Short-Term Significant Response to Climate Change: Treeline Shift and Critical Bare Land Contraction in the Western Taurus Mountains

Serdar Selim; Selin Yılmaz; Nihat Karakuş

doi:10.35229/jaes.1837047

EN TR

Short-Term Significant Response to Climate Change: Treeline Shift and Critical Bare Land Contraction in the Western Taurus Mountains

Abstract

Global climate change, characterized by rising temperatures and a reduction in the duration of snow cover, is shifting favorable growth conditions for plant species to higher elevations, consequently inducing an upward migration of the treeline. This study focused on determining the short-term elevational change of the treeline in high-altitude regions. The study area selected was a region in the Western Taurus Mountains above 1,000 meters, characterized by minimal anthropogenic disturbance. Multi-temporal satellite imagery from the years 2004, 2014, and 2024, combined with the NDVI spectral index, was utilized to analyze the changes in forest cover and the spatial dynamics of the treeline.The results confirm a significant altitudinal shift of the treeline between the periods examined, consistent with existing literature. Specifically, the treeline experienced an upward displacement of approximately 24 meters over the 20-year period, which can be associated with changes in climatic components, resulting in an average annual increase of 1.17 m/year. Furthermore, bareland areas, which are critical habitats for high-altitude adapted herbaceous species, particularly endemic flora, showed a tendency towards contraction during this process.The findings demonstrate the high sensitivity of high-altitude ecosystems to climatic variations, even over the short term, and illustrate the spatial changes in land cover. This research provides a holistic and practical methodology for monitoring rapid changes in high-mountain ecosystems and offers results that will serve as a foundation for future ecosystem monitoring studies.

Keywords

Alpine zone , Climate change effects , High-altitude region , Remote sensing , Treeline uplift

İklim Değişikliğine Kısa Vadeli Önemli Tepki: Batı Toros Dağları'nda Ağaç Sınırlarının Kayması ve Kritik Çıplak Arazi Daralması

Öz

Küresel iklim değişikliği, sıcaklıkların artması ve kar örtüsü süresinin kısalması nedeniyle bitki türleri için uygun büyüme koşullarının daha yüksek rakımlara taşınmasına yol açarak ağaç üst sınırının yukarı doğru göç etmesine neden olmaktadır. Bu çalışma, yüksek rakımlı bölgelerde kısa vadede meydana gelen ağaç üst sınırındaki değişimini belirlemeye odaklanmıştır. Çalışma alanı olarak, insan müdahalesinin minimum olduğu, batı Toros dağlarının 1000 m ve üzerindeki rakımda bir bölge seçilmiştir. Araştırmada 2004, 2014 ve 2024 yıllarına ait multi-temporal uydu görüntüleri ve NDVI spektral indexi ile birleştirilerek vejetasyon örtüsündeki değişim ve ağaç üst sınırının mekânsal dinamikleri analiz edilmiştir. Çalışma sonuçları, ağaç üst sınırının söz konusu dönemler arasında literatüre paralel olarak belirgin bir değişim gösterdiği doğrulamıştır. Bu kapsamda, 20 yıllık süreçte iklim bileşenlerindeki değişimle ilişkilendirilebilecek şekilde ağaç üst sınırı yüksek rakıma doğru yaklaşık 24 metre kaymış ve yıllık ortalama 1.17m/yıl artış olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Ayrıca yüksek rakıma adapte olmuş otsu bitki türleri ve özellikle endemik bitkilerin yaşadığı çıplak alanlar bu süreçte daralma eğilimine girmiştir. Elde edilen bulgular, yüksek rakımlı ekosistemlerin kısa vadeli bile olsa iklim değişimlerine karşı yüksek duyarlılığa sahip olduğunu ve arazi örtüsünün mekânsal değişimler sergilediğini göstermektedir. Çalışma, yüksek dağ ekosistemlerinde hızlı değişimlerin izlenmesine yönelik bütüncül ve pratik bir yöntem sunmakta ve gelecek dönemlerde yapılacak ekosistem izleme araştırmalarına temel oluşturacak nitelikte sonuçlar sağlamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Ağaç sınırının yükselmesi , Alp bölgesi , İklim değişikliğinin etkileri , Uzaktan algılama , Yüksek rakımlı bölge

Kaynakça

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Ayrıntılar

Birincil Dil

İngilizce

Konular

Çevresel Değerlendirme ve İzleme

Bölüm

Araştırma Makalesi

Yazarlar

Serdar Selim
0000-0002-5631-6253
Türkiye

Selin Yılmaz
0009-0002-2293-1490
Türkiye

Nihat Karakuş ^*
0000-0002-6924-1879
Türkiye

Yayımlanma Tarihi

26 Nisan 2026

Gönderilme Tarihi

8 Aralık 2025

Kabul Tarihi

15 Nisan 2026

Yayımlandığı Sayı

Yıl 2026 Sayı: 2026

DOI

https://doi.org/10.35229/jaes.1837047

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA57MS55ZM

APA

Selim, S., Yılmaz, S., & Karakuş, N. (2026). Short-Term Significant Response to Climate Change: Treeline Shift and Critical Bare Land Contraction in the Western Taurus Mountains. Journal of Anatolian Environmental and Animal Sciences, 2026, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.35229/jaes.1837047

JAES, 2016- 11.yıl

Short-Term Significant Response to Climate Change: Treeline Shift and Critical Bare Land Contraction in the Western Taurus Mountains

Abstract

Keywords

İklim Değişikliğine Kısa Vadeli Önemli Tepki: Batı Toros Dağları'nda Ağaç Sınırlarının Kayması ve Kritik Çıplak Arazi Daralması

Öz

Anahtar Kelimeler

Kaynakça

Ayrıntılar

Birincil Dil

Konular

Bölüm

Yazarlar

Yayımlanma Tarihi

Gönderilme Tarihi

Kabul Tarihi

Yayımlandığı Sayı

DOI

IZ

Kaynak Göster