Environmental application of aerial reconnaissance to search for open dumps
Three approaches to using aerial photography are evaluated for searching for open dumps in the state of Indiana. Photography with hand-held cameras from a small airplane proved more effective and flexible than either photo-interpretation of existing air photos or subcontracting to a federal agency for new aerial photography. The rationale for our choice of aerial reconnaissance, other uses of low-level aerial surveillance, the utility of small-format camera aerial photography for environmental analysis, and methods used for locating open dumps are discussed.
Photogrammetry, Photointerpretation, and Digital Imaging and Mapping in Environmental Forensics
Photointerpretation requires the use of the proper equipment, the correct types of aerial photographs, and sophisticated instruments, methods, and techniques that have been developed by the photogrammetric profession over the course of more than 100 years. In the course of about 15 years, however, photogrammetry has been transformed by the advent of computer technologies that have added digital imaging and image processing and digital mapping methods such as CAD and GIS to its repertoire. The acquisition and careful examination of aerial photographs, using all the proper instruments, methods, hardware, and software is only part of using photogrammetry to its fullest advantage in environmental forensics and environmental litigation. In the final analysis, the most important part of photointerpretation—as opposed to photo reading—is to use the information presented by historical aerial photos to support logical and consistent reasoning about the processes and human industrial behavior that took place at sites through time and shaped the nature of the environment there.
Assessment of Ground Regeneration around Borehole Heat Exchangers between Heating Seasons in Cold Climates: A Case Study in Bialystok (NE, Poland)
Based on the experimental studies, the process of ground regeneration around the borehole loaded with brine-water heat pumps working exclusively for heating purposes in the period of four consecutive heating seasons in a cold climate was presented. The research was conducted in north-eastern Poland. The aim of the work is to verify the phenomenon of thermal ground regeneration in the period between heating seasons on the basis of the recorded data and to check whether the ground is able to regenerate itself and at what rate. It was noticed that the ground does not fully regenerate, especially during heating seasons with lower temperatures. In the analyzed period, from 22 September 2016 to 12 October 2020, the ground probably cooled irreversibly by 1.5 °C. In order to illustrate and evaluate the speed of changes in the ground, the one’s profile with an undisturbed temperature field was presented for each month of the year. The presented results can be a very important source of information for the analysis of geothermal conditions occurring in the ground. They can be used to verify mathematical models and conduct long-term simulations that allow us to see the complexity of the processes taking place in the ground.