Remote Sensing for Environmental Monitoring: A Case Study of the Momotombo Geothermal Field, Nicaragua

Abstract

The environmental impacts of geothermal projects have been widely discussed in countries with great potential for geothermal development. In Nicaragua, all geothermal areas are located within protected areas, therefore, environmental and social impacts must be assessed prior to development and monitoring programs during construction and operation stages must be implemented. The use of land is one of the most common issues when projects are located near towns and villages, a project can cause some social concerns about the real impacts of geothermal development, thus it is important to effectively monitor the change in land use. The Momotombo geothermal field is located within the Momotombo Volcanic Complex Nature Reserve, however, the project was developed before the protected area was created in 1983. The first exploration well in the field was completed in 1974 and the first generation unit of the geothermal power plant was commissioned in 1983 and a second unit in 1989, needing the drilling of additional wells and therefore expanding the area used by the project. The purpose of this paper is to analyse changes in the composition of land use within the Momotombo geothermal concession and its impacts within the protected area during the last 20 years. Satellite images from different sensors such as Sentinel 2A and the historical Landsat Series were analyzed for comparing the evolution of the geothermal development and the effects on biodiversity conservation in the protected area. The environmental management of geothermal development in the area is also discussed.