Boon, M. orcid.org/0009-0001-7012-7950, Motta, D. orcid.org/0000-0002-1215-2496, Massa, M. orcid.org/0000-0003-4992-9016 et al. (3 more authors) (2025) Understanding the long-term development of an irrigation network using a sinuosity-based automatic classification of waterways. The Holocene, 35 (1). pp. 29-43. ISSN 0959-6836
Abstract
This study investigates the use of planform sinuosity as a metric to produce an automatic classification of waterways in the pre-modern and present-day irrigation networks in the Konya Plain in south-central Türkiye. Results show that such automatic classification may replace a time-consuming manual classification or provide a preliminary classification for subsequent manual refinement, depending on the number of classification categories used, the distribution of sinuosity across the network, and the degree of human modification. They also show that sinuosity thresholds for classification are area- and time-specific. Sinuosity is then used to quantify and interpret network changes in planform alignment and expansion and to identify long-term trends and areas of landscape modification. Results reveal a general pattern of decreasing sinuosity over time in the Konya Plain, indicating a continual human intervention, with areas where the present-day network was built upon the old Ottoman system. The methods presented in this investigation may be applicable to other studies of irrigation-network evolution and impact on landscape and can be used in conjunction with archeological and historical analysis.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2024. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage). |
Keywords: | classification; irrigation network; long-term development; sinuosity; waterway |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > School of Biosciences (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 17 Jan 2025 16:11 |
Last Modified: | 17 Jan 2025 16:11 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/09596836241285795 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:221700 |