Environmental monitoring of landfill sites using multi-temporal remote sensing images

In this study, multi-temporal Landsat images obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey are used to monitor two landfill sites, the Trail Road landfill (Ottawa, Canada) and the Al-Jleeb landfill (Al-Farwanyah, Kuwait). The objectives are: 1) to study the land surface temperature (LST) of the two landfill sites; 2) investigate the relationship between the LST and landfill gas in the Trail Road landfill; and 3) detect suspicious dumping areas within the Al-Jleeb landfill. It was found that the LST of the landfill sites are always higher than the air temperature and the immediate surroundings. The correlation between the LST and the methane recorded in the Trail Road landfill is not obviously strong, and five suspicious locations were identified within the Al-Jleeb landfill by overlaying the highest LST contours. The study demonstrates the usefulness of remote sensing techniques that can provide supplementary information for landfill monitoring