Effect of vegetation change from native broadleaf forest to coniferous plantation on selected soil properties

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of vegetation change from a native broadleaf forest to a coniferous plantation on selected soil properties, including soil texture, pH, organic matter, total nitrogen (N), total phosphorus (P), exchangeable cations (Ca²⁺, K⁺, Na⁺), and cation exchange capacity (CEC). Results showed that the amount of clay particles, Ca²⁺, and K⁺ values significantly increased, whereas Na⁺, total N, and organic matter and soil pH values decreased on the treatment plot after vegetation change. Soil acidity also increased and soil textural group changed from moderately fine-textured soils (clay loam) to medium-textured soils (loam) under both control and treatment plots. Organic matter, total N, and Na⁺ values increased, whereas Ca²⁺ concentration decreased through time on the control plot. Soil pH, total P, K⁺, and CEC did not show significant changes through time on the control plot.     

Heavy metals in water and in tissues of himri (Carasobarbus luteus) from Orontes (Asi) River, Turkey

Concentrations of heavy metals (Ag, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb ve Zn) were measured in running water and in tissues (muscle, liver, gill, skin and gonads) of one commercially valuable fish species (Carasobarbus luteus) from the Orontes (Asi) River (Güzelburç region) in Hatay (Southeastern Turkey). Results for levels in water compared with national and international water quality guidelines were found at the highest concentrations in international criteria’s WHO, EC and EPA, but Cd, Cu, Ni and Pb were found to exceed permissible level of drinking water in national criteria TSE-266 whereas Fe, Zn and Cr concentrations were within the permissible levels for drinking. The present study showed a significant seasonal variation (p?p?>?0.05), which showed seasonal variation of only Zn (p?C. luteus were below the permissible limit for human consumption, level of Cu being very close to the permissible limit. Consequently, continuous monitoring of heavy metal concentration in edible freshwater fish will be needed in Orontes River.     

Application of multivariate statistical techniques in the assessment of surface water quality in Uluabat Lake, Turkey

The application of different multivariate statistical approaches for the interpretation of a complex data matrix obtained during the period 2004-2005 from Uluabat Lake surface water is presented in this study. The dataset consists of the analytical results of a 1 year-survey conducted in 12 sampling stations in the Lake. Twelve parameters (T, pH, DO, [Formula: see text], NH(4)-N, NO(2)-N, NO(3)-N, [Formula: see text], BOD, COD, TC, FC) were monitored in the sampling sites on a monthly basis (except December 2004, January and February 2005, a total of 1,296 observations). The dataset was treated using cluster analysis, principle component analysis and factor analysis on principle components. Cluster analysis revealed two different groups of similarities between the sampling sites, reflecting different physicochemical properties and pollution levels in the studied water system. Three latent factors were identified as responsible for the data structure, explaining 77.35% of total variance in the dataset. The first factor called the microbiological factor explained 32.34% of the total variance. The second factor named the organic-nutrient factors explained 25.46% and the third factor called physicochemical factors explained 19.54% of the variances, respectively.     

National assessment of sea level rise using topographic and census data for Turkish coastal zone

Turkish coastal zone elevation to sea level rise was illustrated by using digital elevation model and Geographical information systems methods. It was intended to determine several parameters such as population, settlements, land use, wetlands, contribution to national agricultural production and taxes at risk by using high resolution SRTM topographic, orthorectified Landsat Thematic Mapper Mosaics and census data with GIS methods within 0-10 m elevation of national level. All parameters were examined for coastal cities, coastal districts, settlements and villages' status. As a result of the analysis of data set, it was found that approximately 7,319 km(2) of land area lies below 10 m contour line in Turkey, and is hence highly vulnerable to sea-level rise. 28 coastal cities, 191 districts and 181 villages or towns are located below 10 m contour line in study area. In the short term, for the struggle of negative impact of sea level rise, the findings suggest that the Ministry of Environment should declare new areas as protection areas and develop special environmental programs for national level.     

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 Çe?me peninsula, which is to the immediate west of Turkey’s third largest city ?zmir, 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.     

Determining land use changes by radar-optic fused images and monitoring its environmental impacts in Edremit region of western Turkey

Rapid and unplanned urbanization and industrialization are the main reasons of environmental problems. If urban growth is not based on resource sustainability criteria and urban plans are not applied, natural and human resources are damaged dramatically. In this study, land use change and urban expansion in Edremit region of Turkey is determined by means of remote sensing techniques between 1971 and 2002. To improve the accuracy of land use/cover maps, the contribution of SAR images to optic images in defining land cover types was investigated. To determine the situation of land use/cover types in 2002 accurately, Landsat-5 images and Radarsat-1 images were fused, and the land use/cover types were defined from the fused images. Comparisons with the ground truth reveal that land use maps generated using the fuse technique are improved about 6% with an accuracy of 81.20%. To define land use types and urban expansion, screen digitizing and classification methods were used. The results of the study indicate that the urban areas have been increased 1,826 ha across the agricultural fields which are in land use capability classes of I and II, and significant environmental changes such as land degradation and degeneration of ground water quality occurred.     

Geological and technical characterisation of Iscehisar (Afyon-Turkey) marble deposits and the impact of marble waste on environmental pollution

Turkey, due to its location in the Alpine-Himalayan belt, has numerous marble deposits. More than 250 marble types with different colours and patterns have been produced from these deposits and one hundred of these are well known around the world. One such well-known marble type is Afyon-Iscehisar. Afyon-Iscehisar is Palaeozoic in age and has been quarried since the era of the Roman empire. The Afyon region is known as one of the most important marble production and processing centres in Turkey. The Afyon province, which possesses 3.5% of exploitable marble reserves (3,872,000,000 tonne) in Turkey, yields 9% of the total marble block production. The 409 marble processing plants in Afyon produce 19% of the total slab in Turkey. As a result of marble production activities, approximately 340,000 tonne of marble waste has accumulated in the area. While some of these unshaped marble blocks are re-used and returned to the economy, the majority are discarded. There are two waste marble storage fields located in the Afyon-Iscehisar region. All of the solid and fine-grained marble waste is stored in waste marble storage fields in Susuz Bo?az? and in the nearby Iscehisar marble quarries. The ecological effects of the marble waste, which were once discharged everywhere and exhibited visual pollution, has now been reduced to a minimal level.     

Probabilistic fugacity analysis of Lake Pontchartrain pollution after Hurricane Katrina

After Hurricane Katrina passed through the US Gulf Coast in August 2005, floodwaters covering New Orleans were pumped into Lake Pontchartrain as part of the rehabilitation process in order to make the city habitable again. The long-term consequences of this environmentally critical decision were difficult to assess at the time and were left to observation. In the aftermath of these natural disasters, and in cases of emergency, the proactive use of screening level models may prove to be an important factor in making appropriate decisions to identify cost effective and environmentally friendly mitigation solutions. In this paper, we propose such a model and demonstrate its use through the application of several hypothetical scenarios to examine the likely response of Lake Pontchartrain to the contaminant loading that were possibly in the New Orleans floodwaters. For this purpose, an unsteady-state fugacity model was developed in order to examine the environmental effects of contaminants with different physicochemical characteristics on Lake Pontchartrain. The three representative contaminants selected for this purpose are benzene, atrazine, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The proposed approach yields continuous fugacity values for contaminants in the water, air, and sediment compartments of the lake system which are analogous to concentrations. Since contaminant data for the floodwaters are limited, an uncertainty analysis was also performed in this study. The effects of uncertainty in the model parameters were investigated through Monte Carlo analysis. Results indicate that the acceptable recovery of Lake Pontchartrain will require a long period of time. The computed time range for the levels of the three contaminants considered in this study to decrease to maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) is about 1 year to 68 years. The model can be implemented to assess the possible extent of damage inflicted by any storm event on the natural water resources of Southern Louisiana or similar environments elsewhere. Furthermore, the model developed can be used as a useful decision-making tool for planning and remediation in similar emergency situations by examining various potential contamination scenarios and their consequences.     

Vegetation as an Indicator of Soil Properties and Water Quality in the Akarçay Stream (Turkey)

In this study, the relationship among water quality, soil properties, and plant coverage in the region of the Akarçay stream was examined. Correlation analyses were carried out between soil samples taken from each of four plant communities in the Akarçay basin and water in the Akarçay stream. The four plant communities in the study area are as follows: Limonium lilacinum (Boiss. et Bal.) Wag., Alhagi pseudalhagi (M. Bieb.) Desv. Peganum harmala L., and Hordeum marinum Huds. subsp. marinum. B, Cl, EC, K, Mg, Na, pH, and SO₄ data from both soil and water samples were subjected to statistical analysis, and significant correlations were obtained (p < 0.05). These correlations indicated that the chemical features of the soil had a major effect on water quality. The important parameters were B, Cl, EC, K, Mg, Na, pH, and SO₄ for Limonium lilacinum communities; Ca, K, and pV for Peganum harmala; and B, Cl, Mg, pH, and pV for Alhagi pseudalhagi. There were also statistically significant relationships (p < 0.05) among the parameters examined. These findings strongly suggested that these plant communities can be used as indicators for soil chemistry and water quality.     

PCB mass transfer coefficients determined by application of a water surface sampler

A water surface sampler (WSS) was employed in combination with greased surface deposition plates (GSDPs) to measure the particulate dry deposition and gas exchange of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Chicago, IL. Vapor phase PCB fluxes were calculated by subtracting the particulate fluxes obtained from GSDPs from total (particulate+gas) fluxes obtained from the WSS. Vapor phase PCB fluxes were divided by ambient air concentrations measured with a high volume sampler to calculate overall gas phase PCB mass transfer coefficients (K(G)). The calculated average PCB MTC was 0.54+/-0.47 cm s(-1). This experimentally determined average gas phase overall mass transfer coefficient, K(G), agreed well with the ones reported from studies using similar techniques and agreed well with modeled values obtained using MTC correlations developed for the WSS.