Remote Sensing Monitoring and Quick Assessment on the Dammed Lakes

Landslide-dammed lakes may cause serious losses to upper stream (inundated by backwater) and downstream (flooding from broken dam). The information of dammed lake on location, scale, amount and evolution is important for risk assessment and dammed lake treatment. Because dammed lake is usually located at valley of remote mountainous area, remote sensing will play an important role in dynamic monitoring and quick assessment. In this paper, multiple-spectral satellite images, SAR data and airborne remote sensing data were used to dynamic monitor and analyze landslide-dammed lakes. The information on catchment area, water capacity, dam height and size of dammed lake was used to assess the stability of landslide dam and risk of dammed lakes. Finally, the issue for dammed lakes treatment in an emergency was discussed.