Monitoring environmental health using SPOT-VEGETATION-derived and field-measured spectral indices in Karabash, Russia

Abstract

The objective of this study was to use satellite imagery combined with field-based spectral analysis to assess the impacts of mining-related activities on vegetation around the smelter town of Karabash, South Ural Mountains of Russia. Time series analysis of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FAPAR) images derived from Système Pour l'Observation de la Terre (SPOT)-VEGETATION was combined with the analysis of vegetation stress indices calculated from 140 in situ spectral measurements. Correlation analyses have revealed that vegetation stress affects vegetation density and resilience, and that it impedes a gradual increase in photosynthetic activity in the most affected areas ranging up to 10 km from the smelter. The prolongation of the growing season of healthier vegetation at greater distances, showing higher vegetation density, lower variation, and a more positive trend over time, can possibly be related to climate change. Although land cover shows a concentric pattern around Karabash, the analysis revealed that both spectral and time series-derived indices are defined more by the distance to the Karabash smelter and vegetation stress, rather than by the land cover class.