IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v14y2025i10p1945-d1758361.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How Do Land Use/Cover Changes Influence Air Quality in Türkiye? A Satellite-Based Assessment

Author

Listed:
  • Mehmet Ali Çelik

    (Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Igdir University, Igdir 76000, Türkiye)

  • Adile Bilik

    (Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Igdir University, Igdir 76000, Türkiye)

  • Muhammed Ernur Akiner

    (Department of Environmental Protection Technologies, Vocational School of Technical Sciences, Akdeniz University, Antalya 07058, Türkiye)

  • Dessalegn Obsi Gemeda

    (Department of Natural Resource Management, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Jimma University, Jimma P.O. Box 378, Ethiopia
    Social-Ecological Systems, Policy and Strategy Lab, Dutse 720101, Nigeria)

Abstract

Air pollution critically impacts global health, climate change, and ecosystem balance. In Türkiye, rapid population growth, urban expansion, and industrial activities lead to significant land use and cover changes, negatively affecting air quality. This study examined the relationship between land use and land cover changes and six key pollutants (sulfur dioxide, ozone, aerosol index, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and formaldehyde) using TROPOMI/Sentinel-5P and European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative data between 2018 and 2024. Satellite-based remote sensing techniques, MODIS data, land surface temperature, and Normalized Vegetation Index analyses were employed. The findings revealed that nitrogen dioxide and carbon dioxide emissions increase with urban expansion and traffic density in metropolitan areas (Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir), while agriculture and deforestation increase aerosol index levels in inland areas. Additionally, photochemical reactions increased surface ozone in the Mediterranean and Aegean regions. At the same time, sulfur dioxide and formaldehyde concentrations reached high levels in highly industrialized and metropolitan cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir. This study highlights the role of green infrastructure in improving air quality and provides data-based recommendations for sustainable land management and urban planning policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Mehmet Ali Çelik & Adile Bilik & Muhammed Ernur Akiner & Dessalegn Obsi Gemeda, 2025. "How Do Land Use/Cover Changes Influence Air Quality in Türkiye? A Satellite-Based Assessment," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-27, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:10:p:1945-:d:1758361
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/10/1945/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/10/1945/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chuanglin Fang & Haimeng Liu & Guangdong Li & Dongqi Sun & Zhuang Miao, 2015. "Estimating the Impact of Urbanization on Air Quality in China Using Spatial Regression Models," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(11), pages 1-23, November.
    2. Abdel-rahman A. Mustafa & Mohamed S. Shokr & Talal Alharbi & Elsayed A. Abdelsamie & Abdelbaset S. El-Sorogy & Jose Emilio Meroño de Larriva, 2025. "Integration of Google Earth Engine and Aggregated Air Quality Index for Monitoring and Mapping the Spatio-Temporal Air Quality to Improve Environmental Sustainability in Arid Regions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-30, April.
    3. Eda Ustaoglu & Brendan Williams, 2022. "Institutional Settings and Effects on Agricultural Land Conversion: A Global and Spatial Analysis of European Regions," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-35, December.
    4. Muluberhan Biedemariam & Emiru Birhane & Biadgilgn Demissie & Tewodros Tadesse & Girmay Gebresamuel & Solomon Habtu, 2022. "Ecosystem Service Values as Related to Land Use and Land Cover Changes in Ethiopia: A Review," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-21, December.
    5. Sabina Bhandari & Chuanrong Zhang, 2022. "Urban Green Space Prioritization to Mitigate Air Pollution and the Urban Heat Island Effect in Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Nepal," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-15, November.
    6. Andrew R. Goetz, 2019. "Transport challenges in rapidly growing cities: is there a magic bullet?," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(6), pages 701-705, November.
    7. Zhipeng Zhu & Guangyu Wang & Jianwen Dong, 2019. "Correlation Analysis between Land Use/Cover Change and Air Pollutants—A Case Study in Wuyishan City," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-15, July.
    8. Antonija Ana Wieser & Marco Scherz & Alexander Passer & Helmuth Kreiner, 2021. "Challenges of a Healthy Built Environment: Air Pollution in Construction Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-29, September.
    9. Bin Zou & Shan Xu & Troy Sternberg & Xin Fang, 2016. "Effect of Land Use and Cover Change on Air Quality in Urban Sprawl," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-14, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jong In Baek & Yong Un Ban, 2020. "The Impacts of Urban Air Pollution Emission Density on Air Pollutant Concentration Based on a Panel Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-26, October.
    2. Qijiao Xie & Qi Sun, 2021. "Monitoring the Spatial Variation of Aerosol Optical Depth and Its Correlation with Land Use/Land Cover in Wuhan, China: A Perspective of Urban Planning," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-18, January.
    3. Zhipeng Zhu & Guangyu Wang & Jianwen Dong, 2019. "Correlation Analysis between Land Use/Cover Change and Air Pollutants—A Case Study in Wuyishan City," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-15, July.
    4. Zhipeng Zhu & Yuxuan Qiao & Qunyue Liu & Conghua Lin & Emily Dang & Weicong Fu & Guangyu Wang & Jianwen Dong, 2021. "The impact of meteorological conditions on Air Quality Index under different urbanization gradients: a case from Taipei," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 3994-4010, March.
    5. Li, Kunming & Fang, Liting & He, Lerong, 2019. "How population and energy price affect China's environmental pollution?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 386-396.
    6. Yu Cao & Cong Xu & Syahrul Nizam Kamaruzzaman & Nur Mardhiyah Aziz, 2022. "A Systematic Review of Green Building Development in China: Advantages, Challenges and Future Directions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-29, September.
    7. Tuo Shi & Yuanman Hu & Miao Liu & Chunlin Li & Chuyi Zhang & Chong Liu, 2020. "How Do Economic Growth, Urbanization, and Industrialization Affect Fine Particulate Matter Concentrations? An Assessment in Liaoning Province, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-14, July.
    8. Zhuang Miao & Tomas Baležentis & Zhihua Tian & Shuai Shao & Yong Geng & Rui Wu, 2019. "Environmental Performance and Regulation Effect of China’s Atmospheric Pollutant Emissions: Evidence from “Three Regions and Ten Urban Agglomerations”," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 74(1), pages 211-242, September.
    9. Malayaranjan Sahoo & Narayan Sethi, 2022. "The dynamic impact of urbanization, structural transformation, and technological innovation on ecological footprint and PM2.5: evidence from newly industrialized countries," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 4244-4277, March.
    10. Manon Feys & Evy Rombaut & Lieselot Vanhaverbeke, 2020. "Experience and Acceptance of Autonomous Shuttles in the Brussels Capital Region," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-23, October.
    11. Weicong Fu & Qunyue Liu & Cecil Konijnendijk van den Bosch & Ziru Chen & Zhipeng Zhu & Jinda Qi & Mo Wang & Emily Dang & Jianwen Dong, 2018. "Long-Term Atmospheric Visibility Trends and Their Relations to Socioeconomic Factors in Xiamen City, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-16, October.
    12. Sebastiano Carbonara & Marco Faustoferri & Davide Stefano, 2021. "Real Estate Values and Urban Quality: A Multiple Linear Regression Model for Defining an Urban Quality Index," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-17, December.
    13. Kamran Khan & Thomas Henschel, 2024. "LCT-Based Framework for the Assessment of Sustainability: From the Perspective of Literature Review," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 175(3), pages 1-20, December.
    14. Huanhuan Xiong & Lingyu Lan & Longwu Liang & Yaobin Liu & Xiaoyu Xu, 2020. "Spatiotemporal Differences and Dynamic Evolution of PM 2.5 Pollution in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-18, July.
    15. Hansol Mun & Mengying Li & Juchul Jung, 2022. "Spatial-Temporal Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Particulate Matter: Geodetector Approach," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-26, December.
    16. Zhen Yang & Yang Hong & Guofang Zhai & Shihang Wang & Mingsong Zhao & Chao Liu & Xuexiang Yu, 2023. "Spatial Coupling of Population and Economic Densities and the Effect of Topography in Anhui Province, China, at a Grid Scale," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-22, December.
    17. Heidarlou, Hadi Beygi & Mirshekarlou, Asma Karamat & Lopez-Carr, David & Borz, Stelian Alexandru, 2024. "Conservation policy and forest transition in Zagros forests: Statistical analysis of human welfare, biophysical, and climate drivers," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    18. Feng Wang & Jing Ren & Juan Liu & Mingru Dong & Bin Yan & Hui Zhao, 2021. "Spatial correlation network and population mobility effect of regional haze pollution: empirical evidence from Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration in China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(11), pages 15881-15896, November.
    19. Ángel Benigno González-Avilés & Carlos Pérez-Carramiñana & Antonio Galiano-Garrigós & Fernando Ibarra-Coves & Claudia Lozano-Romero, 2022. "Analysis of the Energy Efficiency of Le Corbusier’s Dwellings: The Cité Frugès, an Opportunity to Reuse Garden Cities Designed for Healthy and Working Life," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-19, April.
    20. Batara Surya & Hamsina Hamsina & Ridwan Ridwan & Baharuddin Baharuddin & Firman Menne & Andi Tenri Fitriyah & Emil Salim Rasyidi, 2020. "The Complexity of Space Utilization and Environmental Pollution Control in the Main Corridor of Makassar City, South Sulawesi, Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-41, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:10:p:1945-:d:1758361. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.