Using satellite imagery to assess the changes in land use and land cover in Diyarbakır city (SE Turkey)

This study aims to describe, classify, and analyze the most common anthropogenic factors that have altered the landscape. For this reason, the city of Diyarbakır, one of Mesopotamia’s largest and most urbanized cities, was chosen as an example of several anthropogenic factors. Several field surveys were conducted to determine the most common anthropogenic activities in the study area. They were then classified into four categories: marble quarries, aggregate quarries, water bodies, and built-up areas. A series of satellite images spanning 1975 to 2019 were analyzed by investigating time-based anthropogenic changes. The trends, distributions, and impacts of 177 locations were examined and monitored through remotely sensed images. Between 1975 and 2019, a total of 25224 ha of land were transformed, according to the findings. “Water bodies” were the most extended of the studied classes. The second most rapidly expanding class was “Built-up areas.” The “Built-up areas” class was assumed to be the most effective agent that will continue to modify the land of the study area, given the need for more construction spaces. Surface mining activities can also be assumed to be an efficient agent that will continue to modify the lands of Diyarbakır in the future, considering the export potential of marble products and the demand for construction material. Water resources and building materials supply should be examined in depth throughout future development planning of such urbanized cities to minimize anthropogenic degradation.