LOW COST REMOTE SENSING INVESTIGATIONS
OF A WASTE DUMP NEAR ZAGREB
Marinko Oluic
RGN Faculty, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Manfred F. Buchroithner
Insitute for Cartography, Dresden University of Technology, Germany
KEY WORDS: Remote Sensing, Environment, Change Detection, Infrared, Landsat, Multitemporal
ABSTRACT:
For the Jakusevec waste dump near Zagreb Landsat TM data (1984, 1990, 1992) as well as SPOT P (1994) have been
analysed. Geological-structural terrain relations have been established by visual and digital analysis of these images
Also, old river backwaters and meanders, and areas of an increased soil moisture content were discarded. Based on
multitemporal Landsat imagery of the surroundings of Jakusevec a change detection with 10 classes has been made
Panchromatic and infrared airphotos from 1968, 1977, 1980, 1981 and 1989 as well as airborne thermographic images
from 1974 were also used.
Since in 1965 the filling of the waste disposal began, it was possible to observe its spatiodynamic and to register
thermal anomalies in parts of the waste site. The increase in the waste volume during the period from 1968 to 1989 was
calculated by photogrammic measurements on stereo-models from 1968, 1977, 1981 and 1989. For this period the
calculated volume of waste is 3.129.053,00 m*?. Today's total waste mass amounts to 5.183.053,00 m3.
At the beginning the waste was disposed into river backwaters and abandoned gravel pits and thus it came in direct
contact with ground waters, that may affect ground water quality. Interpretation of airphotos between 1968 and 1989
also showed that there are no significant damages of forests in the surroundings of the site.
It can be concluded that in terms of speed, accuracy and economy remote sensing is probably the most reliable
methodology for the investigation of existing waste disposits and for the determination of the most favourable sites for
waste disposal.
1. INTRODUCTION
Human activities are accompanied by large amounts of
waste, which, as a society develops, increases rapidly.
Various solutions are being suggested, from classical
burning, through pyrolitic processes and composting to
complex recycling systems. However, at the current
economic and technological development rates, longterm
waste disposal on or in the soil is still the most acceptable
solution for most countries. This inevitably causes harmful
impacts on air, soil and water.
Old waste disposal sites represent a specific problem
since they are usually in locations which have not been "m
; \
properly examined. Data about the amount and type of go"
waste is mostly not available, in addition to a lack of £z?" N
information on its impact on the environment. It is then e M |
necessary that all these facts are investigated in SAN ZAGREB
hindsight, so that the negative impact of the waste dump = v En Dugo Selo
on the environment can be estimated and a remediation Samobor NZ en tn e
; y rem SS au AS x.
can be carried out. ET Wo
3 eg,
This paper examines the joint application of air- and SN V. Gorica © \
spaceborne remote sensing methods in the investigation 0 9 To Barons
of old waste disposal sites, using the Jakusevec waste Sot “Uke "s PER URS = eA
dump near Croatia's capital Zagreb as an example. V... 2 Study Area uL LA
qose Go [
| NN | Jakusevec Waste dump Rigs AS
2. INVESTIGATION METHODOLOGY pisa ua 4
: 0 5 10 15 20 25km /
The majority of the locations in Croatia where waste is Leama hy
discarded are not properly prepared, and waste was a
BINE
deposited in a totally unorganized way. That is why such
places should rather be called waste dumps, in contrast
to organized landfills.
550
Terrestrial investigation methods of existing waste dumps
are very complex, time-consuming and expensive. That is
one of the reasons for the use of new methods, ia.
remote sensing, which have been proved to be very
useful in solving the above-mentioned problems and, in
addition, when compared to traditional methods, much
faster and cheaper. These methods do not exclude the
application of classical terrestirial techniques, but rather
complement them. Remote sensing allows us to collect
data difficult or practically impossible to obtain by
classical procedures (Philipson et al 1981, Lyon 1987,
Herman et al 1994, Vincent 1994, Kühn & Hórig 1995).
Figure 1: Landsat TM image of the Zagreb Area
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B7. Vienna 1996
