Climate Change Analysis in Mountainous Areas: Trends in Land Surface Temperature and Cloud Cover Ratio in the Köroğlu Mountain Region

Year 2025, Volume: 16 Issue: 2, 357 - 389, 30.07.2025

Murat Yiğit Kaynakkan , Erkan Yilmaz

Abstract

In this study, surface temperature and cloud cover rates in the Köroğlu Mountains—one of Turkey's significant mountainous regions—were analyzed between the years 2000 and 2022 using MODIS (Terra and Aqua) satellite data. Although the region holds strategic importance due to its forested areas, agricultural lands, water resources, and settlements, it has not been adequately studied because of its mountainous terrain and the limited number of meteorological stations. In this context, surface temperature and cloud cover data for the months of January, April, July, and October were evaluated, and temporal change trends were determined using the Mann-Kendall trend test. The findings reveal that there are significant positive trends in surface temperatures in mountainous areas particularly in April, while some areas exhibited negative temperature trends during daytime in July. Cloud cover rates peaked in January and dropped to the lowest levels in July. Significant decreases in cloud cover were also detected in April and October. This study demonstrates that MODIS satellite data is an effective method for monitoring climate change in vast and rugged terrains and provides valuable contributions to regional planning, agriculture, and water resource management

Keywords

Köroğlu Mountains , climate change , MODIS , surface temperature , cloud cover , Mann-Kendall test

DAĞLIK ALANLARDA İKLİM DEĞİŞİKLİĞİ ANALİZİ: KÖROĞLU DAĞLIK ALANI’NDA YÜZEY SICAKLIK VE BULUTLULUK ORANI EĞİLİMLERİ

Abstract

Bu çalışmada Türkiye’nin önemli dağlık bölgelerinden biri olan Köroğlu Dağları’nda, 2000–2022 yılları arasında, MODIS (Terra ve Aqua) uydu verileri aracılığıyla yüzey sıcaklığı ve bulutluluk oranları analiz edilmiştir. Bölge; ormanlık alanları, tarım sahaları, su kaynakları ve yerleşim birimleriyle stratejik öneme sahip olmasına rağmen, dağlık yapısı ve meteorolojik istasyonların sınırlılığı nedeniyle gerektiği gibi incelenememektedir. Bu kapsamda ocak, nisan, temmuz ve ekim aylarına ait yüzey sıcaklığı ve bulutluluk verileri değerlendirilmiş; Mann-Kendall eğilim testi ile zamansal değişim eğilimleri belirlenmiştir. Bulgular, özellikle nisan ayında dağlık alanlarda yüzey sıcaklıklarında anlamlı pozitif eğilimler olduğunu, temmuz ayında ise bazı alanlarda gündüz vakitlerinde negatif sıcaklık eğilimlerinin görüldüğünü ortaya koymaktadır. Bulutluluk oranları en yüksek seviyeye ocak ayında ulaşırken, temmuz ayında en düşük seviyelere gerilemiştir. Nisan ve ekim aylarında ise anlamlı bulutluluk azalmaları tespit edilmiştir. Bu çalışma, MODIS uydu verilerinin geniş ve engebeli alanlarda iklim değişimini izleme açısından etkili bir yöntem olduğunu ortaya koymakta ve bölgesel planlama, tarım ve su kaynakları yönetimi açısından önemli katkılar sunmaktadır.

Keywords

Köroğlu Dağları , iklim değişikliği , MODIS , yüzey sıcaklığı , bulutluluk , Mann-Kendall testi

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