Page 30 - Çevre Şehir İklim İngilizce - Sayı 1

Climate Change And Türkiye

invasions in Türkiye are droughts, air pollution, and acid rains (MGM, 2014).
Between 1003 and 1994 alone, around 2 million m³ of trees were destroyed
due to pest invasions. In addition, starting from the 1970s, due to the
abnormal droughts cases in the Mediterranean Basin, there are an observable
number withered trees in massive numbers in the Aegean and Mediterranean
regions. Moreover, the poor conditions of trees decrease the resilience of
forests against meteorological disasters such as storms, snow, avalanches,
etc. As a result, the number of toppled and broken trees also increases. This
renders forests vulnerable to other harms. These issues affect the biodiversity,
gene depositaries and carbon sequestration capacity of our forests. Hence,
there is need for further study on the effects of climate change on our forests.
To this end, it is advisable that the studies covering climate change led by
General Directorate of Forestry so far be updated and make relevant scientific
projections till 2050.

Groundwater

In periods of drought, there is great need for groundwater. Groundwater
and climate are interconnected in many aspects. The connection between
climate and groundwater is gaining importance as part of the studies on
climate change and variations. It can easily be suggested that the decreasing
trend in groundwater levels (especially in Central Anatolia in Türkiye) is closely
related to the upward trend on droughts (and thus, climate change.
As a result of climate change, the recharge of many groundwater
depositaries (aquifers) usually takes place around winter time. On the other
hand, summer groundwater recharge levels are extremely low. Climate change
has an effect not only on the quantity, but also the quality of groundwater.
The indirect effects of climate change on the quantity of groundwater result
from the changes in the extraction and use of groundwater caused by the
climate. Climate change can affect changes in the amount of plants, and thus,
the recharge of groundwater. Climate change may have a profound effect on
the recharge levels of great aquifer systems, and the supply of sustainable
groundwater in the region may also undergo a great deal of change. For
shallow aquifers, weather temperatures may have a much greater effect on
groundwater than precipitation.

Adaptation to Climate Change

If managers of water resources take the effects of climate change into
consideration in the next 10-100, years, then there could be a healthier water
management.

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