Streamlined Environmental Remediation Characterization Using Remote Sensing Techniques

This paper provides an overview of the DOE Oak Ridge Operations Remote Sensing Program and discusses how data from this program have assisted the environmental restoration program in streamlining site-characterization activities. Three case studies are described where remote sensing imagery has provided a more focused understanding of site problems with a resultant reduction in the need for costly and time-consuming, ground-based sampling approaches.

A survey of the feasibility of aircraft- and satellite-based methods for revealing environmental-geological problems. Throughout, a balanced ratio between explanations on the methodological/technical side and presentations of case studies is maintained. The comparison of case studies from North America and Germany shows how the respective territorial conditions lead to distinct methodological approaches. Equally, the considerable dissimilarities in population density and in distances between waste disposal areas, settlements, and areas of protected groundwater necessitate a "diversified methods" approach.

Remote sensing has witnessed a renaissance as new sensor systems, data collection capabilities and image processing methodologies have expanded the technological capabilities of this science into new and important applications areas. Perhaps nowhere has this trend been more evident than in the study of earth environments. Within this broad application area remote sensing has proven to be an invaluable asset supporting timely data gathering at a range of synoptic scales, facilitating the mapping of complex landscapes and promoting the analysis of environmental process. Yet remote sensing’s contribution to the study of human/environmental interaction is scattered throughout a rich and diverse literature spanning the social and physical sciences, which frustrates access to, and the sharing of the knowledge gained through, these recent advances, and inhibits the operational use of these methods and techniques in day to day environmental practice, a recognized gap that reduces the effectiveness of environmental management programs. The objective of this book is to address this gap and provide the synthesis of method and application that is currently missing in the environmental science, re-introducing remote sensing as an important decision-support technology.

This publication is a compilation of papers that were presented at the IAHS Symposium on Remote Sensing for Environmental Monitoring and Change Detectionorganised by the IAHS International Commission on Remote Sensing, in Perugia, 2007. The 30 contributions cover approaches using the thermal infrared, microwave and radar; studies monitoring vegetation, snow and ice, and evapotranspiration; and the combination of remote sensing techniques and GISfor hydrological applications.

This book provides a step-by-step guide on how to use various publicly available remotely sensed time series data sources for environmental monitoring and assessment. Readers will learn how to extract valuable information on global changes from a 20-year collection of ready-to-use remotely sensed data through the free open statistical software R and its geographic data analysis and modeling tools. The case studies are from the Mediterranean region—a designated hot spot regarding climate change effects. Each chapter is dedicated to specific remote sensing products chosen for their spatial resolution. The methods used are adapted from large-scale to smaller-scale problems for different land cover areas. Features Includes real-world applications of environmental remotely sensed data Analyzes the advantages and restrictions of each data source Focuses on a wide spectrum of applications, such as hydrology, vegetation changes, land surface temperature, fire detection, and impacts Includes R computer codes with explanatory comments and all applications use only freely available remotely sensed data Presents a step-by-step processing through open source GIS and statistical analysis software Advanced Environmental Monitoring with Remote Sensing Time Series Data and R describes and provides details on recent advances concerning publicly available remotely sensed time series data in environmental monitoring and assessment. This book is a must-have practical guide for environmental researchers, professionals, and students.