The impact of forest fires on floods and erosion: Marmaris, Turkey

Abstract

Forest fires caused by the extreme temperature brought on by climate change are the source of problems such as flood disasters and erosion in terms of changing the natural soil cover in that region. In this study, the effects of soil loss and flooding caused by the fire disaster that occurred in the Icmeler town of Marmaris, one of the world's most popular touristic cities, were investigated. The study was carried out under three main methods. First, the affected terrain was determined by remote sensing methods. Then, soil loss was investigated by RUSLE method using satellite images after the fire disaster. Finally, using the SCS-CN precipitation-flow model method, the impact of the land change brought on by the fires on the flood magnitudes was investigated. As a result of the study, it was determined that the land change caused by the fires caused problems such as the increase in soil losses in the region as well as the increase in the size of the floods. After forest fires, the land should be afforested, terraced and the rainfall should be well drained.