Land Use Change in Türkiye and Determination of Priority Areas for Urban Heat Island Studies

Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect of climate change and unplanned urbanisation in developing countries like Türkiye is frequently investigated. Where to prioritise UHI studies is an important problem. In this study, CORINE Land Use/Land Cover (LU/LC), Meteorological Station (MS), urban LU/LC and provincial boundary data were analysed using GIS to provide a basis for the planning of UHI studies in Türkiye. In addition to the change in the LU/LC at the provincial level in Türkiye, the proportion of urbanised area within a 10 kilometer radius of the MS and the proportion of dense urban LU/LC types were found. In 1990, 0.91% of Türkiye 's surface area was allocated to Artificial Surfaces (AS), while this ratio increased to 1.97% in 2018. The highest amount of conversion to AS was in Istanbul (1041 km2) and Ankara (949 km2). The rate of conversion of MS into AS within a radius of 10 km varies between 23.8% and 40.8%, while the rate of dense urban LU/LC of 22 MS at the same distance varies between 38.4% and 54.4%.