Mustafa Bolca

Lichens and mosses for correlation between trace elements and 210Po in the areas near coal-fired power plant at Yatağan, Turkey

The lichensRhizoplaca melanophthalma, Cladonia convoluta, Cladonia pyxidata and the mossesGrimmia pulvinata,Hypnum cupressiforme were analyzed for Pb, Cr, Cd, Co, Ni, Mn, Cu, Zn and Fe using atomic absorption spectrophotometry over a wide area around a coal-fired power plant located in Yatağan. The results were compared with the 210Po concentrations previously measured in the same samples. Correlations between 210Po and trace elements for different moss and lichen species of the same localization and for different localizations for the same species were also studied. In general trace element concentrations do not show significant differences from site to site for all species except Mn in Hypnum cupressiforme and 210Po in Grimmia pulvinata. To discuss the 210Pb level and sources in indicator plants analyzed, also radium contents of surface soil at each sampling station was measured and compared with the average values for similar soil types in the literature.

Natural radioactivity levels of geothermal waters and their influence on soil and agricultural activities

All over the world geothermal sources are used for different purposes. The contents of these waters are important to understand positive/negative effects on human life. In this study, natural radioactivity concentrations of geothermal waters were investigated to evaluate the effect on soils and agricultural activities. Geothermal water samples were collected from the Seferihisar Geothermal Region, and the radon and radium concentrations of these waters were analysed using a collector chamber method. Also soil samples, which are irrigated with geothermal waters, were collected from the surroundings of geothermal areas, and natural radioactivity concentrations of collected samples (U, Th and K) were determined using an NaI(Tl) detector system. The activity concentrations of radon and radium were found to be 0.6-6.0 and 0.1-1.0 Bq l(-1), respectively. Generally, the obtained results are not higher compared with the geothermal waters of the world. The activity concentrations in soils were found to be in the range of 3.3-120.3 Bq kg(-1) for (226)Ra (eU), 0.3-108.5 Bq kg(-1) for (232)Th (eTh), 116.0-850.0 Bq kg(-1) for (40)K (% K).

Soil gas radon concentrations measurements in terms of great soil groups

In this study, soil gas radon concentrations were investigated according to locations, horizontal soil layers and great soil groups around Tuzla Fault, Seferihisar-İzmir. Great soil groups are a category that described the horizontal soil layers under soil classification system and distributions of radon concentration in the great soil groups are firstly determined by the present study. According to the obtained results, it has been showed that the radon concentrations in the Koluvial soil group are higher than the other soil groups in the region. Also significant differences on location in same great soil group were determined. The radon concentrations in the Koluvial soil groups were measured with respect to soil layers structures (A, B, C1, and C2). It has been observed that the values increase with depth of soil (C2>C1>B>A). The main reason may be due to the meteorological factors that have limited effect on radon escape from deep layers. Although fault lines pass thought the study area radon concentrations were varied location to location, layer to layer and great group to great group. The study shows that a detailed location description should be performed before soil radon measurements for earthquake predictions.

An examination of the effects of land use changes on nature conservation rulings in Çeşme peninsula, Turkey

Because of their intense vegetation and the fact that they include areas of coastline, deltas situated in the vicinity of big cities are areas of great attraction for people who wish to get away from in a crowded city. However, coasts, with their fertile soil and unique flora and fauna, need to be protected. In order for the use of such areas to be planned in a sustainable way by local authorities, there is a need for detailed data about these regions. In this study, the changes in land use of the area between Topburnu and Uçburun Musa Bey Harbour on the Çeşme peninsula, which is to the immediate west of Turkey’s third largest city İzmir, from 1976 up to the present day, were investigated. In the study, using aerial photographs taken in 1976, 1995 and 2000 and an IKONOS satellite image from the year 2007, the natural and cultural characteristics of the region and changes in the coastline were determined spatially. Using aerial photographs from 1976, 1995 and 2000 and an IKONOS satellite image from the year 2007, together with “1/25,000 scale Conservation-Oriented Development Plans” prepared in 1979, 1990 and 2000 by the committee for the Preservation of Natural and Cultural Entities attached to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Turkish Republic, the natural and cultural characteristics of the region and the land use changes and their connection with conservation rulings were determined spatially. In this study, spatial changes in land use over the years were compared with changing conservation rulings over the years and the emerging results have brought a new perspective to the subject in contrast to other similar studies.

Land Use Changes in Gediz Delta (Turkey) and Their Negative Impacts on Wetland Habitats

ABSTRACT Bolca, M.; Özen, F., and Güneş, A., 2014. Land use changes in Gediz Delta (Turkey) and their negative impacts on wetland habitats. In this research, we investigate Izmir Bird Paradise, which is located on the coast of Gediz Delta (Turkey) and is protected via the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (International Ramsar Agreement). We determined land use changes in salty–alkali areas and changes in biological habitats by using remote sensing techniques and geographic information systems (GIS). We determined temporal changes in different types of land by using 1/20,000 scaled aerial photos of the research area from 1963 and 1996 and Quickbird satellite images with 61-cm resolution from 2005 and 2010. We noted existing biological changes in the same period by associating them with different land use types. At the end of the research, we studied changes to biological habitats in wetlands in coastal Gediz Delta due to the pressures of urban and industrial settlements and agricultural areas. According to the data, between 1963 and 2010 there was a ∼84.40% increase in urban–industrial settlements, a ∼13.74% increase in agricultural areas, and a ∼65.59% increase in saltpan areas. On the other hand, there was a ∼37.65% decrease in habitat and nutrition areas of biological variations (bird habitat, wetland flora, and fauna), a ∼41.54% decrease in coastal–sand dune–salty alkali areas, and a ∼30.63% decrease in swamp and wetland areas. As a result of these changes, numerous species in the wetlands have died or decreased.

A GIS-based model for rating natural protection areas according to natural protection priorities

There has been a major urban shift of population in Turkey over the last century. Most people lived in rural areas until 1960, but now more than half live in urban areas. This trend has continued over the last 20 years, as families moved further away from city centres to find houses in the country, and this has caused land use to change rapidly. In decision-making studies to protect nature areas, rating and assessment of ecological data by scientific verification is difficult due to the huge volume and diversity of data. Therefore, the search for the most suitable and applicable method to achieve physical planning based on ecological understanding has been sought. The necessity for numerous parameters to be taken into account has stimulated the use of geographic information systems (GIS). This study assesses the usefulness of a GIS-based model in the protected area of Kaynaklar County, to the south of the city of Izmir. Existing cultural and natural land-use types, as well as soil, hydrologic, geologic and geomorphologic data layers (future classes) were gathered from field observation and using Landsat and IKONOS satellite images, and transferred to a database according to GIS rules. Index values were determined by taking impact on attributes of natural protection as a priority and these were attached to each feature class. Layers of data were merged by spatial intersection methods and new polygons were created for both cultural and natural features. A three-grade final map of the study area was generated using total index values of each new polygon.

Yüksek Çözünürlüklü Uydu Görüntüleri İle Zeytin Dikili Alanların Haritalanmasında Kullanabilecek En Uygun Yöntemin Belirlenmesi Üzerine Araştırmalar

eytin agac varliginin belirlenmesi amaclanan bu calismada manuel (elle sayim) olarak uygulanan sablon yontemi ve yari otomatik olarak sayim yapabilen OLICOUNT yazilimi karsilastirilmistir. Yapilan arastirmalar ve