An open event-inventory database of rainfall-induced landslides and their environmental characteristics in the eastern Black Sea region of Türkiye

Abstract

Developing robust predictive methods for rainfall-triggered landslides is crucial for effective risk mitigation. Landslide event inventories provide essential data to understand the relationship between environmental factors and the spatiotemporal distribution of landslides. However, many mountainous regions prone to landslides still lack such comprehensive datasets. Türkiye is among these regions, experiencing frequent and often fatal landslides, yet only a few recorded landslide event inventories exist. In this study, we compiled eight inventories of rainfall-induced landslide events for the eastern Black Sea region of Türkiye. These inventories were generated using high-resolution imagery obtained from multiple sources, including satellite images, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and aircraft-based imagery. Using both univariate and multivariate statistical analyses, we analyzed the topographic, meteorological, lithologic, and anthropogenic factors influencing landslide occurrence. In evaluating the meteorological factors, we found that all eight landslide events were triggered by intense rainfall. However, our comparison revealed that spaceborne precipitation products consistently failed to capture the intense rainfall events that triggered landslides in the region. Our statistical analyses also showed that landslide occurrence rates are significantly higher in areas affected by anthropogenic land use and land cover (LU/LC) changes, particularly in zones where forested areas have been converted into agricultural plantations, such as those for tea and hazelnut.