The Use of Satellite Remote Sensing and Helicopter Tem Data for the Identification and Characterization of Contaminated

The present research aims at exploring an advanced methodologies to solve a serious problems, currently threatening the health of environment and populations: the illegal stocking of dangerous waste materials and the consequent contamination of soils and ground water systems. In previous studies, satellite remote sensing has been successfully used to identify numerous candidate sites that are most likely to host waste materials. This result was the basis for further monitoring activities based on the use of an helicopter transient electromagnetic (TEM) system, to be carried out at end of April 2009. Extended results of the modelling of this survey will be presented at the Near Surface conference in Dublin at the oral presentation. Based on the forward modelling carried out, and on the experience from real data acquired earlier over a disposal site in Denmark, it is anticipated that SkyTEM will be capable of identifying the contaminated sites, and of mapping the contaminant plumes. Data will be carefully processed to decouple them from man made infrastructures, and then inverted with the Spatially Constrained Inversion (SCI) to recover a quasi 3D model of the subsurface. The integration of proximal and remote sensing methods represents a useful instrument for environmental management.