West Coast mine monitoring app in Google Earth Engine

Mining on South Africa's west coast has come under public scrutiny following state approval of mine expansion by various international mining companies. Protect the West Coast (PTWC), an organisation that has been spearheading petitions to attempt to halt mining activities and discourage the approval of new mining applications, outlines some the impacts of these new mining activities on the environment and local economy. There are numerous risks associated with mining along the west coast, including the disturbance and destruction of marine life on mined beaches, destabilisation of fishing communities, damage to fragile dune systems, loss of access to beaches and coastline for recreational activities, loss of archaeological resources, fossils and indigenous heritage sites. The impacts of current mining activity can already clearly be seen using remote sensing imagery.

Dr Joseph White, who currently works as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Witwatersrand, recently produced an interactive Google Earth Engine application allowing users to visualise landscape changes along the West Coast. Users can select a site and date, and drag the slider tool to see the effects of mining activities over time as captured by Google satellite imagery. Comparing remotely-sensed satellite imagery over time is the ideal companion to the more traditional ground-based repeat photography (where possible), allowing more robust analyses to be performed using GIS.

Satellite images of the MSR Tormin Mine in January 2016 (left) and 2021 (right). Drag the slider tool to see how the landscape has changed over time.

The above slider tool shows the main MSR Tormin Mine between January 2016 and 2021, where both the beach and the near-shore coast are being mined. Of the five sites that users can select in the interactive app, the MSR Tormin Mine and Namakwa Sands Mine shows the most dramatic changes, with the extent of the mining activities being clearly visible. Mining expansion has already resulted in the disturbance of hundreds of kilometres of coastal ecosystems in the region, and PTWC are planning further intervention to protest the allowance of further mining on the beaches of the West Coast.

Article by Hana Petersen, with thanks to Dr Joe White.