Surface urban heat island (SUHI) effects are intensifying in arid desert cities due to rapid urban expansion, limited vegetation, and increasing impervious and barren land surfaces. This leads to serious ecological and socio-environmental challenges in cities. This study investigates the relationship between landscape composition and land surface temperature (LST) in Phoenix and Tucson, two rapidly growing cities located in the Sonoran Desert of the southwestern United States. Landsat-9 OLI-2/TIRS-2 satellite imagery was used to derive the LST value and calculate spectral indices. A multi-resolution grid-based approach was applied to assess spatial correlations between land cover and mean LST across varying spatial scales. The strongest positive correlations were observed with barren land, followed by impervious surfaces, while green space showed a negative correlation. Furthermore, the Urban Thermal Field Variation Index (UTFVI) and the Ecological Evaluation Index (EEI) assessments indicated that over one-third of both cities are exposed to strong SUHI effects and poor ecological quality. The findings highlight the critical need for ecologically sensitive urban planning, emphasizing the importance of the morphological structure of cities, the necessity of planning holistic blue–green infrastructure systems, and the importance of reducing impervious surfaces to decrease LST, mitigate SUHI and SUHI impacts, and increase urban resilience in desert environments. These results provide evidence-based guidance for landscape planning and climate adaptation in hyper-arid urban environments.

The aim of this study is to investigate the potential cooling effect of urban green spaces on land surface temperature (LST). Two significant green areas and their surroundings in the Konyaaltı district of Antalya province were selected as the sample area. Antalya is one of the most important tourist destinations in Turkey and has experienced rapid population growth along with increasing construction. Because the sample area is located in the Mediterranean Climate Zone, the research datasets were limited to a 6-month time series covering May and October, as recommended by previous studies. In the study, cloudless Landsat 8 satellite images were utilized to obtain vegetation density and land surface temperature. After making atmospheric corrections to the satellite images, the researchers used a series of algorithms to calculate NDVI and LST values from Landsat 8's NIR, Red, and thermal bands. A linear cross-section was assigned from the maps, and statistical analysis was performed by applying the Pearson correlation test to the data obtained from the pixels in contact with the section. The analysis revealed that there is a strong opposite correlation between plant density and land surface temperature, and the land surface temperature decreases as the plant density increases. The cooling effect of green areas range from 0.13–1.04 °C, although it varies according to the month. The 1st sample area had an average cooling effect of 0.77 °C, while the 2nd sample area had an average of 0.28 °C cooling effect. Combining the results from both sample areas, the researchers found that urban green spaces provide a cooling effect of 0.52 °C during the hot months of the spring and summer seasons in the Mediterranean climate zone. The results suggest that green areas play an important role in cooling today's cities that have turned into concrete jungles. Therefore, it is suggested that increasing the presence of urban green areas through green infrastructure planning can not only enhance the cooling effect of green spaces in urban areas but also help combat global climate change.

Antalya ili Konyaaltı ilçesinde arazi kullanımı/arazi örtüsünün (AK/AÖ) arazi yüzey sıcaklığı (AYS) üzerindeki etkisini analiz edip değerlendirmek amacıyla yapılan bu çalışmada, ilk olarak açık erişimli Corine verilerinin birinci seviyeye indirgenmesiyle dört sınıflı bir AK/AÖ haritası oluşturulmuştur. Sonra, Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS uydu görüntüsü kullanılarak altı aşamalı bir süreçle AYS haritası üretilmiştir. Araştırma alanında AYS değerlerinin 30,0 °C ile 51,8 °C arasında değiştiği ve ortalama AYS’nin 40,2 °C olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Arazi örtüsü sınıflarına göre yapılan analizler sonucunda, tarım alanları, yapay yüzeyler, orman ve yarı doğal alanlar ile su yapılarının ortalama yüzey sıcaklıkları sırasıyla 41,1 °C, 40,7 °C, 39,7 °C ve 38,7 °C olarak belirlenmiştir. Arazinin örtüsündeki farklılıkların yanı sıra, arazinin kullanım şekli de yüzey sıcaklıkları üzerinde etkili olmuştur. AK/AÖ sınıfları içerisinde en yüksek ve en düşük AYS değerleri arasındaki fark, en fazla (19,9 °C) orman ve yarı doğal alanlarda, en az (7,7 °C) ise su yapılarında saptanmıştır. Yapay yüzeyler ve tarım alanlarında bu fark 18,5 °C olarak hesaplanmıştır. Arazi yüzey sıcaklıklarındaki farklılıklar, yüzey örtüsü özelliklerinden, arazi örtüsü sınıflarının kendi içindeki heterojen yapısından, arazinin kullanım şeklinden, bitki yoğunluğu, albedo değerleri ve evapotranspirasyon süreçlerinden kaynaklanmaktadır. Sonuç olarak, Antalya ili Konyaaltı ilçesinde AK/AÖ sınıflarının yüzey sıcaklıkları üzerindeki etkilerinin değerlendirildiği bu çalışmada, arazinin yüzey örtüsünün ve kullanım şeklinin yüzey sıcaklığı üzerinde etkili olduğu sonucuna varılmıştır. Elde edilen sonuçlar, AYS’nin kentsel planlama, sürdürülebilir arazi yönetimi ve iklim adaptasyonu stratejilerinde kullanılabilecek önemli bir mekânsal gösterge niteliği taşıdığını göstermektedir.

Flooding, one of the most destructive and recurrent natural catastrophes, causes severe loss of life and property. The destructive effect of floods has increased with climate change and unplanned urbanization. To prevent this devastation and find solutions to potential flooding, it is important to improve engineering, ecological, hydrological, and hydrogeological precautions, as well as potential flood simulations. Using hydraulic models to perform flood simulations is a common and successful approach globally. In this study, HEC-RAS (1D) was used to simulate three different flood scenarios on the Boğaçay sub-basin in Antalya, the most important tourism destination of Türkiye. Flood scenarios were developed based on the data of the floods that occurred in the region in 2003 and 2006, with measured flow rates of 1899.9 m³/s and 1450 m³/s, respectively, and with the maximum flow rate (2408 m³/s) determined by the relevant ministry. Then, the landscape composition of the region at the sub-basin scale was determined and the impacts of flood scenarios on the landscape composition around the riverbed were evaluated. The results of the analysis show that the water height will increase, ranging from 1.4 m to 3.6 m, and the landscape composition of the region will be significantly affected by this increase in water height in the three different flood scenarios. Especially in the part where the river meets the sea, 580.74 ha of urban settlement is estimated to be damaged by flooding, according to the worst-case scenario. Finally, the study will guide decision-makers to take the necessary measures under the relevant scenarios.

Kentte yaşayanların kentsel yaşam kalitesinin sağlanması ve kentsel yeşil sistemlerden yararlanabilmeleri, her yaş grubunu kapsayan uygun fiziksel ve sosyal ortamların oluşturulması ile mümkündür. Özellikle kentsel yaşam içerisinde savunmasız grubu oluşturan ve hareket kabiliyeti kısıtlı bireyler olarak yaşlıların yeşil alanlara erişilebilirliğinin sağlanmış olması, kamu/toplum yararını savunan yaşlı dostu kentlerin esas amaçlarındadır. Yaşlı dostu kentlerde yaşlıların mahalle ölçeğinde kentsel yeşil alanlara erişilebilirliğini değerlendirmede ana faktör ikamet alanları ile kentsel yeşil alanlar arasındaki yaya yürünebilirlik mesafesidir. Çalışmada, Coğrafi Bilgi Sistemi (CBS) tabanlı network analizi kullanılarak yaşlıların kentsel yeşil alanlara erişilebilirliklerinin mahalle ölçeğinde değerlendirilmesi ve mahallelerin yaşlı dostu mahalle kapsamında sınıflandırılması hedeflenmiştir. Bu hedef doğrultusunda ilk olarak yeşil alanların erişilebilirliğine dair literatür taramasıyla erişilebilirlik ölçütleri ortaya konulmuş ve kent merkezinde yer alan parklar CBS ortamında sayısallaştırılmıştır. ArcGIS Pro yazılımında yapılan network analizi sonucunda yaşlıların parklara erişilebilirlik düzeyleri mekânsal olarak tespit edilmiş ve önem düzeyine göre ağırlıklı puanlandırma yapılarak yaşlı dostu mahalle haritası üretilmiştir. Üretilen haritaya göre, Bolu kent merkezinde erişimi iyi düzeyde olan 20 mahallenin yaşlı dostu mahalle olduğu, 10 mahallenin erişiminin orta ve 13 mahallenin erişiminin zayıf düzeyde olması nedeniyle 23 mahallenin yaşlı dostu mahalle olmadığı sonucuna varılmıştır

This study focuses on determining the thermal comfort conditions of seasonal agricultural workers during the hot periods of the year when agricultural production is intense in the Aksu/Türkiye region, which is characterized by the Csa climate type according to the Köppen–Geiger climate classification. In this study, the thermal comfort conditions of seasonal agricultural workers working on open farmlands were evaluated in ten-day, monthly, and seasonal periods for 6 months between 5:00 and 21:00 h using the modified Physiological Equivalent Temperature (mPET) index in the Rayman Pro software according to their activity energy during work. The results of the study reveal that increased activity energy leads to a decrease in thermal comfort conditions of agricultural workers, mPET values of agricultural workers engaged in soil cultivation (Group II) are 2.1 to 2.9 °C higher than the mPET values of workers engaged in plant care and harvesting (Group I), and the agricultural workers in Group II are exposed to more heat stress. The thermal comfort conditions of agricultural workers in Group I deteriorate between 09:00 and 16:00 h with mPET values between 34.1 and 35.3 °C and those of agricultural workers in Group II deteriorate between 08:00 and 17:00 h with mPET values between 34.3 and 37.7 °C. In this context, the daily comfortable working time in the morning and afternoon was found to be 9 h for Group I and 7 h for Group II. Overall, determining the comfortable working hours of agricultural workers in regions with different climate types in future studies will be an important resource for decision-makers in developing strategies to protect the health and increase the productivity of agricultural workers.