In 2025, seven research articles from the Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences were published in Nature Portfolio journals, highlighting the institute’s interdisciplinary strength and its commitment to advancing global change science.


Tunahan Aykut - Nature Communications
Coeval upper crustal extension and surface uplift in the Central Taurides (Türkiye) above the Cyprus Subduction Zone
This study combines U-Th geochronology to reveal that the Central Taurides have experienced 1.5 km of surface uplift since 450 ka, accompanied concurrently by widespread normal faulting. The findings demonstrate a coupling between deep-seated processes and surface extension, creating high-relief landscapes on the overriding plate within a short timescale.
Click here for the ITU News
Click here for the article.

Emir Toker, Burcu Boza - Nature Reviews Earth & Environment
Atmospheric rivers in Antarctica
Antarctic atmospheric rivers (ARs), though rare, act as dual drivers that account for 50–70% of extreme snowfall events while simultaneously triggering extensive surface melting and ice shelf destabilization (e.g., Larsen A and B). Since climate change is expected to strengthen these events due to increased water vapour, future research determines how this will alter the net ice-sheet mass balance and subsequent sea-level rise is essential.
Click here for the ITU News
Click here for the article.

Yusuf Gedik, Orkan Özcan - Nature Scientific Reports
Assessment of building damage from the 2020 Sivrice earthquake using a satellite based rapid seismic screening method
This study demonstrates that collapsed buildings were identified with 89.1% accuracy using optical imagery, with damage severity primarily driven by fault distance, number of storeys, and surface velocity. Consequently, these Remote Sensing and GIS-based techniques offer a rapid alternative to Rapid Visual Screening (RVS) for seismic risk prioritization, removing the necessity for individual on-site building data collection
Click here for the article.

Ömer Yetemen - Nature Communications Earth & Environment
Diverse vegetation responses to solar farm installation are also driven by climate change
This global analysis reveals that 52% of solar farms exhibited beneficial effects on vegetation coverage, reaching a peak enhancement of 136.72% in specific arid regions. However, the study warns that these changes represent a counterbalance between climate change and solar farm contributions, implying that observed benefits could be stalled or reversed in the future.
Click here for the article.

Tolga Görüm, Ömer Lütfi Şen, Abdüssamet Yılmaz, Furkan Karabacak - Nature Communications Earth & Environment
The 2023 Türkiye-Syria earthquake disaster was exacerbated by an atmospheric river
This study documents how an exceptionally strong Atmospheric River (AR) delivered 183 mm of precipitation in just 20 hours shortly after the 2023 earthquakes, triggering additional landslides and flooding that disrupted recovery efforts. This cascade of hazards highlights the critical need to integrate seismic and weather extremes into rapid hazard assessment protocols to enhance disaster preparedness.
Click here for the article.

Bikem Ekberzade, Tolga Görüm and Ömer Lütfi Şen - Nature npj Natural Hazards
Up in flames: the human factor behind a megafire in Mediterranean Türkiye
This study investigates the dynamics behind the Manavgat Fire, which spread to 60,000 ha aided by strong foehn winds, marking the largest wildfire of the last century. The results highlight the significant contribution of deliberate human ignitions to the size of the burned area and suggest that effective policy measures are essential to avert similar future incidents.
Click here for the article.

Yusuf Aydın and Alper Ünal - Nature Scientific Reports
The compounding effects of agricultural expansion and snow drought on lake urmia’s drying crisis
Utilizing a hybrid framework of statistical models and Convolutional Neural Networks, this study reveals that agricultural water use was the dominant factor (accounting for ~66%) driving changes in river inflows. The findings underscore that this demand, amplified by declining snowpack, necessitates urgent integrated water resource management and sustainable agricultural practices to ensure long-term water security.
Click here for the article.

Metin Kahraman, Hans Thybo - Nature Communications Earth & Environment
Northern Scandinavian mountains supported by a low-grade eclogitic crustal keel
Using the Silverroad seismic profile, this study demonstrates that the Scandes lack a crustal root, maintaining a constant crustal thickness of ~44 km. Instead, the high topography is explained by a sharp contrast in metamorphic eclogitic grade below the Moho, where reduced-density bodies support the mountain range.
Click here for the article.