Scopus İndeksli Yayınlar Koleksiyonu / Scopus Indexed Publications Collection
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11147/7148
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Article Geogenic Determinants of Indoor Radon Exposure in Izmir (West Türkiye)(Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd, 2026) Alkan, Turkan; Simsek, Celalettin; Sac, Murat; Uzelli, Taygun; Taskin, NurcihanRadon, a naturally occurring product of uranium decay, is the second leading cause of lung cancer. I(center dot)zmir Province in western T & uuml;rkiye, situated within the Aegean extensional regime, comprises complex fault-bounded basins that favor indoor radon accumulation. This study evaluates the spatial variability and geogenic controls of indoor radon to delineate radon-prone zones with public-health relevance. Indoor radon was measured in 79 dwellings distributed across major lithologies and structural settings; detectors were deployed in basements to capture soil-gas infiltration. Concentrations ranged from 12 to 366.5 Bq/m3 (mean 118 Bq/m3), exceeding the national average of 81 Bq/m3; 32 % of sites surpassed the EPA action level of 148 Bq/m3. Highest values cluster in Bornova, Buca, and Kemalpas, a, coincident with fault-controlled sedimentary basins and permeable units. Spatial mapping highlights the dominant influence of lithology and fault proximity on radon distribution and underscores the limitations of uniform, national-scale mitigation policies. We advocate targeted, geology-aware health policies and urban-planning measures for monitoring and mitigation in geogenically vulnerable districts. These findings contribute to medical geology by providing region-specific evidence of radon risk in one of T & uuml;rkiye's most seismically active metropolitan areas. These outputs provide decision-ready evidence for monitoring, mitigation, and building-code updates in seismically active metropolitan settings.Article Citation - WoS: 1Citation - Scopus: 1Traditional Water Harvesting Systems in Climate Change Adaptation: Insights From a Semi-Arid Mediterranean Village(Middle East Technical Univ, 2025) Gercek, Deniz; Yuceer, Hulya; Gonulal, Yasemin Ozcan; Ustuk, Ozan; Uzelli, Taygun; Guler, Selen; Baba, AlperTraditional water harvesting systems (WHS), developed over centuries by past civilizations, have long played a crucial role in addressing water scarcity in semi-arid regions. Although these systems have been largely neglected with the expansion of modern water infrastructure, they remain a valuable heritage containing significant knowledge and practices that are still relevant today, particularly in overcoming water management challenges in the face of climate change. Although traditional WHSs have been studied across various regions, their forms and functions vary significantly due to unique climatic, geological, and cultural conditions. In the Mediterranean context, small-scale WHSs have received comparatively limited attention-particularly studies that integrate both their revitalization for contemporary use and their historical and cultural significance. This study aims to help bridge that gap and contribute the existing literature by focusing on the WHSs in Barbaros, a semi-arid village on the Aegean coast of Turkey. Barbaros is particularly unique due to its special geological conditions, as the porous soil makes water retention difficult, which adds to the importance of traditional WHSs. In this context, the main objective of this research is to comprehensively assess these systems, by considering the area's topography, geological features, WHS construction techniques, and local knowledge transmitted across generations. This multidisciplinary approach, combining a literature review, field observations, expert surveys and interviews with long-time residents, enables a comprehensive analysis of the typologies, current state and socio-cultural evolution of these systems. A thorough understanding of these systems is essential to assess their resilience and relevance for climate change adaptation, especially with regard to drought management. The study concludes that, despite their partial abandonment, the traditional WHSs in Barbaros offer valuable insights into sustainable water management and demonstrate their potential as practical models for addressing today's water challenges.Article Citation - WoS: 1Citation - Scopus: 1Tracing the Origins: Byzantine Lime Mortars From Anaia and St. Jean Churches (Western Türkiye) and Provenances of Natural Stone Aggregates(Springer Heidelberg, 2025) Aydinalp, Tugce; Uzelli, Taygun; Sagin, Elif UgurluThe aim of this study is to determine the provenances of natural stone aggregates of the lime mortars from the St. Jean and Anaia Churches, which represent two of the most significant Byzantine buildings in Western T & uuml;rkiye. With this aim, the characterization study was conducted to define the physical properties and raw material compositions of lime mortars; hydraulic properties of the binders; mineralogical and chemical compositions, microstructural properties of lime, binders and aggregates; geochemical characteristics and pozzolanic activities of aggregates. The analyses were determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Furthermore, field observations and analytical studies were paired with the characterization results to determine the possible provenances. Analytical studies demonstrated that natural stone aggregates exhibited highly pozzolanic properties, which imparted hydraulicity to lime mortars. The macrostructure of the natural stone aggregates exhibited angular characteristics and a diverse lithological composition derived from the older brecciated clastics of the Menderes Massif. The fine-grained volcanic matrix of the aggregates was predominantly dacitic or rhyolitic in character, possibly derived from a breccia matrix composed of volcaniclastic materials. The findings suggested that the provenance of the natural stone aggregates were the breccia accumulation regions around Ayasuluk (Sel & ccedil;uk) for the St. Jean Church and S & ouml;ke-Germencik for the Anaia Church. The deliberate selection of natural stone sources to produce hydraulic lime mortars shows a conscious relationship with the surrounding geology during the Byzantine period.Article Citation - Scopus: 2The Uncertain Certainty of a Nightmare: What If Another Destructive Earthquake Strikes Izmir (türkiye)?(Mdpi, 2024) Salata, Stefano; Uzelli, TaygunOn 6 February 2023, near Kahramanmaras in south-central Turkiye, an event underscored the vulnerability of cities to seismic activity, revealing a lack of preparedness for substantial shocks. The contributing factors are manifold, yet fundamentally, the collapse of buildings and infrastructure can be attributed to an underestimated capacity for meticulous settlement planning (location) and the adoption of advanced techniques for resilient construction (structure). Regrettably, as has been investigated by many research works, ordinary urban planning in Turkiye hardly finds ways to integrate the vulnerability analysis for settlement expansion, which includes the full integration of geological characteristics with the analysis of building sensitivity. With this work, we wanted to build a composite risk index based on earthquake vulnerability, hazard amplification map, and exposure. We designed the composite index in Izmir's basin, Turkiye's third most populated city, to answer the question: What if a destructive earthquake strikes this densely settled area? The results illustrates how the coupled integration of digital data on geology with settlements and infrastructure in a Geographic Information System environment can be used to produce risk maps and plan the anthropic system's adaptation carefully. Findings demonstrate the city is highly vulnerable to earthquakes and identify priority areas for planning intervention, relocation, and renovation of buildings.Article Citation - WoS: 6Citation - Scopus: 8The Potential, Utilization and Development of Geothermal Energy in Türkiye(Maden Tetkik ve Arama Genel Mudurlugu-mta, 2023) Sener, Mehmet Furkan; Uzelli, Taygun; Akkus, Ibrahim; Mertoglu, Orhan; Baba, AlperGeothermal energy is a natural resource that can be utilized directly or by converting to other types of energy. Considering the diversity of the geological structure of Turkiye, the geothermal systems have developed depending on young tectonic and volcanic active rock. Western and Central Anatolia are especially rich in geothermal resources. The geothermal well with the hottest well-bottom temperature was drilled in Central Anatolia, and the well-bottom temperature was measured as 341 degrees C at a depth of 3845 meters. In 2022, Turkiye's electricity generation capacity and the total installed direct heat use reached 1663 MWe and 5113 MWt, respectively. Considering Anatolia's Curie depth and heat flux, the probable thickness of the batholith can be regarded as 10 km. For example, the total granitoid area of Western Anatolia is 4221 km2 and at least 2% of this granitoid can provide approximately 8x107 MWh of electricity by Enhanced Deep Geothermal Systems (EDGS). When all granites in Turkiye are considered, it is expected that the future capacity of Turkiye will be much higher with drilling research and development studies and the discovery of new fields. This capacity will exceed 100.000 MWt levels in the medium term, especially with the addition of EDGSs.Article Citation - WoS: 5Citation - Scopus: 5Are Soil and Geology Characteristics Considered in Urban Planning? an Empirical Study in Izmir (turkiye)(MDPI, 2023) Salata, Stefano; Uzelli, TaygunIt is well acknowledged that sustainable soil management can play a crucial role in reducing the vulnerability of urban areas, but are soil characteristics properly evaluated in the decision-making process concerning urbanization? Within this work, we conducted an analysis of the land-use change trends in the city of Izmir (Turkey). We made an extended and detailed analysis of the urbanization processes between 2012 and 2018 in a geographic information system environment (Esri ArcGIS 10.8.1 and ArcGIS Pro 3.0). Then, we superimposed by spatial overlay different soil characteristics: land capability, hydraulic conductibility, soil groups, and fault lines. We discovered that although there is a joint agreement on soil and its geological importance in reducing urban vulnerabilities to flooding, urban heat islands, agricultural production, or earthquakes, there is scarce knowledge of its characteristics to inform land-use planning. This work sheds some light on how newly developed areas are planned without proper consideration of soil properties, following a fuzzy and irrational logic in their distribution. Results encourage the utilization and inclusion of soil knowledge to support the decision-making process concerning urban transformation to achieve more resilient and less vulnerable urban systems.Article Citation - WoS: 11Citation - Scopus: 11Adapting Cities To Pluvial Flooding: the Case of Izmir (türkiye)(MDPI, 2022) Salata, Stefano; Couch, Virginia Thompson; Velibeyoğlu, Koray; Baba, Alper; Saygın, Nicel; Uzelli, TaygunIn the coming decades, climate change will be one of the most significant challenges for urban areas. The quantity, duration and intensity of events, such as flash rains and heat waves, will increase the vulnerability of urban regions while exposing citizens to potentially dangerous conditions. According to the current literature, mainstreaming resilience in urban planning means designing rules that strengthen urban systems’ adaptive and self-regulating functions by reducing their vulnerability. In this work, we aimed to build knowledge for the application of the sponge district concept to Izmir (Türkiye), one of Europe’s most vulnerable areas to pluvial flooding. To do this, we first analyzed the runoff in each urban sub-watershed, then employed a composite index to determine potential areas of intervention for nature-based solutions. Results show that 10% of Izmir’s urban areas are extremely vulnerable to cloudbursts, which means that 40% of the urban population is exposed to this phenomenon. Moreover, the runoff calculation in the sub-watershed demonstrated that the potential flood volume is underestimated, especially in the upslope areas. The results can be used as a template to suggest a stepwise approach to mainstream the resilience of densely-inhabited coastal urban catchments.Article Citation - WoS: 40Citation - Scopus: 47Boron in Geothermal Energy: Sources, Environmental Impacts, and Management in Geothermal Fluid(Elsevier, 2022) Mott, A.; Baba, Alper; Hadi Mosleh, Mojgan; Ökten, Hatice Eser; Babaei, Masoud; Gören, Ayşegül Yağmur; Feng, C.; Recepoğlu, Yaşar Kemal; Uzelli, Taygun; Uytun, Hüseyin; Morata, Diego; Yüksel Özşen, AslıThe problem of hazardous chemicals in geothermal fluid is a critical environmental concern in geothermal energy developments. Boron is among the hazardous contaminants reported to be present at high concentrations in geothermal fluids in various countries. Poor management and inadequate treatment of geothermal fluids can release excessive boron to the environment that has toxic effects on plants, humans, and animals. Despite the importance of boron management in geothermal fluid, limited and fragmented resources exist that provide a comprehensive understanding of its sources, transport and fate, and the treatment strategies in geothermal energy context. This paper presents the first critical review from a systematic and comprehensive review on different aspects of boron in geothermal fluid including its generation, sources, toxicity, ranges and the management approaches and treatment technologies. Our research highlights the origin of boron in geothermal water to be mainly from historical water-rock interactions and magmatic intrusion. Excessive concentrations of boron in geothermal fluids have been reported (over 500 mg/L in some case studies). Our review indicated that possible boron contamination in geothermal sites are mostly due to flawed construction of production/re-injection wells and uncontrolled discharge of geothermal water to surface water. The dominancy of non-ionic H3BO3 species makes the selection of the suitable treatment method for geothermal waters limited. Combining boron selective resins and membrane technologies, hybrid systems have provided effluents suitable for irrigation. However, their high energy consumption and course structure of boron selective resins encourage further research to develop cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternatives.Article Citation - WoS: 10Citation - Scopus: 10Hydrogeology and Hydrogeochemistry of the Geothermal Systems and Its Direct Use Application: Balçova-Narlıdere Geothermal System, İzmir, Turkey(Elsevier, 2022) Baba, Alper; Sözbilir, Hasan; Sayık, Tolga; Arslan, Sinan; Uzelli, Taygun; Tonkul, Serhat; Demir, Mustafa MuammerThe Balçova-Narlıdere geothermal system, located in western Turkey, is an extensional domain type geothermal play. Geological, hydrogeological, and geothermal studies have been done in the Balçova-Narlıdere geothermal field since 1960. As a result of these studies, production and research wells were drilled in the area by both the public and private sectors. Of the 37 wells drilled in the Balçova-Narlıdere geothermal field, 26 were drilled by İzmir Geothermal Energy Company Inc. (16 productions, 4 re-injection, 4 gradientst, 2 unused) and 11 by the İzmir Governorship Investment Monitoring and Coordination Department and companies in the private sectors. There are two reservoirs, one shallow and one deep, in the geothermal field. Well depths are less than 200 m in the shallow reservoir. The deep production wells have depths ranging from 400 to 1,100 m and reservoir temperatures reaching 140 °C. The electrical conductivity (EC) values in the shallow production wells range from 1,200 to 1,500 µS/cm. EC values in the deep production wells vary from 1,871 to 2,025 µS/cm, and all geothermal fluids in the field are mineral-rich waters. In the İzmir geothermal district heating system, the newest technologies are used, and operational costs are very low. İzmir Geothermal Energy Company Inc. has been operating since 1996 and has reached 38,460 residences. The current capacity of the system is approximately 160 MWt. Cooling systems continue to spread in Turkey, focusing on electric air conditioning systems and geothermal heating systems, but both economic and applicability problems have slowed the expansion of cooling systems. However, İzmir Geothermal Energy Company Inc. began operating its first geothermal cooling application in Balçova in 2018, cooling 1,900 m2 of the indoor area by lithium bromide absorption and 90/85 °C geothermal temperature regime by supplying 6/9 °C clean cold water to the coolers in the buildings. These results show that the extensional domain type geothermal system in the Balçova-Narlıdere region is suitable for both heating and cooling applicationsArticle Citation - WoS: 8Citation - Scopus: 8Structural Controls and Hydrogeochemical Properties of Geothermal Fields in the Varto(TÜBİTAK Scientific & Technological Research Council Turkey, 2021) Uzelli, Taygun; Sener, Mehmet Furkan; Dolek, Iskender; Baba, Alper; Sozbilir, Hasan; Dirik, Ramazan KadirVarto and the surrounding region have important geothermal fields, developing in strike-slip tectonic setting in East Anatolia, which resulted from the collision of the Arabian and Eurasian plates. The main structural elements in the area are the NE-trending sinistral and NW-trending dextral strike-slip fault segments and N-S trending extension zones. In order to determine fault-controlled geothermal circulation, it is very important to fully characterize the structural elements in these complex environments. The widely distributed volcanic rocks have fracture and crack systems that play an important role in surface infiltration, geothermal fluid, and groundwater circulation. Especially in areas where the fault segments intersect, hot springs outlets and natural resources easily come to the surface. In order to understand the flow paths of geothermal fluid along the faults in these geothermal systems, it is necessary to determine the stress state of the faults and to map the distribution of the structural elements. For this reason, we conducted a detailed study on the Varto Fault Zone, which has important geothermal fields in Eastern Anatolia. We present conceptual models of the geothermal fields in the Varto region that show favorable geothermal activity on the intersecting fault segments, fault bends, step-overs, and accompanying fracture-crack sets. As a result, we emphasize that the planes of strike-slip faults in transtensional areas are more favorable for secondary permeability and enhances the geothermal fluid circulation, and this can be supported by hydrogeochemical data.