11-06, 11:50– (Australia/Hobart), Anglesea Room
This study first seeks to detect mineral extraction activities using Digital Earth Pacific (DEP). The DEP algorithms use random forest and logistic regression for classification of mineral extraction activities with change detection to identify areas impacted by recent mineral extraction activities between two points in time.
According to the Baseline Assessment of Development Minerals in Fiji, the environmental impacts of development mineral extraction have been extensive (2018). Within the assessment, thirty-six of 105 surveyed community members (34%) reported negative impacts of mining on their village managed fisheries following establishment of river extraction operations.
Monitoring the impacts of mineral extraction on increased sediment loading downstream in marine ecosystems is challenging given the dynamic nature of rapidly changing water quality. Furthermore, there are additional challenges in disaggregating the influences of mining from rainfall-runoff dynamics and other sources of turbidity and sediment transport.
This study first seeks to detect mineral extraction activities using Digital Earth Pacific (DEP). The DEP algorithms use random forest and logistic regression for classification of mineral extraction activities with change detection to identify areas impacted by recent mineral extraction activities between two points in time.
To assess the associated impacts of these mineral extraction activities on marine ecosystems, the study combines remote sensing of both terrestrial and marine environments. In future further sediment transport modelling can be run over marine ecosystems. The results yield estimates of potential impacts of sediment transport from mining on marine ecosystems in Fiji.
Authors:
Nicholas Metherall1,2,5, Alex Leith3,5, Kishan Kumar4
1University of the South Pacific (USP), Suva, Fiji.
2Australian National University (ANU), Canberra, Australia.
3Auspatious, Suburb, Hobart, Australia.
4Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) Suva, Fiji.
5Digital Earth Pacific (DEP)
