Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Detrimental environmental impact of large scale land use through deforestation and deterioration of carbon balance in Istanbul Northern Forest Area

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Earth Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study explored the environmental impact of the large-scale projects, the 3rd Bridge across the Bosphorus and 3rd Airport, carried out in the last decade leading to the massive deterioration of the northern forest area in Istanbul. Destroyed forest area was assessed through relevant changes in land classification detected by multi-temporal Landsat data of Istanbul between 2009 and 2016. The magnitude of destroyed carbon stocks and related CO2 emission together with the reduction in the CO2 absorption potential inflicted by massive land-use change were also calculated. Observed results indicated that approximately 15,000 ha of forest area was destroyed in 7 years, corresponding to a 7% ultimate loss in the total forest area. The total land cover change for the same period was determined as 11.5% of the study area. The extent of land cover changes indicated that more than 4.4 million tons of CO2 were additionally emitted to the atmosphere, due to observed reduction of carbon stocks between 2009 and 2016. More than 70% of the total C/CO2 emission associated with land cover changes could be attributed to the loss of forest land. In addition, destroyed forestland corresponded to a CO2 absorption loss of 0.3 million tons CO2/year equivalent to the emission of 830,000 people in Istanbul.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Akin A, Sunar F, Berberoglu S (2015) Urban change analysis and future growth of Istanbul. Environ Monit Assess 187(8):506. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4721-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Reasi HA, Kwarteng A, Sulaiman H, Amoatey P (2018) Above-ground carbon dynamics in different arid urban green spaces. Environ Earth Sci 77:431. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-018-7613-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ayazli IE, Kilic F, Lauf S, Demir H, Kleinschmit B (2015) Simulating urban growth driven by transportation networks: a casestudy of the Istanbul third bridge. Land Use Policy 49(2015):332–340

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bauer ME, Yuan F, Sawaya KE (2003) Multi-temporal Landsat image classification and change analysis of land cover in the twin cities (Minnesota) metropolitan area. MutiTemp-2003. In: Second international workshop on the analysis of multi-temporal remote sensing images, July 16–18, 2003. Ispra, Italy

  • Bossard M, Feranec J and Otahel J (2000) CORINE land cover technical guide—Addendum 2000 Technical report No 40. European Environment Agency

  • Campbell JB (2002) Introduction to remote sensing. Taylor&Francis, London. ISBN: 0898627761

  • CCAP (2015) Istanbul climate change action plan: greenhouse gas inventory, Project Report, Istanbul Climate Change Action Plan Preparation Project. https://www.iklim.istanbul/wp-content/uploads/seragazievanteri.pdf. Accessed 25 Feb 2020

  • Congalton RG (1991) A review of assessing the accuracy of classifications of remotely sensed data. Remote Sens Environ 37:35–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/0034-4257(91)90048-B

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coppin P, Jonckheere I, Nackaerts K, Muys B (2004) Digital change detection methods in ecosystem monitoring: a review. Int J Remote Sens 25(9):1565–1596

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dogan E, Stupar A (2017) The limits of growth: a case study of three mega-projects in Istanbul. Cities 60:281–288

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dogru AO, Bektas Balçık F, Goksel C, Ulugtekin NN (2006) Monitoring coastal dunes by using remote sensing and GIS integration in North West part of Turkey: a case study of Kilyos dunes. Fresenius Environ Bull 15(9b):1227–1231

    Google Scholar 

  • Foody GM (2002) Status of land cover classification accuracy assessment. Remote Sens Environ 80(2002):185–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(01)00295-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • GDCDE (2018) Soil organic carbon project. Unpublished project final report by TÜBİTAK-BİLGEM and General Directorate of Combating Desertification and Erosion

  • Goksel C, David RM, Dogru AO (2018) Environmental monitoring of spatio-temporal changes in northern Istanbul using remote sensing and GIS. Int J Environ Geoinf 5(1):94–103. https://doi.org/10.30897/ijegeo.410943

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gong P (2012) Remote sensing of environmental change over China: a review. Chin Sci Bull 57:2793–2801

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griffiths P, Hostert P, Gruebner O, van der Linden S (2010) Mapping megacity growth with multi-sensor data. Remote Sens Environ 114(2):426–439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2009.09.012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gürel A, Gündüz AE (2011) İstanbul’un ekolojik yapısı üzerine bir araştırma—a research on the ecological structure of Istanbul. Marmara Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi- The Journal of Marmara Social Research, 1, December 2011 (in Turkish)

  • IBB (2009) Istanbul Environmental Plan. http://www.ibb.gov.tr/tr-TR/kurumsal/Birimler/SehirPlanlamaMd/Documents/100.000%20%C3%96l%C3%A7ekli%20%C3%87evre%20D%C3%BCzeni%20Plan%C4%B1%20Sunum%20TR.pdf Accessed 1 Mar 2020

  • IPCC (2006) IPCC Guidelines for national greenhouse gas inventories. Prepared by the National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme, Eggleston HS, Buendia L, Miwa K, Ngara T and Tanabe K. (eds). Published: IGES, Japan

  • Jensen JR (2005) Introductory digital image processing: a remote sensing perspective, 3rd Edn. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River

  • Kharazmi R, Tavili A, Rahdari MR, Chaban L, Panidi E, Comino RJ (2018) Monitoring and assessment of seasonal land cover changes using remote sensing: a 30-year (1987–2016) case study of Hamoun Wetland, Iran. Environ Monit Assess 190:356. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-018-6726-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu D, Weng Q (2007) A survey of image classification methods and techniques for improving classification performance. Int J Remote Sens 28(5):823–870. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431160600746456

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayomi I (2009) Assessment of human impacts on landuse and vegetation cover changes in Mubi region, Adamawa State, Nigeria; remote sensing and GIS approach. Global J Environ Sci 8(2):1B. https://doi.org/10.4314/gjes.v8i2.53778

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mouat DA, Mahin GC, Lancaster JS (1993) Remote sensing techniques in the analysis of change detection. Geocarto Int 2:39–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orhon D (2014a) Istanbul canal needs environmental study. Nature 513(7519):461

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orhon D (2014b) Will the Marmara Sea survive? The struggle against pollution. Government Gazette, March 2014, pp 14–15. ISSN: 1042-4167

  • Sanli FB, Bektas FB, Goksel C (2008) Defining temporal spatial patterns of mega city Istanbul to see the impacts of increasing population. Environ Monit Assess 146:267–275. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-007-0078-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh A (1989) Digital change detection techniques using remotely-sensed data. Int J Remote Sens 10(6):989–1003. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431168908903939

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taubenböck H, Esch T, Felbier A, Wiesner M, Roth A, Dech S (2012) Monitoring urbanization in mega cities from space. Remote Sens Environ 117(2012):162–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2011.09.015

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tecimen HB (2000) Ağaçlı (İstanbul) kömür ocakları artıkları üstündeki ağaçlandırmanın ham matertyaldeki organik madde ve azot birikimine etkileri. MSc Thesis, İstanbul University, Institute of Science and Engineering (in Turkish)

  • Tennyson R (2014) Ontario trees that sequester carbon dioxide and other atmospheric pollutants, Environmental benefits from energy conservation. https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2014/pe/bgrd/backgroundfile-70898.pdf. Accessed 25 Feb 2020

  • Tolunay D (2011) Total carbon stock and carbon accumulation in living tree biomass in forest ecosystems of Turkey. Turk J Agric For 35:265–279. https://doi.org/10.3906/tar-0909-369

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tolunay D, Çömez A (2008) Türkiye ormanlarında toprak ve ölü örtüde depolanmış organik karbon miktarları—amounts of organic carbon stored in forest floor and soil in Turkey. Hava Kirliliği ve Kontrolü Ulusal Sempozyumu 2008. 22–25 October 2008, Hatay (in Turkish)

  • Tolunay D, Makineci E, Şahin A, Özturna AG, Pehlivan S (2017) İstanbul-Durusu kumul alanlarındaki sahil çamı (pinus pinaster ait.) ve fıstık çamı (pinus pinea L.) ağaçlandırmalarında karbon birikimi. National Project supported by TÜBİTAK TOVAG, Project No: 114O797 (in Turkish)

  • TUIK (2020) Official website for Address Based Population Registration System in Turkey by Turkish Statistical Institute. https://biruni.tuik.gov.tr/medas/?kn=95&locale=en. Accessed 2 Mar 2020

  • NIR Turkey (2018) National greenhouse gas inventory report of the Turkey 1990–2016. https://unfccc.int/documents/65716. Accessed 25 Feb 2020

  • URL 1: Official website of USGS Earth Resources Observation Systems Data Center, https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/. Accessed 25 Feb 2020

  • Wang J, Jiao Z, Bai Z (2014) Changes in carbon sink value based on RS and GIS in the Heidaigou opencast coal mine. Environ Earth Sci 71:863–871. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2488-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu Z, Woodcock CE (2014) Continuous change detection and classification of land cover using all available Landsat data. Remote Sens Environ 144:152–171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2014.01.011

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geomatics Engineering Department, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey

    Ahmet Ozgur Dogru, Cigdem Goksel & Ruusa Magano David

  2. Department of Soil Science and Ecology, Faculty of Forestry, Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa, Bahcekoy, 34473, Istanbul, Turkey

    Doganay Tolunay

  3. Environmental Engineering Department, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey

    Seval Sözen

  4. ENVIS Energy and Environmental Systems Research and Development Ltd, ITU ARI Technocity, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey

    Seval Sözen & Derin Orhon

  5. Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Department of Environmental Engineering, Near East University, Nicosia, 99138, Mersin 10, Turkey

    Derin Orhon

Authors
  1. Ahmet Ozgur Dogru
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Cigdem Goksel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ruusa Magano David
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Doganay Tolunay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Seval Sözen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Derin Orhon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Derin Orhon.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (DOCX 17 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dogru, A.O., Goksel, C., David, R.M. et al. Detrimental environmental impact of large scale land use through deforestation and deterioration of carbon balance in Istanbul Northern Forest Area. Environ Earth Sci 79, 270 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-020-08996-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-020-08996-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation