Acta geographica Slovenica

Identifying characteristics and typology of small shrinking towns in Serbia: The case of the Region of Southern and Eastern Serbia

2024-12-12T20:51:16+01:00

Small towns are highly exposed to urban shrinkage, but the attention to them has still been weak in the research, especially in Serbia. Therefore, this study deals with small towns in the Region of Southern and Eastern Serbia, with the goal of elaborating a typology of small towns based on shrinking characteristics. Shrinking small towns were first mapped and then grouped using principal component and cluster analysis. The results indicate that the patterns of shrinking differ and that four clusters of shrinking towns with distinguishable specific characteristics can be identified. This research contributes to understanding of different causes and trajectories of small shrinking towns and suggests a possible application of presented methodology as an urban planning tool.

Phytotoponyms in Albania

2024-12-12T20:51:18+01:00

This paper deals with oikonyms in Albania, named after plants. It aims to identify the phytotoponyms, their geographical distribution and influencing factors. The review of geographical, linguistic, botanical and historical sources helped to highlight 175 phytotoponyms, derived from 39 phytonyms. They were analyzed in geospatial terms using qualitative and comparative methods. The phytotoponyms named after walnut, apple and pear have a high frequency, while those named after olive, plum, cypress are rarer. Most of phytotoponyms are located in the lowlands of western Albania, while in the mountainous territories in the south and north their number decreases significantly. This work could inspire toponymy research, inform policy, reveal dialects, and document phytonyms.

Projections of future soil temperature in the western part of the Southeastern Anatolia Project region, Türkiye

2024-09-10T13:47:22+02:00

Soil temperature (Ts) is crucial for land use and soil management. It has gained importance in climate change research as it reflects the interactions between the atmosphere and biosphere. This study evaluates Ts changes at depths of 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 cm in the western part of the Southeastern Anatolia Project (W-SAP) region of Türkiye, which has a Mediterranean and hot semi-arid climate, for the period 2030–2090 compared to 1981–2010. The Soil Temperature and Moisture Model (STM²) is used to generate Ts estimates. A temperature increase of 0.7–3.0 °C (RCP4.5) and 0.9–5.5 °C (RCP8.5) is predicted for the 21st century. Extreme Ts values in late-century summers may hinder crop planning. The research provides the first future Ts projections in W-SAP and offers important agro-climatic insights.