Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Fresenius Environmental Bulletin, cilt.18, sa.1, ss.92-97, 2009 (SCI-Expanded)
In this study, LANDSAT satellite images and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) were used to evaluate and compare the change in grasslands of Kars Province (in the eastern part of Turkey) by years. For this purpose, the maps showing the current status of grasslands and their distribution 21 years ago were evaluated and compared. The Landsat 5 TM satellite images taken in 2005, the report on land-use in Kars province from 1972 and revised in 1984 by the General Directorate of Village Affairs, as well as a map with a scale of 1:100,000 were used. In order to determine the current status of grasslands, red (0.45-0.52 μm), near infra-red (0.52-0.60 μm) and infrared (0.63-0.69 μm) bands of Landsat images were used and unsupervised classification was applied to produce the distribution map of grasslands showing the present status. In order to define the past status of grasslands, the land-use map of Kars was digitized according to the database revised in 1984. Then, these two maps were overlaid in GIS, and as a result, the change between the years 1984 and 2005 was highlighted. This study showed that grasslands were decreased by 9.76 % during the 21-years period, while agricultural lands were increased by 8.65 %. Furthermore, according to the overlaid maps, it was observed that the increased agricultural area created pressure on grasslands.