REMOTE SENSING FOR CHARACTERIZING AND MONITORING OF HAZARDOUS WASTE SITES- CASE 
STUDIES IN CANADA AND GERMANY 
Vern Singhroy 
Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, Canada 
Fredrick Kuhn 
BGR, Germany 
Commission V11, Working Group 7 
KEY WORDS: Hazardous Waste, Remote Sensing, Multispectral, Environmental Restoration, Canada , Germany. 
ABSTRACT: 
This paper presents case studies in Canada and Germany on the use of remote sensing techniques for the characterisation and 
monitoring of hazardous waste sites. Particular attention is placed the interpretation of air photographs, airborne multispectral 
(CASI) , thermal, and TM data. The selection of the specific technique is based on the particular environmental condition of the 
site. The task is to evaluate and minimize the environmental damage. In the case of site characterisation, the role of remote 
sensing is to provide geological, hydrogeological, land use and land cover information. 
The Sudbury mining district in Canada is home of one of the world largest metal smelting complexes and is well known as a 
polluted region. Mining and processing of nickel and copper has started 100 years ago. In this area multi date TM were used to 
characterize the extent of vegetation damage and monitor vegetation successes in the region. Our analysis have shown that over a 
1l year period (1984-95), the vegetation regeneration has increased by 50%, and areas covered by mine tailings were reduced by 
40%. Airborne multispectral images (CASI) were used to monitor revegetation success to rehabilitate the areas of mine 
and mill waste.. 
Germany is characterised by intensive land uses. Very short distances exist between waste sites, settlements, farmlands and 
waterworks. Air photographs, airborne multispectral and thermal images as well as have provided the following information: 
e structures of uncovered deposits and the characteristic of the waste, 
* sites with high hazardous potential, 
* location of abandoned and covered waste sites 
* . characteristic of the soils and rocks at the basement of the waste sites, 
* drainage systems and accumulation of pollution's outside of the waste sites. 
These case studies selected from different environments will provide the guidelines on the uses of remote sensing for the 
assessment and monitoring hazardous waste sites. 
1. INTRODUCTION projects carried out within the last five years in Germany 
(Kuhn and Horig, 1995) and in Canada (Singhroy 1995). 
The deleterious effect of past hazardous waste is an international This paper deals with several remote sensing techniques for 
problem. In Canada and the United States alone there are over characterizing and monitoring hazardous waste sites. 
100,000 abandon mine sites..Recent research have shown that Therefore, a brief review of some common multispectral 
multispectral remote sensing techniques can detect the vegetation techniques for detecting vegetation damage related to 
damage caused by mine tailings, and can monitor the revegetation hazardous waste is given. 
success at rehabilation sites. Many studies have shown that vegetation that has been 
In Germany, the land has been used very intensively for geochemical stressed, (sometimes from acid mine drainage) will 
hundreds of years. Populated, industrial, and recreation areas, respond with changes in spectral reflectance (Gates et al.,1965, 
as well as water resources are close to land fills and mining Collins, 1978, Horler et al., 1980, Collins et al 1993, Singhroy et 
areas. Detailed mapping scales at 1:1000 to 1:2000 are al 1986). These changes have been observed at the green 
required. One of the main tasks for land fill monitoring is to reflectance peak near 0.57 nm, the chlorophyll absorption 
investigate the volume of the waste, its impacts on maximum near 0.68 nm, and in the reflectance of the infrared 
surrounding areas, and to evaluate the property of the land fill reflectance shoulder and plateau regions between 0.75 and 1.1mm. 
basement. Old waste sites sometimes requires the existence Stress plants can result in chlorosis (chlorophyll loss). This 
of natural or artificial basements which can protect against phenomenon has been documented in reflectance spectra as the 
waste drainage. These older land fills which are in direct "red-edge shift", a change in the wavelength position of the 
contact with the ground water table are more in need of inflection point that occurs between 0.68 and 0.75 nm in green 
historic images as well as modern remote sensing data. vegetation spectra. Stress-induced shifts in the red-edge have been 
These case studies demonstrate how remote sensing can reported both toward longer (red) and shorter (blue) wavelengths, 
contribute in detecting and evaluating environmental risks at and have been attributed to changes in chlorophyll concentration 
densely populated areas. The main focus is to characterize and other plant parameters including canopy architecture and 
land fills and mine waste sites. Examples were selected from phenolgy etc. (Collins, 1998, Singhroy et al 1989, Horler et al, 
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International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B7. Vienna 1996