The mining industry of the past has left long-lasting tracks in the territorial structure of the Ruhr area. Dealing responsibly with the area’s mining heritage in terms of sustainable regional developments is a major challenge. In 2014, the 17 pertinent municipalities and districts, together with the state government of North-Rhine Westphalia, RAG Aktiengesellschaft and the Ruhr Regional Association (RVR), concluded the “Mining Area Agreement | Agreement on the Forward-looking Revitalisation of Significant Mining Areas” (BBFV). The agreement formally sets forth the understanding of a common regional responsibility to ensure a sustainable subsequent use for mining areas of regional economic and urban development significance. The negotiations between the partners laid the foundation for a common understanding of the prioritisation of areas for development. T

The evolving hyperspectral sensors have become a big ally for a large range of applications in remote sensing for the monitoring of a variety of earth ecosystems and processes (natural and anthropogenic). The processes occurring within the mining life cycle are not an exception. Hyperspectral sensors have been widely used in a large number of applications ranging from exploration, operation and post-mining. In this work, the authors explore particularly the use of hyperspectral methods to contribute to the monitoring of one of the most important environmental phenomena that many mining operations might face: acid mine drainage (AMD). Failure of accurately monitoring and remediation of such complex, leads to long-term impacts on ecosystems and human health, in addition to significant financial consequences and reputational damage to operators. Hyperspectral imagery represents one solution to enhance the quality of classical geochemical analyses in post mining-related contaminated scenarios, which can increase the overall accuracy of the monitoring, allowing frequent and multi-temporal observations to detect risk areas and take fast corrective actions.

Nachhaltiges Grubenwassermanagement gehört zu den wichtigsten Aufgaben des Nachbergbaus. Der Bericht stellt die vielfältigen Erfahrungen zusammen, die mit dem langfristigen und umweltverträglichen Umgang mit Grubenwasser in ausgewählten europäischen Steinkohlenrevieren gesammelt wurden. Die hydrogeologischen, bergbaulichen und wasserwirtschaftlichen Aspekte werden systematisch ausgewertet und standortspezifische Besonderheiten herausgestellt. Die Erkenntnisse helfen, den Grubenwasseranstiegsprozess zu veranschaulichen und ein vertieftes Verständnis zu schaffen.