A satellite based assessment of the impact of urban expansion around a lagoon

This paper examines the coastal regional trends in urbanization processes using remotely sensed images around the Kucukcekmece Lagoon as a case study, located in the western part of Istanbul, Turkey. Throughout the examination process, the coastline changes are determined for a long-term period. To achieve this goal, post-classification comparison method is applied to the CORONA and LANDSAT TM satellite images of 1963, 1987 and 2005. In order to identify the land use changes, common landscape structures in the region were distinguished as water, green and open land, urban and industrial areas. Due to the mix up of land-cover types between urban and industrial areas, the classified images are integrated with geographic information system data obtained from visual interpretation of the enhanced images and auxiliary data sets. The results of the change analyses in coastal region showed that important alterations are taking place in the area due to the unplanned urban and industrial expansions that has irreversibly changed the physical features of the Kucukcekmece Lagoon. According to image classification results, the urban land use area increased from 2% of total area in 1963 to 38% in 1987 and 46% in 2005, most of which converted from agricultural and greenlands. At the same time, the ecological impact of the loss of specific land covers is highlighted based on the results of the land use changes and the previous scientific applications. Furthermore, some recommendations are given to planners, decision makers and politicians to maintain the sustainable coastal ecosystem management.