Ecological restoration in phosphate mine using hyperspectral imaging spectroscopy
Research team: Arnon Karnieli, Tarin Paz-Kagan, and Eli Zaady, Postdoctoral: Noa Hillel
Mining destroys natural ecosystems through the removal of soil and vegetation. The restoration of mining land in practice can be considered as ecosystem reconstruction — and re-establishment of the capability of the land to capture and retain vital resources. The term 'reclamation' describes the general process whereby the land surface is returned to some form of beneficial use. Where reclamation is guided by ecological principles and promotes the recovery of ecological integrity, the term 'restoration' is used. Ecological restoration is about a broad set of activities. It is usually a question of the re-establishment of the capability of the land to capture and retain critical resources (energy, water, nutrients, and species). In the research we studied the ecological restoration in phosphate mine by studying the effect the restoration on soil properties and overall quality, using hyperspectral imaging spectroscopy in the arid area of Israel. A hyperspectral flight covered more the 20 km flight-line was taking in 2017, together with extensive soil sampling. The soil analysis included more than 16 different soil properties that were taken from nature and adjacent restored phosphate mining sites along the flight-line.
