Remote Sensing for Site Characterization

Friedrich Kuehn The Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), Germany, in cooperation with scientists from universities, research institutes, and industry, has characterized waste disposal sites in Germany. The work was commissioned by the Federal Environmental Agency (Umweltbundesamt) and funded by the Ger­ man Federal Ministry for Education, Science, Research and Technology (BMBF) as a joint research study called "Methods for the Investigation and Characteriza­ of the Ground below Waste Disposal Sites". tion The primary objective of the study was to increase the understanding of the subsurface characteristics of waste disposal sites using geologic and geophysical methods. The work focused on determination of the thickness and physical/chemi­ cal properties of the lining and underlying rocks, and identification of potential migration paths for fluids in the vicinity of disposal sites. This handbook, "Remote Sensing for Site Characterization", is the first in a se­ ries of planned publications under the general title "Methods in Environmental Geology". It is based on the German edition (Kuehn and Hoerig 1995), which has been considerably expanded by the addition of sections by u.S. and Canadian sci­ entists. This volume illustrates the use of theoretical and technical aspects of air­ borne and satellite-based methods in the study of waste sites and gives examples of their applications.

This volume, Remote Sensing for Site Characterization, describes the feasibility of aircraft- and satellite-based methods of revealing environmental-geological problems. A balanced ratio between explanations of the methodological/technical side and presentations of case studies is maintained. The comparison of case studies from North America and Germany show how the respective territorial conditions lead to distinct methodological approaches. The dissimilarities in population density alone and the often considerable differences in the distances between the waste disposal areas, the settlements, and the groundwater-protected areas necessitate a diversified "methods" approach. Case studies demonstrate the combination of aerial photo interpretation and thermal remote sensing for locating hidden waste disposal sites (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee), the application of satellite and hyperspectral airborne remote sensing to characterize mine tailing and its impact on its vicinity (Summitville, Cripple Creek, Colorado and Goldfield, Nevada), and the use of satellite and airborne data for characterizing mining and tailing sites (Sudbury, Ontario). The German case studies refer to investigations of waste disposal sites based on wartime aerial photography (Arnstadt, Thuringia) and multisensor airborne remote sensing (Schoeneiche, Brandenburg).