Arca (2026) A multi-method spatial interpolation framework for climate boundary mapping in the Aegean region of Türkiye

Identification

• Journal: Scientific Reports
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-18
• Authors: Deniz Arca
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-72166-x

Research Groups

• Department of Environmental Engineering, Izmir Institute of Technology
• Faculty of Science, Ege University
• Turkish State Meteorological Service (TSMS)

Short Summary

This study proposes a GIS-based multi-method framework that integrates classical climate classification systems and comparative geostatistical interpolation to delineate climate boundaries in the Aegean coastal region of Türkiye. The results show a consistent Mediterranean-type hydrological regime with pronounced seasonal water deficits during summer months.

Objective

• To calculate long-term climatic characteristics using multiple classification systems
• To map spatial climate boundaries through advanced geostatistical interpolation techniques
• To analyze and compare the resulting climate classifications to identify prevailing climatic characteristics and microclimatic transition patterns

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: District scale (Seferihisar District, Aegean Region of Türkiye)
• Temporal Scale: Long-term (1991–2021)

Methodology and Data

• Models used:
  • Thornthwaite climate classification system
  • de Martonne climate classification system
  • Erinç climate classification system
  • Köppen climate classification system
  • Köppen-Geiger climate classification system
  • Trewartha climate classification system
  • Empirical Bayesian Kriging (EBK) interpolation method
  • Ordinary Kriging (OK) interpolation method
  • Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation method
  • Global Polynomial Interpolation (GPI) interpolation method
  • Radial Basis Function (RBF) interpolation method
  • Local Polynomial Interpolation (LPI) interpolation method
• Data sources:
  • Climate-Data.org
  • ERA5-Land reanalysis dataset
  • Satellite-based datasets

Main Results

• The study area exhibits a consistent Mediterranean-type hydrological regime with pronounced seasonal water deficits during summer months.
• Multiple climate classification systems (Thornthwaite, de Martonne, Erinç, Köppen, Köppen–Geiger, and Trewartha) were applied to characterize the climatic conditions of Seferihisar.
• The results indicate a generally consistent Mediterranean-type climate structure with minor spatial variations depending on the sensitivity of each classification approach.

Contributions

• This study contributes to the literature by proposing a transferable GIS-based framework that systematically integrates multiple climate classification systems with comparative evaluation of spatial interpolation techniques.
• The proposed framework provides a more robust and transferable method for high-resolution climate zoning in data-scarce coastal transition regions.

Funding

• Not specified

Citation

@article{Arca2026multimethod,
  author = {Arca, Deniz},
  title = {A multi-method spatial interpolation framework for climate boundary mapping in the Aegean region of Türkiye},
  journal = {Scientific Reports},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-72166-x},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-72166-x}
}