Analyzing land cover changes of Osmancik (Corum, Turkey) basin with landsat TM images

Abstract

This research involves land cover changes of Osmancik Basin. The basin, is located in northern, part of Turkey, between 40 degrees 48' - 41 degrees 40' north latitudes and 34 degrees 41' - 35 degrees 04' east longitudes. The aim of this study is to research the permanent effects of human activities on natural land cover change. For this purpose, satellite images which enclose 1987 - 2010 periods are used as data. Erdas Imagine 10.0 software was used to analyse these images by using data images (Landsat TM) processing techniques. Land cover change nomenclature, is made due to Corine (Coordination of Information on the Environment) Class 2 (Urban fabric, Forest, Shrub and/or herbaceous vegetation association, Heterogeneous areas, Inlands wetlands) and Class 3 (Rice fields). All images were independently classified using the supervised classification method of maximum likelihood algorithm. As a result, a period of over 20 years deforestation was calculated 62% from 66663, 1 to 25266, 2 hectares between 1987 and 2010. In the same period, urban fabric changing was observed 190 % from 1949, 8 to 5671, 8 hectares. On the contrary, Inland wetlands have increased from 429, 4 to 1641, 6 hectares because of the built up new big dam named Obruk.