Precipitation-Driven Land Cover Dynamics in Türkiye: A Multi-Dataset Assessment Using CHIRPS, TerraClimate, and TRMM
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Geography, Nakhchivan State University, Nakhchivan AZ7012, Azerbaijan
- 2Geography Department, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Igdir University, Igdir 76000, Türkiye
- 3Department of City and Regional Planning, Izmir Institute of Technology, Gülbahçe, Izmir 35430, Türkiye
- 4Department of Civil Engineering, İstanbul Gelişim University, Istanbul 34310, Türkiye
Abstract
This study investigates the spatiotemporal dynamics of Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) along precipitation gradients across Türkiye by integrating high-resolution satellite-based precipitation datasets (CHIRPS, TerraClimate, and TRMM) with the European Space Agency (ESA) WorldCover (10 m) product and multi-sensor Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) composites (Landsat, MODIS, Sentinel-2). Türkiye’s heterogeneous climate, characterized by a sharp contrast between humid coastal belts and semi-arid interiors, serves as a natural laboratory to assess ecosystem responses to moisture availability. The results reveal a systematic and non-linear transformation of LULC classes as precipitation increases. In low-rainfall zones (200–400 mm), agricultural activities and bare surfaces predominate, reflecting human-induced land management in water-constrained environments. A critical ecological threshold was identified between 400 mm and 700 mm, where grassland areas expand rapidly, becoming the dominant class. Beyond the 900 mm isohyet, forest cover exhibits a sharp increase, approaching nearly 100% dominance in regions exceeding 1200 mm, effectively displacing other LULC categories. Comparative analysis of precipitation products shows that while all datasets capture the “coastal-wet/inland-dry” pattern, TRMM tends to overestimate winter precipitation (exceeding 100 mm), whereas CHIRPS and TerraClimate provide more conservative estimates (75–80 mm). Overlay analyses between seasonal NDVI and precipitation confirm a pronounced “time-lag effect” in vegetation phenology. Despite peak precipitation occurring in winter (~75 mm), NDVI reaches its minimum (~0.03) due to thermal limitations and dormancy. Conversely, vegetation greenness peaks during the dry summer months (NDVI ~0.14 to 0.40), utilizing antecedent soil moisture stored during the spring recharge. High-resolution Sentinel-2 data proved superior in delineating micro-topographic vegetation responses compared to Landsat and MODIS. These findings provide a scientific baseline for sustainable land management and climate adaptation strategies, highlighting that precipitation thresholds are the primary determinants of Türkiye’s ecological boundaries.
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BibTeX
@article{celik2026precipitationdriven,
title = {{Precipitation-Driven Land Cover Dynamics in Türkiye: A Multi-Dataset Assessment Using CHIRPS, TerraClimate, and TRMM}},
author = {Mehmet Ali Çelik and Adile Bilik and Figen Akpınar and Yasin Paşa},
journal = {Earth},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.3390/earth7040130},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/earth7040130},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Precipitation-Driven Land Cover Dynamics in Türkiye: A Multi-Dataset Assessment Using CHIRPS, TerraClimate, and TRMM
AU - Mehmet Ali Çelik
AU - Adile Bilik
AU - Figen Akpınar
AU - Yasin Paşa
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/04
JO - Earth
DO - 10.3390/earth7040130
UR - https://doi.org/10.3390/earth7040130
AB - This study investigates the spatiotemporal dynamics of Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) along precipitation gradients across Türkiye by integrating high-resolution satellite-based precipitation datasets (CHIRPS, TerraClimate, and TRMM) with the European Space Agency (ESA) WorldCover (10 m) product and multi-sensor Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) composites (Landsat, MODIS, Sentinel-2). Türkiye’s heterogeneous climate, characterized by a sharp contrast between humid coastal belts and semi-arid interiors, serves as a natural laboratory to assess ecosystem responses to moisture availability. The results reveal a systematic and non-linear transformation of LULC classes as precipitation increases. In low-rainfall zones (200–400 mm), agricultural activities and bare surfaces predominate, reflecting human-induced land management in water-constrained environments. A critical ecological threshold was identified between 400 mm and 700 mm, where grassland areas expand rapidly, becoming the dominant class. Beyond the 900 mm isohyet, forest cover exhibits a sharp increase, approaching nearly 100% dominance in regions exceeding 1200 mm, effectively displacing other LULC categories. Comparative analysis of precipitation products shows that while all datasets capture the “coastal-wet/inland-dry” pattern, TRMM tends to overestimate winter precipitation (exceeding 100 mm), whereas CHIRPS and TerraClimate provide more conservative estimates (75–80 mm). Overlay analyses between seasonal NDVI and precipitation confirm a pronounced “time-lag effect” in vegetation phenology. Despite peak precipitation occurring in winter (~75 mm), NDVI reaches its minimum (~0.03) due to thermal limitations and dormancy. Conversely, vegetation greenness peaks during the dry summer months (NDVI ~0.14 to 0.40), utilizing antecedent soil moisture stored during the spring recharge. High-resolution Sentinel-2 data proved superior in delineating micro-topographic vegetation responses compared to Landsat and MODIS. These findings provide a scientific baseline for sustainable land management and climate adaptation strategies, highlighting that precipitation thresholds are the primary determinants of Türkiye’s ecological boundaries.
SN - 2673-4834
ER -