Tolga Elbir

• Professor
• Professor (Full) at Dokuz Eylül University

The performance of aerosol optical depth (AOD) products from the visible infrared imaging radiometer suite (VIIRS) instrument to estimate ground-level PM2.5 concentrations has been determined at different locations; however, it is still limited over Europe. VIIRS dark target (DT) and deep blue (DB) AOD products at 6-km spatial resolution and indepe...

This study estimates intra-daily PM10 concentrations at 213 inland and coastal monitoring sites in Tu¨rkiye from 2008 to 2019 using satellite-based aerosol optical depth (AOD) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). An estimation model based on the random forest (RF) approach was developed using the AOD data from the Terra s...

Due to their complex aerosol characteristics, it is crucial to analyze the trends and properties of atmospheric aerosols over the eastern Mediterranean countries. This study comprehensively evaluates Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and Angström Exponent (AE) trends and aerosol classification over Türkiye, using the MERRA-2 reanalysis data from 1980 to...

Air pollution in urban environments, particularly from fine particulate matter (PM2.5), poses significant health risks. Addressing this issue, the current study developed a Random Forest (RF) model to estimate hourly PM2.5 concentrations in Ankara, Türkiye. Utilizing ERA5 reanalysis data, the model incorporated a diverse array of meteorological and...

Aerosol optical depth (AOD) is an essential metric for evaluating the atmospheric aerosol load and its impacts on climate, air quality, and public health. In this study, the AOD data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) were validated against ground-based measurements from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) throughout the Eas...

Reanalysis products are among the most-used datasets in the atmospheric sciences since they comprehensively describe the observed climate at sub-daily intervals in a region. Two reanalysis datasets, namely, the fifth generation of European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) atmospheric reanalysis of global climate (ERA5) and Modern-Er...

Havadaki bakteri ve mantarların örneklenmesinde kullanılan besiyerlerinin seçimi, bakteri ve mantarların nitel ve nicel olarak doğru belirlenmesine etki eden en önemli faktördür. Bu çalışmada, 8 ayrı besiyeri türü kullanılarak İzmir kent merkezi havasında eş zamanlı bakteri ve mantar örnekleri toplanmıştır. Bakteri örnekleri, Columbia blood agar (C...

Recent studies have demonstrated that the amount of specific airborne mold types and their concentrations increase during dust events. This study investigates the seasonal variation of airborne mold concentrations before, during, and after the dust transport in an eastern Mediterranean coastal area, Izmir city, Turkey. A total of 136 airborne mold...

Avrupa Orman Yangını Bilgi Sistemi verilerine göre, 2021 yılında Akdeniz ülkeleri içinde en fazla orman alanı kaybı yaşayan ülke Türkiye olmuştur. Ülke tarihindeki en büyük orman yangınlarının yaşandığı dönem olan 28 Temmuz-12 Ağustos 2021 tarihleri arasında gerçekleşen çok sayıda irili ufaklı orman yangını ile Ege ve Akdeniz bölgelerinde yaklaşık...

The eastern Mediterranean region has always been the focus of attention for re-searchers due to dust transport from the Sahara desert. Therefore, it is crucial to analyze the properties of atmospheric aerosols over the region. In this study, the spatial and temporal variations of the Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and Ang-strom Exponent (AE) data from...

Estimating ground-level PM2.5 concentrations by satellite-based aerosol optical depth (AOD) does not provide spatially and temporally continuous estimations due to the gaps in the AOD data. In this study, without using satellite-based AOD, spatiotemporally continuous aerosol diagnostic products such as surface mass concentrations of dust, sea salt,...

Yer seviyesinde konumlandırılmış AERONET ağına bağlı güneş fotometreleri ile belirlenen Aerosol Optik Derinliği (AOD), atmosferik aerosollerin izlenmesinde kullanılan temel parametredir. Kısaca, belli bir dalga boyundaki elektromanyetik enerjinin atmosferdeki aerosoller nedeniyle azalması olarak tanımlanan bu parametrenin bir bölgede mekansal ve za...

Atmosferik aerosollerin izlenmesi amacıyla uydular tarafından üretilen Aerosol Optik Derinliği (AOD) verisi kullanılmaktadır. Kısaca, belli bir dalga boyundaki elektromanyetik enerjinin atmosferdeki aerosoller nedeniyle azalması olarak tanımlanan bu parametreyi küresel ölçekte başarı ile üreten uyduların başında Terra ve Aqua uyduları gelmektedir....

Atmospheric aerosols with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) are the most widely studied component of air pollution. Due to the lack of ground-level monitoring stations, PM2.5 concentrations are not widely monitored in Turkey. The Version 2 Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA-2) provides...

Aerosol optical depth (AOD) is a significant predictor that can support PM concentrations in a region without ground-based monitoring. Estimation of intra-daily ground-level PM10 concentrations based on satellite AOD products has been widely used over large areas with the help of machine learning models. This study was the first attempt in the nort...

Air temperature forecasting has been a vital climatic factor required for different applications in many areas such as energy, industry, agriculture, health, environment, and meteorology. This study compares the performances of two static neural networks (NNs) used for the prediction of hourly ambient air temperatures in a coastal area of Turkey. T...

Satellite-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) products are widely used to estimate the spatial and temporal characteristics of ground-level particulate matters (PM). Satellite-based approaches in the operational use of PM estimation models have limitations such as missing values in satellite-based variables due to the impact of cloud cover, relativ...

Mersin is industrialized city with 1.8 million people, a dense port, and different industries. The region is under the influence of mineral dust transport originated from the arid and semi-arid regions, mainly in spring and autumn. Planetary boundary layer height (PBLH) is one of major parameters influencing surface air quality. In this study, the...

This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of the MODIS C6 and C6.1 Aerosol Optical Depths (AOD) from Terra and Aqua satellites over the two sites located in the urban and coastal regions of Turkey. This is the first study in Turkey focusing on comparison of MODIS Dark Target (DT) C6 and C6.1 AOD against AERONET AOD to provide a better understanding...

This comprehensive study aims to examine the relationships between ambient air quality (AAQ) and respiratory health of the participants residing in three different towns of Çanakkale city, Turkey between August 2013 and 2014. AAQ measurements for bioaerosols, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), total particulate matter (PM) count, carbon dioxide (CO...

Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) can cause several respiratory diseases and symptoms. In this study, IAQ of 121 homes located in 3 different towns of Çanakkale, Turkey was monitored throughout a year. Target air pollutants were particulate matter, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), bioaerosols, and Carbon dioxide (CO2), as well as air temperature and...

Aerosols released into the atmosphere from anthropogenic sources and natural events affect human health, reduce visibility, and alter Earth's radiation budget. Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) is a quantitative estimate of the amount of aerosol present in the atmosphere, and it can be used as a proxy for surface particulate matters. The AERONET is a net...

Spatial variations and sources of atmospheric pollution by measuring of 48 major and trace elements were determined in Iskenderun industrial region using tree components samples (pine needle, bark, branch, stem and litter) and soil samples taken from 21 industrial sites and 6 background sites. The highest elemental concentrations were found at indu...

Concurrent coastal seawater (n = 22), sediment (n = 22), and atmospheric samples (n = 10) were collected in the Aliaga industrial region, Turkey, to explore the spatial variation, sources, and air-seawater exchange of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Seawater Σ16PAH concentrations (particle + dissolved)...

The hourly SO2 and PM10 concentrations in ambient air of the Kutahya city located at the western part of Turkey have exceeded the air quality limits in winter months since several years. The region has major industrial plants including lignite-fired power plants and open-cast mining activities, residential areas, and traffic sources. To obtain and...

Electric vehicles (EVs) are known to be effective in reducing dependence on fossil fuels, in turn reducing the emission of greenhouse gas and other pollutants. To promote EVs, considerable efforts and measures have been taken. However, the public’s awareness and acceptance of EVs are still low, which has affected the diffusion of EVs in the market....

Ambient concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured at several locations in Kütahya, a severely polluted city and also characterized as a thermal power plant city, in Turkey. Two-week extensive passive sampling campaigns were carried out in summer and winter at 108 s...

Polychlorinated naphthalene (PCN) emissions of scrap iron processing steel plants were explored by measuring concentrations in stack gases of five plants, in the atmosphere (n = 11) at a site close to those plants, and in soil at several sites in the region (n = 40) in Aliaga, Izmir, Turkey. Observed stack-gas Σ32PCN levels from the plants without...

Spatial distributions of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were investigated in Iskenderun industrial region in Turkey. POP concentrations were measured in different tree components (i.e., pine needle, branch, bark, and stem) collected at several industrial and background sites (n = 27). Also, air, litter, and soil samples were analyzed to deter...

The main objective of this study was to choose appropriate locations for two air quality monitoring stations in an urban area in Turkey by using specific decision-making techniques. For this purpose, five different potential locations for an urban station and seven different potential locations for a rural station were evaluated according to two Mu...

It was recently shown that a substantial amount of carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4) is formed in chlorine-bleach-containing household products as a result of reactions of sodium hypochlorite with organic product components. Use of these household products results in elevated indoor air CCl 4 concentrations. CCl 4 in several chlorine-bleach-containing h...

Compositions of biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions from seven endemic tree species (Troy Fir, Uludag Fir, Cilician Fir, Oriental Sweetgum, Boz Pirnal Oak, Ispir Oak and Vulcanic Oak) in Turkey were determined. Field samplings were carried out in the forested areas using a specific dynamic enclosure system during the summers of 2011...

Source apportionment has most often been applied to a time series of data collected at a single site. However, in a complex airshed where there are multiple sources, it may be helpful to collect samples from multiple sites to ensure that some of them have low contributions from specific sources such that edges can be properly defined. In this study...

Surface seawater and coastal sediment samples were collected concurrently at 22 sampling sites during two sampling periods in the Aliaga industrial region, Turkey. In the study area there are two major bays, with many ports belonging to a petrochemical plant, a petroleum refinery, scrap steel production plants, and a fertilizer plant. Samples were...

Source apportionment is generally applied to a time series of pollutant concentrations measured at a single site. However, in a complex airshed having multiple pollutant sources, it may be helpful to collect samples from several sites to ensure that some of them have low contributions from specific sources. Ambient air samples (n = 160) were collec...

Atmospheric bulk deposition (wet + dry deposition) samples (n = 40) were collected concurrently at ten sites in four seasons between June 2009 and April 2010 in the Aliaga heavily industrialized region, Turkey, containing a number of significant air pollutant sources. Analyses of trace elements were carried out using inductively coupled plasma-mass...

An emission inventory of primary air pollutants based on anthropogenic sources was prepared with 1-km spatial and 1-hour temporal resolution within an area of 85 km by 170 km centered at the metropolitan area of Istanbul which is a megacity in Europe as well as the economic, cultural, and financial center of Turkey. The emission sources were broadl...

Topsoil samples (n = 40) were collected from a heavily industrialized region in Turkey. The region includes several scrap processing iron–steel plants with electric arc furnaces (EAFs), a petroleum refinery, a petrochemical complex, steel rolling mills, a natural gas-fired power plant, ship-breaking yards and very dense transportation activities. T...

Biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions from thirty-eight tree species (twenty broad leaved and eighteen coniferous) grown in Turkey were measured. BVOC samples were collected with a specialized dynamic enclosure technique in forest areas where these tree species are naturally grown. In this method, the branches were enclosed in transpa...

An activity based emission inventory was prepared for mobile sources in an urban center, Izmir, Turkey. The vehicles were counted and categorized into four main vehicle categories; motorcycles, passenger cars, light–duty vehicles and heavy–duty vehicles by a portable vehicle classifier system at 19 major streets in the city. The vehicles were also...

ZET Atmosferdeki kirliliğin bir sonucu olarak, iz elementler orman ekosisteminde birikirler. Bu sebeple, ağaç kabuklarında ve yapraklarında bulunan kirleticilerin ölçülmesi bir bölgedeki hava kirliliği seviyesinin ve mekansal değişiminin belirlenmesi amacıyla yaygın olarak kullanılan bir yöntemdir. Bu çalışmanın amacı; Aliağa endüstri bölgesindeki...

ZET Türkiye'de yetişen yedi endemik ağaç türüne (Kazdağı Göknarı, Uludağ Göknarı, Toros Göknarı, Anadolu Sığlası, İspir Meşesi, Boz Pırnal Meşesi ve Kasnak Meşesi) ait biyojenik kökenli uçucu organik bileşik (BVOC) emisyonları saha şartlarında gerçekleştirilen örnekleme çalışmalarıyla belirlenmiştir. Söz konusu ağaç türlerinin doğal olarak yetiştiğ...

ZET Ġskenderun sanayi bölgesi, sahip olduğu çok sayıda sanayi tesisi nedeniyle hava kirliliği açısından Türkiye'nin sıcak noktalarından birisidir. Bu bölgedeki hava kirliliğinin mekansal dağılımı dıĢ hava, toprak, ölü örtü ve iki farklı türdeki çam ağacı (Kızılçam ve Fıstık Çamı) bileĢenlerindeki (kabuk, ibre ve dal) polisiklik halkalı aromatik hid...

ZET Birer ağaç bileĢeni olan kabuk ve ibrelerdeki/yapraklardaki kirletici konsantrasyonlarının ölçülmesi ağacın maruz kaldığı hava kirliliğinin belirlenmesi amacıyla kullanılan yaygın bir yöntemdir. Bu çalıĢma kapsamında, iki farklı ağır sanayi bölgesinde (Aliağa-Ġzmir ve Ġskenderun-Hatay) hava kirliliğinin mekansal değiĢimlerinin belirlenmesi amac...

ZET Bu çalışmada, ülkemiz orman alanlarında yaygın olarak bulunan otuzbir ağaç türünden (onaltısı geniş yapraklı ve onbeşi ibreli) kaynaklanan biyojenik kökenli uçucu organik bileşik (BVOC) emisyonları belirlenmiştir. BVOC örnekleri bu ağaçların doğal olarak yetiştiği ormanlık alanlarda dinamik test odası yöntemiyle toplanmıştır. Bu yönteme göre ağ...

fotokimyasal reaksiyonlarla ozon ve diğer oksidantların oluĢumunda önemli rol oynarlar. Bu fotokimyasal reaksiyonlar da hava kalitesinin bozulmasına ve insan sağlığının olumsuz etkilenmesine sebep olurlar. Bu çalıĢma kapsamında ulusal ölçekte BVOC emisyonlarının envanterinin hazırlanması hedeflenmiĢtir. Envanterin hazırlanmasında; dinamik test odas...

ZET Bu çalıĢmanın amacı, Türkiye'deki önemli endüstriyel bölgelerden birisi olan Ġskenderun – Hatay bölgesinden toplanan ağaç bileĢenlerinde (gövde odunu, bir ve iki yaĢlı ibre, dal ve kabuk) ölçülen iz elementler yardımıyla hava kirliliğinin tarihsel ve mekansal değiĢimlerini belirlemektir. Örneklemeler, Ġskenderun bölgesinde Kasım 2010 döneminde,...

ZET Motorlu taşıtlardan kaynaklanan hava kirletici seviyelerinin belirlenmesi özellikle insan sağlığı üzerine olan olumsuz etkilerinden dolayı önem taşımaktadır. Bu çalışmada CO, CH 4 , NMVOC, NO x , O 3 , PM 10 , ve SO 2 gibi hava kirletici derişimlerinin İzmir'de bir cadde ölçeğinde tahmin edilmesi amacıyla meteorolojik değişkenler ve taşıt sayım...

As a consequence of atmospheric pollution, trace elements accumulate in forest ecosystems. Therefore, measurement of pollutants in tree barks and leaves/needles has been commonly used to determine the level and spatial distribution of air pollution in an area. The objective of this study was to determine the spatial distribution of various trace el...

The primary source of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) is the vegetation. Plants emit BVOCs as a result of their photosynthetic activities. BVOCs in the atmosphere plays role in ozone and secondary organic aerosol formation in the presence of sunlight. As a result of these photochemical reactions, BVOCs indirectly deteriorate air quality...

It was recently suggested that emissions of some persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are decreasing in former use regions due to emission reductions combined with uncontrolled export, at the expense of regions receiving these substances as obsolete products and wastes. Aliaga industrial region in Izmir, Turkey is one of the regions receiving POPs...

Atmospheric concentrations of 32 polychlorinated naphthalene (PCN) congeners were determined at four sites (i.e., Suburban, Urban 1, Urban 2, and Industrial) in Izmir, Turkey and their possible sources were investigated. Total PCN (Sigma 32PCN) concentrations ranged between 5.2 (Suburban 1) to 162 pg m(-3) (Urban 1) in summer, while in winter, they...

Bitkiler güneş ışığını kullanarak gerçekleştirdikleri biyolojik aktiviteler sonucunda temel fotosentez ürünleri ile birlikte önemli miktarlarda uçucu organik bileşikleri de atmosfere verirler. Biyojenik kökenli uçucu organik bileşiklerin (BVOC) doğadaki en önemli kaynağı orman alanlarında bulunan ağaç, maki, vb. farklı bitki türlerdir. Bu çalışmanı...

Bu çalışmada, kızılçam (pinus brutia) ağacından kaynaklanan biyojenik uçucu organik bileşik (BVOC) emisyonları belirlenmiş ve emisyonların yükseltiyle değişimi araştırılmıştır. Çalışma kapsamında, üçü Spil Dağı’nda (Manisa), biri Yeni Foça’da (İzmir) gerçekleştirilen saha çalışmaları ile toplam 8 örnekleme yapılmıştır. Her örnekleme kampanyası fark...

Etrafı denizlerle çevrili olan ülkemizde denize kıyısı olan önemli metropollerin (İstanbul, İzmir, Antalya, vb.) bulunduğu göz önüne alınırsa denizyolu taşımacılığının ülkemiz için ciddi bir kirletici kaynak grubu olduğu tahmin edilmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, ülkemizin batı kıyısında bulunan ve nüfusu açısından ülkemizin üçüncü büyük kenti olan...

This paper presents an evaluation of a street canyon model (Operational Street Pollution Model) in several urban streets having different configurations. The model was performed for the prediction of particulate matter (PM10) concentrations from exhaust emissions of mobile sources in five street canyons in the city of Izmir, Turkey. Hourly concentr...

The spatial distribution of several air pollutants emitted from iron–steel industries in Hatay-Iskenderun industrial region in Turkey was investigated by measuring their concentrations in soil. Collected soil samples (n = 20) were analyzed for persistent organic pollutants (POPs; i.e., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, po...