Temporal Analysis of Land Cover/Use Change in a Semi-Arid Basin with MODIS Data

Abstract

With the increase in population, industrialization, agricultural activities and urbanization are increasing. In addition to this situation, when the effect of climate change is taken into account, the land cover changes quite rapidly. In this study, the change of land cover/use over time in Konya Closed Basin (KCB), which is a semiarid closed basin, was investigated. Land cover/use data were obtained from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The International Geosphere-Biosphere Program (IGBP) land cover classification scheme was preferred. The study was carried out for the period 2001-2018. The spatial resolution of the data provided annually is 500 m. Land cover/use data were cut according to KCB boundaries. Temporal analysis was performed by calculating the total area of each class belonging to the IGBP classification within the KCB for the 2001-2018 period. According to the results, the classes with the most area in the KCB are grasslands and croplands. Grasslands have decreased significantly over time, while croplands have increased.