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This study investigates the hydrological impacts of land use and land cover (LULC) changes in the Upper Kızılırmak Basin, a drought-prone region in central Türkiye. Using the SWAT model calibrated and validated with SWAT-CUP, two simulations were conducted based on 1990 and 2018 LULC maps, while climate and soil parameters were held constant to isolate the effects of land cover change. The results revealed that four sub-basins – covering 60.19% of the basin – exhibited significant variations in evapotranspiration, soil water, water yield, and percolation, primarily due to shifts in agricultural practices. Notably, decreases in evapotranspiration and increases in soil moisture and percolation were linked to the conversion of grasslands to pastures. The study highlights the spatial heterogeneity of LULC-induced hydrological changes and demonstrates the importance of sub-basin-level assessments for effective water resource management in semi-arid environments.
SELÇUK et al. (Thu,) studied this question.