The application of remote sensing data for the assessment of man-made environments in the coal regions of the south of the Far East

Abstract

The paper is concerned with analysis state of surfaces of waste dumps coal deposits according to Earth remote sensing. It is noted, that formed because of open-pit operations at Bikinsky and Raichikhinsky coal mining enterprise areas denudation accumulative violations were determinate by using programs for satellite images interpretation, as well as certain large forms of man-made relief (such as quarries, dumps, sedimentation tanks) were identified, followed by the calculation of their areas and the assessment of the value of environmental and economic damage to the environment, i.e. it was possible to give not only a qualitative description of the pollution process, but also its quantitative assessment. The approach to biomass determination based on vegetation NDVI index is presented. The conclusion is based on possibility of selfrestoration of the plant ecosystem on the surface of mining landscapes without special work on the reclamation of disturbed lands.

Keywords

• Dumps of coal enterprise
• Remote sensing of the earth
• Satellite images
• Vegetation indices
• Self-growth