Testing the Suitability of Snow Depth in Winter Recreation Areas in Cities in the Republican Period with InSAR Technique: Abalı Ski Center Example

Abstract

The Republican period is a period that coincides with the modernization process of Turkey, and the lifestyle in the cities has also changed significantly during this period. Winter recreation areas are the areas that people prefer to have fun, do sports and relax in the cold months. The Republic of Türkiye has a great importance in the tourism sector. In addition, the alternative tourism sector is developing rapidly and leading to different investments. Increasing winter recreation areas and facility investments in order to keep four seasons tourism alive with the advantage of climatic diversity is of great importance for alternative tourism. Different criteria such as slope, aspect, height, transportation, and sunshine duration are used to determine suitable areas for these investments. However, the most important suitability criterion is the snow factor. In order for the facilities to be established, the snow must be permanent and of a certain thickness in the winter season. In this study, the winter season (December-January-February) was examined temporally (2020-21-22), in the example of the Abalı Ski Center established in the republican period, and the average snow depth change in the area was determined by the InSAR (Interferometric Artificial Aperture Radar) technique. In addition, the accuracy of the results was tested with the real measurements of the 2021-22 winter season in the study area. The analysis conducted to assess the accuracy of Sentinel-1A C-band RADAR images by comparing snow depth data has yielded a high correlation value of 0.79, indicating a strong and consistent result. As a result, the importance of determining the snow factor both as a suitability criterion in determining the suitability of land use and the suitability of snow permanence in temporal change for establishment has been revealed.