Application of Landsat satellite imagery to monitor land‐cover changes at the Athabasca Oil Sands, Alberta, Canada

A major advantage of satellite remote sensing is that the imagery acquired provides a synoptic view of the landscape. Thus, repeat coverage by the satellite on a regular basis permits the detection of changes in land-cover over time. This study demonstrates the application of remote sensing technology to the monitoring of mining activities at the Athabasca Oil Sands region of Alberta, Canada. First, we describe the techniques used to match a time sequence of Landsat imagery, both spatially and spectrally, to ensure that the spectral changes through time are due to land-cover variations. A series of spectral trajectories were then extracted to assess changes in land-cover through time. Secondly, a land-cover classification was produced from the baseline 1984 imagery and, using historic and future mine extents, the classification was analyzed to determine the proportion of each land-cover type affected through development. Results of the analysis indicate that since 1984 there has been a larger reduction in mixedwood dense and broadleaf vegetation classes than mixedwood sparse or dense conifer stands in the area. Based on the delineations of mine-site activity, the area of woodland and wetland habitat subject to development has increased from approximately 2,520 hectare (ha) in 1984 to 32,930 ha in 2005. Le recours a l'imagerie satellite Landsat pour la surveillance des changements de la couverture terrestre dans la region des sables bitumineux de l'Athabasca, Alberta, Canada Un des grands avantages de l'imagerie satellitaire est que les images obtenues fournissent une vue synoptique du paysage. Une couverture repetee du territoire par le satellite, a intervalles reguliers, permet de detecter des changements dans la couverture terrestre . Cet article demontre l'utilite de la teledetection pour la surveillance des activites d'extraction miniere dans la region des sables bitumineux de l'Athabasca, Alberta, Canada. Une description des techniques qui peuvent etre employees pour faire correspondre une serie temporelle d'images Landsat, en mode spatial et spectral, est d'abord presentee afin de s'assurer que les changements spectraux au fil du temps s'expliquent par les variations de la couverture terrestre. On en degage des trajectoires spectrales servant aevaluer ces changements. Ensuite, une classification de la couverture terrestre est realisee a partir des images obtenues des donnees de base de 1984. Une analyse de la classification sur la base de l'ampleur historique et a venir des exploitations minieres permet de determiner dans quelle proportion chaque type de couverture terrestre a ete touche par le developpement. Ces resultats indiquent que depuis 1984 il y a eu une plus grande reduction des classes de vegetation de foret mixte dense et feuillue que les peuplements forestiers mixtes clairsemes ou de coniferes denses dans le secteur. Selon les delimitations des sites miniers, les habitats en milieu boise et humide soumis au developpement d'une superficie d'environ 2520 ha en 1984 ont atteint 32 930 ha en 2005.

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