Modelling land cover change impact on the summer climate of the Marmara Region, Turkey

Landscape characteristics of the Marmara Region, Turkey, changed significantly after the 1980s as a result of rapid industrialisation and population increase. To investigate the effects of these land cover changes on the summer regional climate, we implemented 1975 and 2005 land cover maps of the region produced from Landsat images into the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) regional climate model. Urbanisation and conversion from forest to barren areas increased average temperatures by 0.5-1.5 degrees C. Significant precipitation changes could not be detected. The average wind magnitude decreased by 0.3-0.9 m/s over the city and surrounding areas.