought in Syria comparing with other climate impacted countries. There are a number of studies in which the Syrian war is overstated by the excess of the relationship as much as the work that expresses the emergence of climate changes as a result. We observed that in addition current problems in Syria, drought between 2007 and 2010 contributed to uprising in 2011 and consequently to immigration, conflict and terrorism. It is not wrong to evaluate that the impact of the spread of conflicts inherited from generations before the arid years of succession is at least as effective as the causes of other conflicts. The long-term effects of climate change, which has begun to emerge, indicate potential conflicts that can develop in water-scarce, multicultural geographies, particularly in the Middle East.

164-172

Authors: Murat Aksel, Sedat Kabdaşlı

The effect of earthquakes on closed and semi-closed water systems is a research topic that has been studied for many years. The lack of continuous measurement systems in closed and semi-closed water systems is insufficient to examine and investigate what has happened during the earthquake. The morphological structures of the lakes indicate the characteristics of the events that occurred during an earthquake. Due to the developing technology and research request, some monitoring, measurement stations are installed in some lakes, gulfs, estuaries, etc. systems. Today, both higher quality measurement and field data can be obtained, and more complicated processes are being explored with the help of faster computers. Computational fluid dynamics is currently used because of the difficulty in calculating hydrodynamic responses of lakes due to earthquake. Investigations on the effects of the earthquake condition on the desired closed / semi-closed water system studies by using numerical modelling have been continuing increasingly in recent years. Both the quality of the bathymetric data gathered from the field, the continuous acquisition of both dynamic water level measurement systems, and the use of new technologies and systems in the search for base materials contribute to the fact that we have more knowledge of the formation, behavior and effects of the sorts. In this study, 1995 Dinar Earthquake effects on Egirdir Lake hydrodynamic regime was investigated by numerical modelling approach.

182-192

Authors: Engin Meriç, M. Baki Yokeş, Niyazi Avşar, Zeki Ü. Yümün, Feyza Dinçer

Four alien foraminifer species are found in the recent sediment samples collected from the Aegean coast of Turkey. Nodobaculariella cristobalensis McCulloch and N. galapagosensis McCulloch are observed in Güllük Bay (Muğla), Karşıyaka (İzmir) and Babakale (Balıkesir). These two species have not yet been recorded in the Mediterranean. Their absence in the Indian Ocean fauna suggests an introduction via ballast waters. Two individuals of Indo-Pacific originated foraminifer species, Pseudonodosaria brevis (d'Orbigny, 1846) are found in the recent sediment samples from Ildır Bay (İzmir) and Akköy (Aydın). This constitutes the first records of these species in the Mediterranean Sea. Cornuspiroides striolata (Brady) specimens are observed in grab samples collected from seven different stations in Ildır Bay. This is the second record of this species from the Turkish coastline and extends its range of distribution.

206-213

Authors: Abdullah Harun İncekara, Dursun Zafer Şeker, Celil Serhan Tezcan, Erkan Bozkurtoğlu and Cem Gazioğlu

The discontinuity and roughness properties of the rocks can be used to obtain information on surface characterization. In this study, it was investigated whether the discontinuity and roughness properties of the rock structure are related to the temperature of the surface. Selected object which is located at Istanbul Technical University Ayazaga Campus has approximately dimensions of 3 m x 1 m. The discontinuity regions on the object and the areas which are rougher than their surroundings are clearly identifiable by visual interpretation. 3D model of rock surface was produced by integrating photographs and 12 control points which were homogeneously distributed on the object in order to reflect the surface realistically. The temperature of the control points marked on the surface were measured by using an infrared thermometer with non-contact measuring capability. These values were used as the basic data to show the temperature distribution over the entire surface. Temperature distribution map with 6 classes representing the temperature range was produced by using IDW interpolation method in a commercial GIS software. The temperature distribution map was overlapped on the 3D object model produced by means of RGB photographs for comparison with the 3D model produced by the thermal images of the same surface. The temperature distribution in the discontinuity regions that can be clearly seen as rough was examined and obtained results proved that there is a strong relationship between roughness and temperature of the rock surfaces.

227-239

Authors: Hakan Kaya, Gülsen Erginal, Çağlar Çakır, Cem Gazioğlu and Ahmet Evren Erginal

This study aimed to determine the vertical distribution of heavy metals in a 72 cm-long core sample from Lake Tortum in order to shed light on the implications of potential ecological risks. Analysis was based on the use of environmental indices such as the Integrated Pollution Load Index (PLI) and Potential Ecological Risk Index (PER). Results reveal that, except for Pb, Mn and Hg, the lowest concentrations of heavy metals occur at a core depth of between 2 cm and 20 cm for Cu, Zn, Ni, Fe, As, Cd, Cr and Al. The highest concentration was found at sampling intervals of 36 cm and 50 cm, with the exception of Pb, Mn, Hg and Ni. The PLI values from bottom to top are less than 1 while the level with the nearest value to the background value lies at a depth between 24 cm and 26 cm. The PER index results suggest a low ecological risk level for Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Mn, Fe, As, Cr, and Al; however, Cd and Hg constitute an ecological threat to the lake ecosystem.

79-93

Authors: Ankit Arya, Shalini Negi, Jaydipsinh C. Kathota, Ajay N. Patel, Manik H Kalubarme and J. K. Garg

Comparative analysis of carbon store of three dominant tree species in planned green capital city of Gandhinagar and unplanned industrial town of Mahesana in Gujarat State, India was carried out using geoinformatics technology. The selected three major dominant tree species grown in these towns are Azadirachta indica, Acacia sp. and Cassia sp. The high spatial resolution Remote Sensing Satellite data from Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS-Resourcesat-1) LISS-IV, Cartosat-1, and Google earth images were used in this study. The tree cover was categorized into dense and sparse on the basis of canopy cover observed on Satellite data. A grid of 1km X 1km was created in GIS environment and superimposed on Cartosat-1 images. Random sample of 20 % was selected for detailed tree count in the field and total tree count was estimated from these selected sample grids. Total biomass and carbon sequestered in the major tree species have been estimated using a non-destructive method. The carbon stock estimated for three major tree species in Gandhinagar and Mahesana towns indicate that Azadirachta indica has maximum carbon sequestration potential as compared to Acacia sp. and Cassia sp. The maximum of carbon stock was present in Girth at Breast Height (GBH) size >180 cm which is followed by GBH size 90 to 180 cm. The total number of trees in Gandhinagar town is much higher as compared to Mahesana town; therefore estimated carbon store of dominant tree species in Gandhinagar town is very high as compared to Mahesana town which is more arid as compared to Gandhinagar.

103-115

Authors: Arafat Mohammed Bin Mohammed, Akram Javed, Mohammed Sultan Alshayef

GIS Provides spatial and analytical support to assess multicriteria (MCE) methods, which are used to combine data to show areas best fulfilling specific criteria. Petroleum explorations would benefit from an MCE method that is spatial, is flexible for combining heterogeneous data, considers the interpretive nature of the data, is geologically applicable, and is applicable for frontier areas or where little information exists regarding probabilities of the presence of petroleum .This study proposes a GIS-based MCE method for petroleum exploration based on fuzzy logic, which fulfills the previously stated requirements using 9 subcriteria combined to produce a favorability map of potential exploration areas. A case study applied to Sayun Almasilah Basin East Yemen. We conclude that the method can be applied in an exploration setting and, as such, is applicable for other regions of the world

128-138

Authors: Selma Ünlü, Bedri Alpar

This paper presents an evaluation of the spatial distribution of vanadium level, its enrichment and possible sources in the bottom sediment along the shelf of the Turkish Black Sea. In April 2006, vanadium concentrations were measured along the measurement profiles (20, 50 and 100 m) using ICP-MS. The vanadium levels ranged from 40 to 315 µg g-1, usually within the range of typical and background values (Cf<1), except the one offshore the Yeşilırmak River (315.2 µg g-1), revealing significant riverine inputs and geographical conditions (Cf>3). The concentrations decrease gradually with water depth, implying the dominance of anthropogenic sources such as industrial wastes, agricultural effluents, sewage discharge, and port activities. The vanadium levels had not significant correlations with the physicochemical parameters (sediment texture, water content, TOC) and TPH level in the sediment. At the eastern basin, a serious vanadium enrichment (Cf>6-9) was observed in November 2010, implying some important regional and seasonal contributions; which may be natural or anthropogenic. Biogeochemical processes, eutrophication, wave-based erosion, abnormal current circulations, bottom morphology and influence of other substances in the environment may be other regulating factors to this enrichment. Continuous monitoring and further studies are required for a detailed description of vanadium mobility and for assessment of the main controlling processes associated with vanadium enrichment in the eastern Black Sea basin.

8-16

Authors: Umut Ovalı and Dursun Zafer Şeker

Rapid progress in digital technology enables us to create three-dimensional models using digital images. Low cost, time efficiency and accurate results of this method put to question if this technique can be an alternative to conventional documentation techniques, which generally are 2D orthogonal drawings. Accurate and detailed 3D models of archaeological features have potential for many other purposes besides geometric documentation. This study presents a recent image-based three-dimensional registration technique employed in 2013 at one of the ancient city in Turkey, using “Structure from Motion” (SfM) algorithms. A commercial software is applied to investigate whether this method can be used as an alternative to other techniques. Mesh model of the some section of the excavation section of the site were produced using point clouds were produced from the digital photographs. Accuracy assessment of the produced model was realized using the comparison of the directly measured coordinates of the ground control points with produced from model. Obtained results presented that the accuracy is around 1.3 cm.

25-35

Authors: Fatih İşcan, Ceren Yağcı

Land consolidation projects have serves for rural development. Land consolidation projects have an important role in ensuring agricultural development. Therefore, the number of land consolidation applications is increased in Turkey in recent years. It is necessary to prevent land fragmentation for ensuring the sustainability of these projects. The aim of this study is to examine the changing in agricultural parcels of landowner after the land consolidation projects. In this paper, study area is chosen Ağalar/KONYA village where land consolidation implemented in 2003. 2010 and 2015 google earth images of study area are digitized in Netcad software. The digitized cadastral sheets of Ağalar/KONYA village which is done land consolidation project is overlayed with digitized data of 2010 and 2015 google earth images to evaluate changes in agricultural parcels. In additionally, questionnaire was done with landowners for their opinions about land consolidation project. According to the results, 60 % of the landowner is satisfied with land consolidation project. While the number of parcels was 762 in 2003, the number of parcels was found 729 in 2010 and 723 in 2015.

43-53

Authors: Sümeyra Gülmez and Ekrem Tuşat

The usability and the accuracy of internet-based position determination services which have gained importance in recent years is one of the up-to-date subjects of studies. Online processing services have more advantages than commercial and scientific software; since they are easy to use, require less experience and free because they get quick results. In this study, GPS observation files in rinex format belonging to 6 stations were evaluated using Auspos, Magic-GNSS and Opus services then the results were obtained. Three systems showed the similar results for the results obtained according to 24-hour measurement period. In the second study, observation files were divided into 12, 6 and 2 hour groups and after the results were obtained they were compared to 24-hour results. According to the reports, it was seen that the accuracy decreased as the observation period got shorter. In all three systems, 24 and 12-hour observation accuracy occurs in cm measures. In 6 and 2 hour periods where the observation period is shorter, accuracy value reaches to 3-4 cm. According to these results, it is seen that although it generally depends on observation period, internet-based position determination services sustain adequate accuracy for basic geodetic network application that the topographical engineering needs.