BGS data supports new tool to track geological changes in abandoned coal mines
BGS data supports new tool to track geological changes in abandoned coal mines.
20/11/2020
BGS is part of a multi-disciplinary team led by the University of Nottingham to develop a remote monitoring tool designed to help authorities manage public safety and environmental issues in recently abandoned coal mines.
The tool uses satellite radar imagery to capture millimeter-scale measurements of changes in terrain height. These measurements, when integrated with geological process models, can be used to monitor and forecast groundwater levels and changes in geological conditions deep below the earth’s surface in former mining areas. Ultimately this can help forecast where surface discharge of mine water may occur.
The study uses an advanced InSAR technique, called Intermittent Small Baseline Subset (ISBAS), developed by the University of Nottingham and Terra Motion Ltd and uses geological data provided by the BGS.
The method has been implemented over Nottinghamshire coalfields and the findings published in a paper ‘Modelling groundwater rebound in recently abandoned coalfields using DInSAR’ in the journal Remote Sensing of the Environment.
The team hopes to integrate results into an existing screening tool developed by the Environment Agency and Coal Authority to help local planning authorities, developers and consultants design sustainable drainage systems in coalfield areas, with potential to be scaled to coalfields across the UK.
The research was led by University of Nottingham PhD, David Gee and funded by the GeoEnergy Research Centre and Terra Motion Limited. ENVISAT and Sentinel-1 SAR data were provided by the European Space Agency with geological data by BGS and hydrogeological data by the Coal Authority.
Luke Bateson and Alessandro Novellino from the BGS Earth Observation and Geodesy capability have supported the geological interpretation and modelling of the InSAR results.
Read the full story on the University of Nottingham website
You can read more about the Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technique from BGS Remote Sensing Geologist, Alessandro Novellino in ‘Mapping Ground Deformation from Space’, on the British Geological Survey blog.
Luke Bateson
Acting head of shallow geohazards and Earth observation; head of geodesy and remote sensing (Keyworth)
Dr Alessandro Novellino
Remote sensing geoscientist
Relative topics
Related news
BGS makes significant advance in mineral data accessibility
10/12/2024
A new public application programming interface for the BGS World Mineral Statistics Database will revolutionise how users interact with critical data.
Dynamics of land-to-lake transfers in the Lake Victoria Basin
09/12/2024
In June 2024, a UK/Kenya research team shared research findings from a collaborative, four-year field and experimental programme within Kenya.
Prehistoric power: 250-million-year-old rocks could contain secrets to net zero future
05/12/2024
BGS has completed a comprehensive scan of Mercia Mudstone rocks that could hold geological secrets of the UK’s past and provide a boost for net zero.
The challenge of assessing the UK economy’s dependence on mineral supply
28/11/2024
Critical, essential, or just plain important? Dr Gavin Mudd, director of the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre, discusses the findings and new methodology featured in the 2024 UK Criticality Assessment.
UK 2024 Criticality Assessment published
28/11/2024
The latest UK Criticality Assessment, produced by the UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre, shows that growing diversification brings an increasing vulnerability in terms of disruption to supply.
Brighid Ó Dochartaigh honoured with prestigious Geological Society award
27/11/2024
A recently retired BGS employee has been honoured for her contribution to the hydrogeological community.
How can Scotland re-establish its building stone industry?
14/11/2024
British Geological Survey research, commissioned by Historic Environment Scotland, reveals an opportunity to re-establish the Scottish building stone market in order to maintain the country’s historic buildings.
UK–Philippine partnership to help tackle the challenges of future water security in the Philippines
07/11/2024
New ‘hydrological hub’ to foster research and provide essential national water management datasets and tools.
Next stage of funding awarded for project on hydrogen storage potential in the East Midlands
17/10/2024
BGS will conduct essential studies on hydrogen behaviour in the subsurface to predict, measure and monitor underground hydrogen storage.
BGS chemists involved in new project developing early detection test for bladder cancer
15/10/2024
BGS is combining its expertise with researchers from Queen’s University Belfast, the University of Dhaka and the International Agency for Research on Cancer to further develop a urine-based early detection test.
What lies beneath Liverpool?
11/10/2024
The geological secrets lying under the surface of Liverpool and Warrington have been unveiled for the first time in BGS’s 3D interactive tool.
World-class facility creates new opportunities for geothermal energy in Cheshire
10/10/2024
The £8.3 million underground observatory will enhance the UK’s knowledge on the clean energy required to decarbonise heating.