Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
have strips of cultivation areas (planted: various crops, non-planted: fallow or
drilled), and natural vegetation, that are less than 30 m in width and/or length (see
Fig.
5.29
), which were not mapped explicitly using the LANDSAT-sensor. This
highlights a need to adopt more high-resolution images for this purpose, but unlike
other remote sensing platforms (e.g., IKONOS, and ASTER), the LANDSAT-
sensor can allow long term monitoring using data from the 1970s up until to
present day (Jensen
2005
).
6.1.1 The Broad Major LULC-Features
An ERB-map has been created which represents the state of five major LULC-
features for the years 1975, 1987, 2005 and 2007. Table
6.1
and Fig.
6.1
provide a
statistical overview of the LULC-distributions. The majority is occupied by bare
lands, followed by cultivated areas, natural vegetation areas, natural water-bodies,
and finally, artificial surfaces. The total area of these major classes is 5,033,537 ha.
Irrigated Aleppo's eastern plains. These plains are irrigated from the Euphrates
River by pumping water from Lake Al-Asad. They extend from the south of
Aleppo (near the Tall Addaman town) to the township of Maskana. The southern
and southeast borders of the plains are formed by Al-Badia. The marsh of Al-
Jabboul that lies east of the city of Assafira separates those irrigated plains from
the southern Al-Hass mountain plains which extend to the beginning of the Syrian
Desert (Al-Badia). Agriculture in the Al-Hass mountain plains often relies on rain-
fed cultivation such as wheat, barley, lentil and cumin, with the omission of cotton.
The Al-Badia lands that lie on the borders of the projects of east and west Maskana
are protected pastoral lands, and cultivation within them is restricted to secure
pastures for animals. The irrigated lands are bordered from north by a large major
irrigation canal that transports water from Lake Al-Asad. North of this canal are
rain-fed plantations, and in some places, artisan wells upon which the cultivation
of vegetables, summer, and winter crops rely in small rates. Here, only one winter
crop is planted—either wheat or barley—as ground water is rare and does not
cover the need for irrigation of both crops. Recently, cumin has begun to be grown
in the area and many farmers have started to cultivate olive trees, which require
little water. These rain-fed cultivations extend from the irrigation canal in the
south to the Turkish borders in the north.
Table 6.1
Overview of the LULC-occupations rate in several years
1975
1987
2005
2007
Cultivated areas
1,123,268
1,316,117
1,670,625
1,783,286
Natural vegetation
562,890
710,093
686,718
403,113
Artificial surfaces
413,204
255,140
18,312
89,772
Bare areas
2,843,452
2,635,830
2,497,157
2,641,953
Natural waterbodies
90,723
102,730
160,725
109,580
Total
5,033,537
5,033,537
5,033,537
5,033,537
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