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Baier C, Modersohn A, Jalowy F, Glaser B, Gross A. Effects of recultivation on soil organic carbon sequestration in abandoned coal mining sites: a meta-analysis. Sci Rep 2022; 12:20090. [PMID: 36418851 PMCID: PMC9684481 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-22937-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Opencast coal mining results in high loss of soil organic carbon (SOC), which may be restored via recultivation. Common strategies include liming, topsoil application, and phytoremediation. It remains unclear, however, which parameters determine the effectiveness of these varying recultivation strategies especially regarding SOC sequestration. This meta-analysis analyses the effect of varying recultivation strategies on SOC sequestration under different climate and soil conditions (pH, texture, depth) as well as in relation to time, based on 404 data entries from 51 studies. All included climatic regions recorded increases in SOC stocks, with tropical soils showing the highest potential for relative gains at up to 637%. We demonstrate that loamy soils sequester twice as much newly introduced SOC than sand. Strategy-wise, the highest mean rate of SOC sequestration is achieved by forest after topsoil application (3.9 Mg ha-1 a-1), agriculture after topsoil application (2.3 Mg ha-1 a-1), and agriculture with topsoil and fertiliser application (1.9 Mg ha-1 a-1) with a response ratio of 304%, 281%, and 218%, respectively. Soils analysed to less then 40 cm depth show higher SOC sequestration rates (< 10 cm: 0.6 Mg ha-1 a-1, < 20 cm: 1.0 Mg ha-1 a-1, and 20-40 cm: 0.4 Mg ha-1 a-1; response ratio of 123%, 68%, and 73%, respectively) than those analysed to a depth of 41-80 cm (0.1 Mg ha-1 a-1; response ratio of 6%). In terms of pH, strongly acidic soils (pH < 4.5) and alkaline conditions (pH > 7) offer the most beneficial environment for SOC sequestration at 0.4 Mg ha-1 a-1 and 0.8 Mg ha-1 a-1, respectively (185% and 273% response). Given comparable SOC sequestration potentials of forest after topsoil application, agriculture without amendments, and forest without amendments, we recommend to weigh these strategies against each other. Potentially decisive aspects are short- vs. long-term economic gains, food security concerns, and-in case of agriculture-the risk of overintensification leading to losses in SOC. Our data suggests that amendments exert considerable influence on SOC sequestration and need to be introduced under careful consideration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Baier
- grid.9018.00000 0001 0679 2801Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Soil Biogeochemistry, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Antonia Modersohn
- grid.9018.00000 0001 0679 2801Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Soil Biogeochemistry, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Friedrich Jalowy
- grid.9018.00000 0001 0679 2801Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Soil Biogeochemistry, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Bruno Glaser
- grid.9018.00000 0001 0679 2801Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Soil Biogeochemistry, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Arthur Gross
- grid.9018.00000 0001 0679 2801Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Soil Biogeochemistry, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
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Assessing Ecosystem Services from the Forestry-Based Reclamation of Surface Mined Areas in the North Fork of the Kentucky River Watershed. FORESTS 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/f9100652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Surface mining is a major driver of land use land cover (LULC) change in many mountainous areas such as the Appalachian region. Typical reclamation practices often result in land cover dominated by grass and shrubs. Assessing ecosystem services that can be obtained from a forest landscape may help policy-makers and other stakeholders fully understand the benefits of forestry-based reclamation (FRA). The objectives of this study are to (1) identify how surface mining and reclamation changed the LULC of a watershed encompassing the north fork of the Kentucky River, (2) assess the biophysical value of four major ecosystem services under the contemporary LULC condition, and (3) assess the benefits of the FRA scenario in the provision of ecosystem services. Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to study the LULC change and InVEST software models for ecosystem services assessment. The results indicate that watershed’s forest area has decreased by 7751 hectares from 2001 to 2011 and mining/reclamation activities may have contributed 65% of the overall changes in LULC. Barren and grassland land covers provide less carbon storage, yield more water, and export more sediments and nutrients than forests. At the watershed level, the FRA scenario increased carbon storage (13%) and reduced water yield (5%), sediment export (40%), and nutrient export (7%). The provision of these ecosystem services varies at the subwatershed level, and such spatial heterogeneity is primarily driven by land cover composition, precipitation, and topography. This study provides critical information regarding the ecological benefits of restoring mined land to assist policy and decision making at landscape scales.
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Pericak AA, Thomas CJ, Kroodsma DA, Wasson MF, Ross MRV, Clinton NE, Campagna DJ, Franklin Y, Bernhardt ES, Amos JF. Mapping the yearly extent of surface coal mining in Central Appalachia using Landsat and Google Earth Engine. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0197758. [PMID: 30044790 PMCID: PMC6059389 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2017] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Surface mining for coal has taken place in the Central Appalachian region of the United States for well over a century, with a notable increase since the 1970s. Researchers have quantified the ecosystem and health impacts stemming from mining, relying in part on a geospatial dataset defining surface mining’s extent at a decadal interval. This dataset, however, does not deliver the temporal resolution necessary to support research that could establish causal links between mining activity and environmental or public health and safety outcomes, nor has it been updated since 2005. Here we use Google Earth Engine and Landsat imagery to map the yearly extent of surface coal mining in Central Appalachia from 1985 through 2015, making our processing models and output data publicly available. We find that 2,900 km2 of land has been newly mined over this 31-year period. Adding this more-recent mining to surface mines constructed prior to 1985, we calculate a cumulative mining footprint of 5,900 km2. Over the study period, correlating active mine area with historical surface mine coal production shows that each metric ton of coal is associated with 12 m2 of actively mined land. Our automated, open-source model can be regularly updated as new surface mining occurs in the region and can be refined to capture mining reclamation activity into the future. We freely and openly offer the data for use in a range of environmental, health, and economic studies; moreover, we demonstrate the capability of using tools like Earth Engine to analyze years of remotely sensed imagery over spatially large areas to quantify land use change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew A. Pericak
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | | | | | | | - Matthew R. V. Ross
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Nicholas E. Clinton
- Google Earth Engine Team, Google Inc., Mountain View, California, United States of America
| | - David J. Campagna
- Department of Geology & Geography, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, United States of America
| | | | - Emily S. Bernhardt
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - John F. Amos
- SkyTruth, Shepherdstown, West Virginia, United States of America
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Monetization of External Costs Using Lifecycle Analysis—A Comparative Case Study of Coal-Fired and Biomass Power Plants in Northeast China. ENERGIES 2015. [DOI: 10.3390/en8021440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Vengosh A, Lindberg TT, Merola BR, Ruhl L, Warner NR, White A, Dwyer GS, Di Giulio RT. Isotopic imprints of mountaintop mining contaminants. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2013; 47:10041-10048. [PMID: 23909446 DOI: 10.1021/es4012959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Mountaintop mining (MTM) is the primary procedure for surface coal exploration within the central Appalachian region of the eastern United States, and it is known to contaminate streams in local watersheds. In this study, we measured the chemical and isotopic compositions of water samples from MTM-impacted tributaries and streams in the Mud River watershed in West Virginia. We systematically document the isotopic compositions of three major constituents: sulfur isotopes in sulfate (δ(34)SSO4), carbon isotopes in dissolved inorganic carbon (δ(13)CDIC), and strontium isotopes ((87)Sr/(86)Sr). The data show that δ(34)SSO4, δ(13)CDIC, Sr/Ca, and (87)Sr/(86)Sr measured in saline- and selenium-rich MTM impacted tributaries are distinguishable from those of the surface water upstream of mining impacts. These tracers can therefore be used to delineate and quantify the impact of MTM in watersheds. High Sr/Ca and low (87)Sr/(86)Sr characterize tributaries that originated from active MTM areas, while tributaries from reclaimed MTM areas had low Sr/Ca and high (87)Sr/(86)Sr. Leaching experiments of rocks from the watershed show that pyrite oxidation and carbonate dissolution control the solute chemistry with distinct (87)Sr/(86)Sr ratios characterizing different rock sources. We propose that MTM operations that access the deeper Kanawha Formation generate residual mined rocks in valley fills from which effluents with distinctive (87)Sr/(86)Sr and Sr/Ca imprints affect the quality of the Appalachian watersheds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avner Vengosh
- Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University , Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States.
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Wickham J, Wood PB, Nicholson MC, Jenkins W, Druckenbrod D, Suter GW, Strager MP, Mazzarella C, Galloway W, Amos J. The Overlooked Terrestrial Impacts of Mountaintop Mining. Bioscience 2013. [DOI: 10.1525/bio.2013.63.5.7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
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Acton PM, Fox JF, Campbell JE, Jones AL, Rowe H, Martin D, Bryson S. Role of soil health in maintaining environmental sustainability of surface coal mining. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2011; 45:10265-10272. [PMID: 22029408 DOI: 10.1021/es202764q] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Mountaintop coal mining (MCM) in the Southern Appalachian forest region greatly impacts both soil and aquatic ecosystems. Policy and practice currently in place emphasize water quality and soil stability but do not consider upland soil health. Here we report soil organic carbon (SOC) measurements and other soil quality indicators for reclaimed soils in the Southern Appalachian forest region to quantify the health of the soil ecosystem. The SOC sequestration rate of the MCM soils was 1.3 MgC ha(-1) yr(-1) and stocks ranged from 1.3 ± 0.9 to 20.9 ± 5.9 Mg ha(-1) and contained only 11% of the SOC of surrounding forest soils. Comparable reclaimed mining soils reported in the literature that are supportive of soil ecosystem health had SOC stocks 2.5-5 times greater than the MCM soils and sequestration rates were also 1.6-3 times greater. The high compaction associated with reclamation in this region greatly reduces both the vegetative rooting depth and infiltration of the soil and increases surface runoff, thus bypassing the ability of soil to naturally filter groundwater. In the context of environmental sustainability of MCM, it is proposed that the entire watershed ecosystem be assessed and that a revision of current policy be conducted to reflect the health of both water and soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter M Acton
- Civil Engineering Department, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, United States
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Epstein PR, Buonocore JJ, Eckerle K, Hendryx M, Stout III BM, Heinberg R, Clapp RW, May B, Reinhart NL, Ahern MM, Doshi SK, Glustrom L. Full cost accounting for the life cycle of coal. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2011; 1219:73-98. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05890.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 191] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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