Methodological approaches and information technologies for satellite monitoring of environmental risks in the mining industry

Abstract

This article examines modern remote sensing technologies and their role in ensuring the environmental safety of mining regions in Ukraine. The mining industry is regarded as a strategic sector which, at the same time, places a significant anthropogenic burden on the environment due to the accumulation of waste in tailings ponds. The challenges of monitoring these sites have become significantly more acute as a result of military operations and restricted access to industrial sites, which makes traditional ground-based surveys impossible. The use of satellite platforms is a key tool for obtaining objective information on the state of the environment in hard-to-reach areas.

The aim of this study is to justify methodological approaches to the use of satellite data for the operational monitoring of mining areas and to develop a risk assessment technique based on spectral-temperature indices. The Shcherbakivske tailings pond, which contains radionuclides and toxic compounds of uranium ores, was selected as the object of study. The effectiveness of integrating satellite data for analysing the dynamics of man-made landscapes was analysed. A methodology was developed for using the Soil Moisture Index (SMI), based on a combination of thermal bands and vegetation indices. This approach allows the influence of vegetation to be mitigated and hidden zones of anthropogenic water infiltration to be identified. Based on the analysis of time series, SMI anomalies were recorded beyond the tailings dam, indicating filtration leaks towards agricultural land and risks of contamination of food chains.

The introduction of satellite monitoring is essential for overcoming the fragmentation of environmental monitoring systems in Ukraine. The use of temperature data, combined with automated data processing, facilitates the transition to systematic early detection of hazardous processes.