Coşkun Ayvaz

On February 6, a devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 struck southern and central Turkiye, as well as northern and western Syria, followed by a second major tremor of magnitude 7.5. These earthquakes resulted in the loss of thousands of lives, and approximately 820,000 independent units and 279,000 buildings had either collapsed or sustained severe damage, necessitating urgent demolition. Moreover, these demolition activities had additional environmental impacts. In this study, air samples collected on filters during demolition activities were collected from severely affected cities, including Şanlıurfa, Adıyaman, Hatay, Gaziantep, and Kahramanmaraş, to determine the composition of airborne microplastics (AMPs) using Raman spectroscopy. The mean concentration measured across the five cities was 52.5 ± 21.5 MP/m3. The dominance of fragments and fibers (83%) indicate the mechanical degradation of MP and home textile-derived aerosols. The particle size distributions were broad, indicating that particles smaller than 1 mm were predominant. Multiple polymer types were identified, with polyethylene, polystyrene and polyester being found to be predominant. The homogeneity of inter-city differences indicates the regional-scale impact of widespread demolition activities, which generate similar emission profiles across affected areas.

As climate change intensifies, integrating climate literacy into school curricula is increasingly critical, especially in urban contexts where children face environmental stressors like extreme heat. Conventional school-based climate education remains largely theoretical, with limited experiential or participatory learning. The potential of green-blue-grey infrastructure (GBGI) to enhance school climate resilience remains underexplored, particularly through student-led design. This study addresses this gap by embedding GBGI consultation into an educational climate programme, the ‘Heat-Cool’, to engage students in citizen science and hands-on learning. The objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach in enhancing climate literacy and promoting an actionable understanding of urban heat risks. Specifically, it assesses learning gains, quantifies GBGI cooling benefits using thermal imaging, captures student GBGI preferences, and guides programme refinement. The study uniquely combined participatory and experiential learning with sensing technologies in a school setting. A total of 348 students, across 13 cohorts from seven UK primary schools, participated in 2 h workshops involving interactive presentations, quizzes, thermal imaging of school grounds, and GBGI consultation. Quiz scores improved (79.08–82.27), with 82% of students maintaining or improving their knowledge. Analysis of 1,754 thermal images (4,301 objects) revealed GBGI elements averaged 1 °C–3 °C cooler. Students favoured infrastructure-integrated GBGI (e.g. green roofs). High satisfaction (up to 4/5) and enjoyment-learning links indicate great programme success.

Indoor CO₂ concentration is widely recognized as an effective proxy for infection risk and ventilation efficiency. In addition to improving indoor air quality, the necessity of performing indoor ventilation correctly, effectively, and efficiently to prevent or minimize the spread of SARS-CoV-2 has gained even more importance during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ), fine particulate matter (PM _2.5 ,) temperature, and humidity were monitored in sixteen different indoor environments belonging to four categories: markets, restaurants, public transportation (Metrobus), and shopping centers in Istanbul, Türkiye, during March and April 2021. Measurements were conducted using calibrated low-cost sensors (± 30 ppm accuracy for CO ₂ ) that recorded data every 20 s for 15 min on four different days. The lowest variation in CO ₂ measurements was observed in shopping centers (533–663 ppm), while the highest was in restaurants (532–974 ppm). Humidity, temperature, and PM _2.5 values were also recorded and discussed. Results indicate that restaurants exhibited the highest CO ₂ based infection risk due to limited or natural ventilation, whereas shopping centers with central mechanical ventilation maintained CO ₂ concentrations below 650 ppm, indicating low risk. Ventilation management through continuous CO ₂ monitoring is emphasized as a crucial strategy for controlling epidemic risks indoors. Recommendations include improving ventilation efficiency, using portable air cleaners with HEPA/UV filters, and visually displaying CO ₂ levels via a “traffic-light” system to inform occupants about indoor safety. This study provides the first quantitative comparison of CO ₂ -based infection risk across multiple indoor environments in Istanbul, providing baseline data for future research and public health policies.

Siyah karbon (Black Carbon, BC), eksik bir yanma ürünüdür ve ince partikül madde bileşeni olup solunduğunda insan sağlığı için zararlıdır. Ayrıca BC iklim değişikliğinde kısa ömürlü iklim zorlayıcısı (short lived climate force) olarak tanımlanmakta ve CO2’den sonra önemli bir ısı tutma etkisine sahiptir. Dünyanın diğer kentlerinde atmosferik BC konsantrasyon değişimi oldukça yaygın çalışılmışken, Türkiye’de sadece İstanbul’da kısıtlı sayıda trafik alanlarında çalışma bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, İstanbul’da ilk kez kent arkaplanda BC’nin değişimleri ve diğer parametrelerle ilişkisi mevsimsel olarak incelenmiştir. BC ölçümleri tek dalga boyunda (880 nm) tek kanallı AE51 aethalometre ile yapılmıştır. Mevsimsel ortalama BC konsantrasyon değişimleri yaz, sonbahar, kış ve ilkbahar dönemlerinde sırasıyla 1,97 ± 3,10 µg/m3, 1,77 ± 2,36 µg/m3, 3,33 ± 4,29 µg/m3, 3,22 ± 3,25 µg/m3 olarak ölçüldü. En yüksek konsantrasyon kışın gözlendi. BC ile partikül madde ve trafikle ilgili kirleticiler (NOX gibi) arasında pozitif yüksek korelasyonlar olduğu tespit edildi. BC’nin gün içi saatlik değişimleri incelendiğinde trafiğin yoğun olduğu sabah ve akşam saatlerinde İstanbul trafiğinin bölgesel emisyonlara katkısı olduğu görüldü. Rüzgâr hızı, PBLH gibi meteorolojik parametrelerin ve mevsimsel konsantrasyon üzerinde önemli bir etkisi olduğu ve trafik kaynağının kentsel arka plan bölgesinde her mevsim önemli bir BC kaynağı olduğu söylenebilir. Kentsel ortamlarda BC’nin mekânsal dağılımının anlaşılması için uzun süreli mevsimsel farklar ortaya konulmasını ve hem sabit hem mobil ölçümlerle izlenmesini tavsiye ediyoruz.