A research team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) has developed a new satellite-based remote sensing tool called SHABA, which stands for Seasonal Harmonic Anomaly Break Analysis. This tool is designed to analyze changes in vegetation around mining sites by accounting for seasonal variations and long-term trends. By doing so, SHABA can reliably detect and measure changes in vegetation over time and space. The researchers hope that SHABA will improve the understanding of how mining activities impact the global environment. Metals such as copper, aluminum, and rare earth elements are essential for modern technologies, including smartphones, electric vehicles, and renewable energy systems like solar and wind power. Mining operations, which extract these metals, have substantial environmental impacts. Richard Gloaguen, head of the Department of Exploration at HZDR’s Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology, explained that while European mining companies must follow strict environmental regulations, this is not always the case in other parts of the world. He noted that the land use and environmental impact of global mining have been difficult to quantify due to the lack of a reliable remote sensing tool to monitor the thousands of mines worldwide. In their latest study, published in the ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Gloaguen and his team introduced SHABA. A key feature of SHABA is its ability to consider typical seasonal changes in vegetation, such as leaf fall or blooming periods, and compare current data with historical trends. This helps identify and precisely locate changes in vegetation over time and space. For example, SHABA can detect deforestation caused by expanding mining sites or identify areas where vegetation has regrown after reclamation efforts. To test SHABA, the researchers analyzed vegetation around six mining sites on different continents and in various climate zones. They examined satellite data from within a 100-kilometer (62-mile) radius of each site from 2000 to 2025, generating over 100 satellite images per year for each location. SHABA transforms this data into wave-like diagrams that make it easier to visualize and measure changes in vegetation. The changes detected by SHABA matched real-world events, such as deforestation for mining expansion or the regrowth of vegetation after land restoration. Gloaguen emphasized that SHABA has the potential to be a valuable tool for analyzing vegetation changes near mining sites across different climates. He hopes it will help quantify the environmental footprint of mining globally and support better communication between the mining industry and environmental groups. In future studies, the team plans to apply SHABA to all mines worldwide and make the data freely available. Currently, SHABA is already accessible to the public at no cost.