Abstract: Using Remote Sensing and Aerial Photographs to Document and Monitor Environmental Conditions, Tengiz Joint Venture Block, Kazakhstan

James M. Ellis, Peter B. Goodwin, Pat D. Caldwell

Tengizchevroil (a joint venture established in 1993 between Chevron and the Republic of Kazakhstan) is using satellite images and new aerial photographs to help establish an environmental and infrastructure baseline across the 4000 sq km Tengiz Joint Venture Block. Chevron has used satellite images since 1988 to help construct basemaps and evaluate environmental conditions of Tengiz because information from other sources has been inconsistent and difficult to obtain.

Satellite images were acquired by Landsat MSS and TM, SPOT, and the Russian KFA-1000 sensors from 1986 to 1993. These images provided a regional understanding of terrain, vegetation patterns, land use, the coastal zone of the Caspian Sea, and oil-field infrastructure. Russian airborne thermal IR images showed anomalies across the oil field that Russian scientists related to variable fault density and gas seepage. An accurate geodetic control network was established across the area to construct reliable maps of wells, facilities, infrastructure, and environmental conditions interpreted from the images. These maps provide Tengizchevroil with an overview of initial surface conditions within the J.V. Block and help define environmental liability.

Color and color IR aerial photographs (1:20,000 scale) were acquired in August, 1993, for detailed documentation of field conditions. Color photography was chosen to simplify interpreting location and environmental conditions by workers in the field, while color-infrared photography was specified to maximize resolution and provide detailed information on vegetation. Viewing overlapping air photos of the flat terrain with a stereoscope facilitated identification and mapping of numerous features with subtle topographic relief, including landfills, pipeline scars, levees, transmission lines, and hundreds of active and abandoned borrow pits. These 1993 aerial photographs were also used to document terrain conditions prior to constructing new infrastructure. The aerial photographs were dig tally scanned and interpreted (along with the satellite images) within a computer-aided drafting system, creating an accurate, easily updated and consistent mapping base for helping to manage field development and monitor environmental conditions.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90986©1994 AAPG Annual Convention, Denver, Colorado, June 12-15, 1994