Arsenic pollution in groundwater from Hetao Area,China

. Hetao Area, China is a district where arsenic concentrations in drinking water are elevated. The 180,000 people that inhabit the 6,100 km² of the seven counties in the area show symptoms of arsenic poisoning. In this paper, the distribution and origin of arsenic in groundwater were studied. The results demonstrate that the affected district boundaries encompass an area with high contents of As in well water, which the local inhabitants drink and use in daily life. This district is labeled as a population pathological change area. The isotope ratios of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.7100–0.7164), ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb (18.3817–19.1871), and ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb (15.7581–15.9578) in groundwater of the population pathological change area are close to the ratios measured in water from mine areas (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.7196, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=19.1940, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=15.9574), and are somewhat close to ratios in Yellow River, water which is used to irrigating in Hetao Area (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.7168, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=18.3495, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=15.5969). The average content of As in the drinking water is as high as four times more than the environmental standard of As in drinking water. The study suggests that the origin of the As in groundwater of the population pathological change area in Hetao Area is transported from higher elevations where mineral deposits exist. Mining of some of the deposits has occurred for a long time. Mining practices can result in release of toxic elements, which can then be transported from the mining district down gradient.     

Evaluation of indicators for desertification risk assessment in part of Thar Desert Region of Rajasthan using geospatial techniques

Desertification has emerged as a major economic, social and environmental problem in the western part of India. The best way of dealing with desertification is to take appropriate measures to arrest land degradation, especially in areas prone to desertification. This requires an early warning system for desertification based on scientific inputs. Hence, in the present study, an attempt has been made to develop a comprehensive model for the assessment of desertification risk in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan, India, using 23 desertification indicators. Indicators including soil, climate, vegetation and socio-economic parameters were integrated into a GIS environment to get environmental sensitive areas (ESAs) to desertification. Desertification risk index (DRI) was calculated based on ESAs to desertification, the degree of land degradation and significant desertification indicators obtained from the stepwise multiple regression model. DRI was validated by using independent indicators such as soil organic matter content and cation exchange capacity. Multiple regression analysis shows that 16 indicators out of 23 were found to be significant for assessing desertification risk at a 99% confidence interval with \(R^{2}=0.83\). The proposed methodology provides a series of effective indicators that would help to identify where desertification is a current or potential problem, and what could be the actions to alleviate the problem over time.     

Influence of acidic atmospheric deposition on soil solution composition in the Daniel Boone National Forest,Kentucky, USA

. Acid atmospheric deposition may enter an environmental ecosystem in a variety of forms and pathways, but the most common components include sulfuric and nitric acids formed when rain water interacts with sulfur (SOx) and nitrogen (NOx) emissions. For many soils and watersheds sensitive to acid deposition, the predominant chronic effect appears to be a low pH, loss of base cations, and a shift in the mineral phase controlling the activity of Al³⁺ and/or SO4^2– in solution. Soil solutions from lysimeters at various depths were taken at two sites in the Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky, USA, to evaluate potential impacts caused by acid deposition. The sites chosen were in close proximity to coal-burning power plants near Wolfe and McCreary counties and contained soils from the Rayne and Wernock series, respectively. Physicochemical characteristics of the soils revealed that both sites contained appreciable amounts of exchangeable acidity in the surface horizons, and that their base saturation levels were sufficiently low to be impacted adversely by acidic inputs. Soil solution data indicated that the sites were periodically subjected to relatively high NO3^– and SO4^2– inputs, which may have influenced spatial and temporal variation in Al and pH. As a consequence, the formation of Al-hydroxy-sulfate minerals such as jurbanite, alunite and basaluminite were thermodynamically favored over gibbsite. Given these conditions, long-term changes in soil solution chemistry from acid deposition are acknowledged.     

Annual emissions of mercury to the atmosphere from natural sources in Nevada and California

The impact of natural source emissions on atmospheric mercury concentrations and the biogeochemical cycle of mercury is not known. To begin to assess this impact, mercury emissions to the atmosphere were scaled up for three areas naturally enriched in mercury: the Steamboat Springs geothermal area, Nevada, the New Idria mercury mining district, California, and the Medicine Lake volcano, California. Data used to scale up area emissions included mercury fluxes, measured in-situ using field flux chambers, from undisturbed and disturbed geologic substrates, and relationships between mercury emissions and geologic rock types, soil mercury concentrations, and surface heat flux. At select locations mercury fluxes were measured for 24 h and the data were used to adjust fluxes measured at different times of the day to give an average daily flux. This adjustment minimized daily temporal variability, which is observed for mercury flux because of light and temperature effects. Area emissions were scaled spatially and temporally with GIS software. Measured fluxes ranged from 0.3 to approximately 50 ng m^-2 h^-1 at undisturbed sites devoid of mercury mineralization, and to greater than 10,000 ng m^-2 h^-1 from substrates that were in areas of mercury mining. Area-averaged fluxes calculated for bare soil at Steamboat Springs, New Idria, and Medicine Lake of 181, 9.2, and 2 ng m^-2 h^-1, respectively, are greater than fluxes previously ascribed to natural non-point sources, indicating that these sources may be more significant contributors of mercury to the atmosphere than previously realized.     

Lead distribution on a public shotgun range

. A detailed study has been made of the distribution of lead on a public shotgun range in the George Washington – Jefferson National Forests in southwestern Virginia. Sampling of more than 100 sites has yielded data on the distribution pattern of the lead shot. Since opening in 1993 through 2000, 11.1 metric tons (t) of lead have been accumulated over an area 220쑼 m (66,000 m²) with an average rate of accumulation of 1.4 t/year. More than 85% of the total dispersed lead lies scattered in the forest that surrounds the approximately 60Ꮔ-m cleared shooting surface. Lead is irregularly distributed because of the use of stationary targets and the general trajectory of launched clay targets. Maximum concentrations occur at distances of ~28, ~80, and ~180 m, and reach a maximum value of more than 5,000 g/m². Significant amounts of fine particulate lead, generated during shooting and as a result of impact occur close to the shooting box, but are absent at distances beyond 50 m.     

A comparison of the sludge conditioning capabilities of Canavalia ensiformis and Brachystegen eurycoma

. The finely ground seeds of Canavalia ensiformis (jack bean) and Brachystegen eurycoma (achi seed) were used in the treatment of sewage sludge. They were found to improve sludge filterability and compare favourably with the traditional, ferric chloride conditioner. The optimum dosage for each sample can be determined by drawing a tangent to the corresponding curve of each sample at the point where there is a sharp break between the straight and curvilinear portion. In this work, the optimum values for C. ensiformis and B. eurycoma are 19.50% (0.39 g/cm³) and 21.5% (0.4 g/cm³) respectively. For ferric chloride, the optimum value is 25% (0.5 g/cm³). These results show that ferric chloride is still a better conditioner than both the other conditioners. However, during sludge filtration, cake and filtrate concentration increased with increasing dosages of both C. ensiformis and B. eurycoma samples. This indicates that they would be useful as conditioners if the primary product of filtration is the procurement of low filtrate concentration or high-quality cake.     

Change detection and visualization of acid mine lakes using time series satellite image data in geographic information systems (GIS): Can (Canakkale) County,NW Turkey

Can, a county in the province of Canakkale, is one of the most prominent coal mining districts in Turkey. Many mining companies have been operating coal deposits for power generation and district heating in this region since 1980. Generally, small and medium-scale mining companies operate for short periods and abandon the operational land without providing any rehabilitation. Human intervention in the natural structure and topography of the earth surface causes large holes and deterioration in these areas. Artificial lakes occur because of surface discharge and underground leakage into abandoned open pit mines with high lignite sulfur content (0.21–14.36 wt %). Furthermore, these lakes gain acidic character due to acid generation from pyrite oxidation. Acid mine lakes are highly acidic (pH < 3.05) and have elevated concentrations of \({\text{SO}}_{4}^{2 - }\) , Fe and some metals. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the environmental conditions and demonstrate the development of a monitoring system for their possible changes in the acid mine lakes of the open cast lignite mining area on a regional scale. For this purpose, the data received from remote sensing satellites were used. Areal change detection and perimeter changes of nine acid mine lakes caused by coal mining companies in Can from 1977 to 2011, were determined using Landsat, Quickbird and Worldview satellite images. As a case study, an area of 9 km² was chosen for the variety of acid mine lakes. Using GIS software, satellite images were analyzed in time series, borders of acid mine lakes were digitized and converted into vector data format. At this stage, prior to the digitization, in order to create contrast on the satellite images, “stretch type” and “stretch values” were changed. The areal and perimeter changes were computed and presented via tables and graphics. In addition, thematic maps of the acid mine lakes were created and visualized. The results show that the number of acid mine lakes increased and these caused environmental risks due to their hydrochemical properties and areal increments.     

Ecological effects analysis of land use change in coal mining area based on ecosystem service valuing: a case study in Jiawang

Land use change is one of the uppermost driving forces of regional ecosystem change, and has a huge impact on the environmental balance. Mining areas with intensive resources exploitation and utilization have undergone different kinds of environmental influences, such as water pollution and land use cover change. The extensive coal mining in China has led to significant regional land use change resulting in major ecological damage. The objective of this study was to form a clearer picture of the regional ecological environmental situation for promoting ecological protection and improvement by ecosystem service valuing. The case study area was selected at Jiawang town, which has undergone extensive coal mine exploitation for many decades. The study investigated the relationship between land use change and ecological environment, and described the ecosystem service value variations in Jiawang, based on remote sensing and GIS technology. After modification of regional ecosystem service value coefficients, the method was used to evaluate the conditions in the study area from 1990 to 2005 based on the land use/cover information interpreted from TM/ETM+ images. The characters and changes of ecosystem service values were then analyzed both quantitatively and spatially.     

矿山环境土壤重金属污染潜在生态风险评价模型探讨

Weeks(2005)提出有关土壤污染的生态风险“层叠式 (Tiered approach)”评价框架,有关各层次的评价技术是当前环境科学研究的热点。针对矿山环境土壤重金属污染生态风险特征,提出矿山环境土壤重金属污染潜在生态风险评价模型,属于Tire 1层次评价模型。根据矿山环境土壤重金属污染生态风险特征,遵循生态风险评价中的熵原理和证据权重原则,用土壤中重金属的浓度风险表征污染指数（Cⁱ_f）;以其环境生物可利用性表征毒性响应系数（Tⁱ_b）,以对污染指数进行修正;以重金属元素的生物毒性响应因子（T^i_e）为权重,提出矿山环境土壤重金属污染潜在生态风险评价模型：RI=∑^m_i=1Er_i其中,E^r_i= Tⁱ_e×Tⁱ_b×Cⁱ_f;RI表示土壤中多种重金属潜在生态风险指数;E^r_i为元素i的潜在风险因子;Cⁱ_f=Cⁱ/Cⁱ_o ,Cⁱ为土壤中重金属浓度实测值,Cⁱ_o为计算所需要的参照值。Tⁱ_b=（Rⁱ_b/ Pⁱ_b）1/2,Rⁱ_b为样品中某元素生物可利用相态占总含量的百分比,Pⁱ_b为参照土壤的相应比值。     

Organic matter quality in reclaimed boreal forest soils following oil sands mining

Following surface mining of the Athabasca Oil Sands deposits in northeastern Alberta, Canada, land reclamation entails the reconstruction of soil-like profiles using salvaged soil materials such as peat and mining by-products. The overall objective of this research was to assess soil organic matter (SOM) quality in different reclamation practices as compared to undisturbed soils found in the region. Soil samples (0–10 cm) were taken from 45 plots selected to represent undisturbed reference ecosites and reclamation treatments. Soil OM pools were isolated using a combination of acid hydrolysis and physical separation techniques. Chemical composition of the low density fractions was characterized using ramped cross polarization (RAMP-CP) ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Differences between disturbed and undisturbed sites reflected the influence of different botanical inputs (peat vs. forest litter) to SOM composition. Reconstructed soils were characterized by significantly lower alkyl over O-alkyl carbon (ALK/O-ALK) ratios (0.3) than undisturbed sites (0.5). For these reconstructed soils, a significantly higher proportion of soil carbon was present in the sand associated (Heavy sand) pool (49.2 vs. 37.3) and in the acid-unhydrolyzable residue (AUR) fraction (61.3 vs. 54.7). These SOM parameters were significantly related to time since reconstruction, with the AUR (p value = 0.012) and Heavy sand (p value = 0.05) fractions decreasing with time since reconstruction, while the ALK/O-ALK ratio increased (p value = 0.006). These findings suggest that the ALK/O-ALK, AUR, and Heavy sand parameters are suitable indicators for monitoring SOM quality in these reconstructed soils following oil sands mining.     

Impacts of coal mining subsidence on the surface landscape in Longkou city,Shandong Province of China

Coal mining subsidence is a common human geological disaster that was particularly conspicuous in China. It seriously restricts the sustainable development of mining areas, and it not only damages land resources but also triggers a series of ecological and environmental problems that may result in social and economic issues. This report studied the coal mining subsidence area of Longkou in Shandong province and uses digital elevation data (DEM) of the mining area before subsidence in 1978 as the baseline elevation. Through image algorithms, we obtained coal mining subsidence region data for 1984, 1996, 2000, and 2004. And with spatial data sources of the same period of TM/ETM⁺ and SPOT5 remote sensing images, BP artificial neural network (BPNN) classification is used to extract surface landscape information in the subsidence area. With the support of GIS technology, superimposing subsidence area on the surface landscape—using the largest landscape ecology patch index, landscape shape index, landscape condensation index, and the index of landscape distribution—report analyzes the mining landscape changes before and after subsidence. This study also carries on exploratory research with the landscape changes, thereby providing a scientific basis for integrated prevention and treatment.     

Remote sensing and GIS for artificial recharge study, runoff estimation and planning in Ayyar basin, Tamil Nadu, India

This paper focuses on artificial groundwater recharge study in Ayyar basin, Tamil Nadu, India. The basin is covered by hard crystalline rock and overall has poor groundwater conditions. Hence, an artificial recharge study was carried out in this region through a project sponsored by Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology. The Indian Remote Sensing satellite 1A Linear Imaging Self Scanning Sensor II (IRS 1A LISS II) satellite imagery, aerial photographs and geophysical resistivity data were used to prioritize suitable sites for artificial recharge and to estimate the volume of aquifer dimension available to recharge. The runoff water available for artificial recharge in the basin is estimated through Soil Conservation Service curve number method. The land use/land cover, hydrological soil group and storm rainfall data in different watershed areas were used to calculate the runoff in the watersheds. The weighted curve number for each watershed is obtained through spatial intersection of land use/land cover and hydrological soil group through GeoMedia 3.0 Professional GIS software. Artificial recharge planning was derived on the basis of availability of runoff, aquifer dimension, priority areas and water table conditions in different watersheds in the basin.     

Relevance of building site categories implementation into the land use plan in underground mining area in the region of Petrvald (Czech Republic)

Deep mining of mineral resources causes extensive changes in rock environment and ground morphology and must be considered in the land use planning. Subsidence as a result of underground mining activities in terrains is one of the serious geological hazards because they can effect slopes and damage engineering structures, settlement areas, natural lakes and allow infiltration of contaminant into the groundwater. The main aim of this article was implementation of the building site categories of underground mining regions into the land use plans. This case study area was selected from the region of Orlova town within the Ostrava-Karvina Coal district, and this region is one of the most affected areas by underground mining of black coal in the Czech Republic. Certain risk categories of land, where the individual categories express generalized influence of deep mining of coal in current and planned constructions were also represented in this article. Extensive variations caused by underground mining were identified within a wide variability of risk categories. An important finding was also the extensive variability over time, manifested by spatial variations in the stated categories in the studied time periods. Moreover, technical documentation of environmental impacts related to underground mining activities was provided; importance of existing and proposed underground mining projects that may significantly impact the land use was discussed and pointed out in this article, especially.     

Benthic foraminiferal response to changes in mining pattern: a case study from the Zuari estuary,Goa, India

Being sensitive to environmental changes, foraminifera have been extensively used to monitor pollution level in the marine environment, including the effect of mining in coastal areas. In the Goa state of India, the rejects from opencast mining on land largely find their way to the estuaries, as washout during monsoon. Additionally, the Mormugao Port at the mouth of the Zuari estuary is the hub of activities due to the transport of ore from hinterland areas by barges and its subsequent loading for export. On the directive of the Supreme Court of India, all the mining-related activities abruptly stopped throughout India, including that in Goa in 2012, and got reinstated in 2015. Therefore, it provided a fit case to test the effectiveness of benthic foraminifera as an indicator of environmental impact due to mining activities. A total of ten surface sediment samples from five locations in Zuari estuary were collected from a depth range of 4.5–8.5 m in the years of 2013 and 2016 and were analyzed for both the living (stained) and dead benthic foraminifera. The year 2013 represents a time interval immediately after the closure of extensive mining activity, and the sampling during 2016 represents minimal mining. The living benthic foraminiferal abundance was higher (19–54/g sediment) during 2013 and decreased substantially during 2016 (3–22/g sediment), suggesting an adverse effect of activities associated with mine closure on benthic foraminifera. Additionally, the relative abundance of Ammonia was also significantly low during the year 2016. The temporal variation in dead foraminifera was, however, different than that of the living foraminifera. The differential response was attributed to the terrigenous dilution as a result of change in sedimentation rate. Therefore, we conclude that living foraminifera correctly incorporate the changes in mining pattern and may be used as an effective tool to monitor the impact of mining. We further suggest that the potential counter effect of terrigenous dilution on total and living benthic foraminiferal population should be considered while interpreting temporal variations in foraminiferal abundance in marginal marine settings.     

The use of caddisfly fauna (Insecta: Trichoptera) to characterise the Late‐glacial River Trent,England

Trichoptera have been utilised infrequently in palaeoecological studies despite their value as environmental indicators of freshwater habitat structure and quality, via their aquatic larvae, and catchment macroclimate conditions, via the aerial adults. Two sites, dated ca. 11 600 ¹⁴C yr BP, in the middle reaches of the River Trent (England) supported caddisfly (Trichoptera) assemblages indicative of a dynamic braided river with extensive floodplain development. At the first, Barrow‐upon‐Trent, the caddisfly assemblage was dominated by taxa indicative of a medium to large gravel‐bed river (Lepidostoma hirtum, Micrasema setiferum and taxa from the family Hydropsychidae). At the second site, Hemington, the caddisfly fauna was dominated by taxa from the families Limnephilidae and Phryganeidae. These usually occur in slow flowing and standing waters and are indicative of cut‐off channels on the floodplain. Micrasema setiferum does not occur in the contemporary UK fauna and has a modern distribution across central Europe and Fennoscandia. A gridded climatology extracted for those geographical areas where M. setiferum occurs today indicated a greater degree of continentality than currently prevailing in the Trent catchment. The value of Trichoptera in palaeoecological studies is explored and a model of channel evolution for the River Trent is presented based on caddisfly data. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydro-mechanical evaluation of stabilized mine tailings

. In this study, mine tailings waste was stabilized using a combination of lime, fly ash type "C", and aluminum. Treated samples were subjected to mineral identification for evaluating the formation of ettringite and gypsum. Also, unconfined compression, hydraulic conductivity, and cyclic freeze and thaw tests were performed to evaluate the hydro-mechanical properties of the stabilized samples. Experimental results have shown that the application of lime and fly ash type "C" to high sulfate content tailings has improved its plasticity, workability, and volume stability. Moreover, upon addition of aluminum to lime and fly ash in a sulfate-rich environment, ettringite and calcium sulfo-aluminate hydrate are formed in these samples. Application of 5% lime, 10% fly ash type "C", in combination with 110 ppm aluminum, resulted in the formation of a solid monolith capable of producing more than 1,000 kPa of unconfined compressive strength, and reduced tailings permeability to 1.96᎒^–6 cm s^–1, which is less than the recommended permeability of 10^–5 cm s^–1 by most environmental protection agencies for reusability of solidified/stabilized samples. The permeability of the treated tailings samples remained below the recommended permeability, even after exposing the treated samples to 12 freeze and thaw cycles. Therefore, based on the experimental results, it is concluded that treatment of high sulfate-content tailings with lime and fly ash, combined with the availability of aluminum for reactions, is a successful method of solidifying highly reactive mine tailings.     

Assessment of sand encroachment in Kuwait using GIS

Assessment of sand encroachment in Kuwait using Geographical Information System (GIS) technology has been formulated as a Multi-Criteria Decision Making problem. The Delphi method and Analytical Hierarchy Process were adopted as evaluating techniques, in which experts’ judgments were analyzed for objectively estimating and weighting control factors. Seven triggering factors, depicted in the form of maps, were identified and ordered according to their priority. These factors are (1) wind energy; (2) surface sediment; (3) vegetation density; (4) land use; (5) drainage density; (6) topographic change and (7) vegetation type. The factor maps were digitized, converted to raster data and overlaid to determine their possible spatial relationships. Applying a susceptibility model, a map of sand encroachment susceptibility in Kuwait was developed. The map showed that the areas of very high and high sand encroachment susceptibility are located within the main corridor of sand pathway that coincides with the northwesterly dominant wind direction.     

近20年来长江三角洲海岸带典型区土地利用变化与生态环境效应研究

【研究目的】近20年来,长江三角洲海岸带地区土地类型结构发生显著转化,海岸带开发与保护的矛盾凸显。本文旨在开展长江三角洲海岸带典型区土地利用变化与生态环境效应研究,为海岸带地区的土地资源可持续利用、海岸带环境保护提供科学依据。【研究方法】利用美国Landsat卫星系列遥感影像和中国资源卫星系列遥感影像,采用自动监督分类并结合目视解译,获取了研究区1995—2015年共5期土地利用分类数据,分析土地利用变化特征和趋势,探讨长江三角洲海岸带典型区城镇发展、围填海时空变化及生态环境效应。【研究结果】长江三角洲海岸带典型区（南通、上海、嘉兴、宁波和舟山）1995年至2015年,土地利用变化明显,耕地大幅度减少,比例从1995年的68.8%降为2015年的55.7%;城镇建设用地迅速扩张,年平均增加192.8 km²。【结论】在快速城市化过程中,人口、单位面积能源消耗等快速增加,环境问题凸显,大量的耕地转为建设用地,围填海使滨海湿地面积快速减小和消失,导致CO₂和污染物释放与吸收严重失衡,海洋环境受流域和沿海城镇化建设的影响明显,长江口及邻近海域近20年来赤潮频发,研究区陆域和海洋环境压力增加。创新点：选取长江三角洲海岸带典型区,首次以1995—2015年5期序列遥感影像数据为基础,采用空间叠加分析方法,着重分析了建设用地和围填海区域的时空演化特征;以人类活动为主线,综合多种海洋环境指标,分析快速城市化进程中,建设用地和围填海导致的生态环境效应。     

煤田三维地震勘探技术在河流及河漫滩地区的应用

山西高河井田属海河水系长治盆地水文区,主要河流为纵贯全区的浊漳河,自西南流入区内。勘探区内地形地质条件复杂,河流及河漫滩面积大,为克服三维地震勘探存在的诸如检波线的铺设、检波器藕合、激发层位选择等难题,主要采取了陆上检波器挖坑埋置（黄土地段坑深20cm,沙滩地段坑深40cm）、水上检波器用木桩固定等措施,并采用陆上井中放炮、砾石层坑炮、河水中水下放炮相结合的激发方式。为防止井喷和声波产生的高频随机干扰,采取浅井井口压沙袋技术。通过处理解释,获得了较为精确的断层、陷落柱等地质信息,为矿方安全生产提供了可靠的地质保障。