EARLY HEARING DETECTION AND INTERVENTION VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
MARCH 2-5, 2021
(Virtually the same conference, without elevators, airplane tickets, or hotel room keys)
6/08/2017 | 3:15 PM - 3:30 PM | RESHAPE 1% OF THE LAND, GENERATE 50% OF REGIONAL ION FLUX | 305B
RESHAPE 1% OF THE LAND, GENERATE 50% OF REGIONAL ION FLUX
By dismantling and redistributing 100s of meters of bedrock to mine coal from the surface, mountaintop mining with valley fills has dramatically changed catchment hydrology and biogeochemistry over more than 5,000 km2 in Central Appalachia. Throughout this expansive coal region, mining operators deposit tens of millions of m3 of crushed bedrock into headwater valleys, creating valley fills, which have substantial subsurface water storage potential. Streams draining mines have reduced peakflows, elevated baseflows, and lower event runoff ratios on average. The water percolating through valley fills drives the dissolution and oxidation of pyrite into sulfuric acid which reacts with carbonate-rich materials to rapidly weather out a suite of elements including Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, SO42-, HCO3-, exporting 45-times more total dissolved solids. These exceptionally high weathering rates and elevated baseflow mean that mountaintop mines control water chemistry well downstream of their impacts. Here we model elemental flux from mined landscapes through large river networks (the Ohio and its sub-watersheds). Despite occupying less than 1% of the land surface area they may contribute as much as 50% of weathering derived solutes to these major rivers.
- C10 Biogeochemistry
- C27 Landuse and Non-Point source Impacts
- C19 Causal Assessment & C22 Disturbance
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Presenters/Authors
Matthew Ross
(), Colorado State University, mrvr@rams.colostate.edu;
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Fabian Nippgen
(), Duke University, fabian.nippgen@gmail.com;
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Brian McGlynn
(), Duke University, brian.mcglynn@duke.edu;
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Emily Bernhardt
(), Duke University, ebernhar@duke.edu;
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