The document summarizes a study that used LANDSAT 5 TM imagery from 1984, 1986, 1987, and 1994 to classify land features in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and determine the effects of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident. The analysis found that large areas of vegetation were not destroyed by radiation as expected. Instead, the herbaceous land class expanded after the accident and evacuation, while evergreen and deciduous classes remained constant.
1. Land Classification of
Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
Daniel Quandt
I used LANDSAT 5 TM images to depict the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and classify features
to determine what if any effect the nuclear accident at Chernobyl had on the surrounding
area.
Research Questions:
How has the area surrounding the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant been effected by the nuclear
incident that occurred on 26 April 1986?
Did radiation destroy large areas of vegetation?
What feature class became dominant after the incident and evacuation?
2. Data Summary
Data Source Name Data & Type Acquisition Date Resolution
USGS Global Visualization
Viewer
http://glovis.usgs.gov/
LT51810241984299XXX03
LANDSAT 5 TM
1984 Raster
7 Band TIFFs
25 October 1984 30m
USGS Global Visualization
Viewer
http://glovis.usgs.gov/
LT51820241986151XXX10
LANDSAT 5 TM
1986 Raster
7 Band TIFFs
31 May 1986 30m
All metadata for imagery available for download via USGS
3. Data Summary
Data Source Name Data & Type Acquisition Date Resolution
USGS Global Visualization
Viewer
http://glovis.usgs.gov/
LT51820241987250XXX02
LANDSAT 5 TM
1987 Raster
7 Band TIFFs
7 September 1987 30m
USGS Global Visualization
Viewer
http://glovis.usgs.gov/
LT51820241994253XXX02
LANDSAT 5 TM
1994 Raster
7 Band TIFFs
10 September 1994 30m
All metadata for imagery available for download via USGS
5. Image Processing Procedures
Band 1
TIFF
Band 2
TIFF
Band 3
TIFF
Band 4
TIFF
Band 5
TIFF
Band 6
TIFF
Band 7
TIFF
Layer Stack
4, 3, 2
FCC
Image Subset
Subset
Image
Supervised
Classification
Land
Classification
Procedures used for each data set
(1984, 1986, 1987 and 1994)
9. Results
• Were large areas of vegetation destroyed as a result of the nuclear
accident?
• No. I expected more vegetation to be destroyed as a result of radiation and contamination. Recent studies
show plants have adapted easily to the high levels of radiation and contamination in the exclusion zone.
Other studies show that decomposers such as insects and microbes have also been effected by the
radiation. In areas with high radiation levels vegetation isn’t decaying properly and this has led to higher
levels of litter (fallen trees and leaves) and increased risk of fire.
• What features became dominant after the Soviet government permanently
evacuated the region?
• I expected there to be more destruction of vegetation and bare ground to be dominant. The herbaceous
class seemed to expand after the nuclear accident. The evergreen and deciduous classes seemed to
remain relatively constant.