A Mirror Cracked: Ten Keys to the Landscape of the Calumet Region

Bouman, Mark J.

doi:10.1080/00221340108978425

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Today, these sites can resemble abandoned building foundations or parking lots (Brown 2018). Despite this history of intensive modification and associated species loss (Bouman 2001), a surprising number of habitat remnants remain from which degraded sites may be repopulated (Bouman 2020). Widespread industrial plant closures beginning a few decades ago eventually resulted in the transfer of many brownfield sites to the aegis of public agencies like the Chicago Park District and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Urban post‐industrial landscapes have unrealized ecological potential

Merwin

Umek²,

Anastasio

2022

Restoration Ecology

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Urbanized and post-industrial sites often host considerable biodiversity but are too frequently dismissed by conservation professionals, in part because current species assemblages differ from the site's natural history. Given the dramatic and often irreversible changes to these sites, we conclude that historic ecosystems do not provide a useful reference for restoration. However, seen through a novel ecosystem lens, these landscapes already have conservation value and thus require nuanced restoration planning that recognizes their current and potential community composition. We highlight slag-dominated sites in the brownfields of the Calumet region as an example of a post-industrial landscape that may serve both as a recreational area for humans and a refuge for native biodiversity.

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Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban post‐industrial landscapes have unrealized ecological potential

Merwin

Umek²,

Anastasio

2022

Restoration Ecology

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“…This includes areas such as Altgeld Gardens, a government housing project, but also middle class neighborhoods such as Hegewisch. In addition to industrial emissions, the Calumet area is surrounded by at least 21 different landfills (Bouman, 2001), some of which have been found to be leaky (Waska, 2014).…”

Section: Dedicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracing Hydrocarbon Contamination Through Hyperalkaline Environments in the Calumet Region of Southeastern Chicago

Quesnell,

Lenczewski

2016

Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs

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The Calumet region of Southeastern Chicago was once known for industrialization, which left pollution as its legacy. Disposal of slag and other industrial wastes occurred in nearby wetlands in attempt to create areas suitable for future development. The waste creates an unpredictable, heterogeneous geology and a unique hyperalkaline environment. Upgradient to the field site is a former coking facility, where coke, creosote, and coal weather openly on the ground. Hydrocarbons weather into characteristic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which can be used to create a fingerprint and correlate them to their original parent compound. This investigation identified PAHs present in the nearby surface and groundwaters through use of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), as well as investigated the relationship between the alkaline environment and the organic contamination. PAH ratio analysis suggests that the organic contamination is not mobile in the groundwater, and instead originated from the air. 16S rDNA profiling suggests that some microbial communities are influenced more by pH, and some are influenced more by the hydrocarbon pollution. BIOLOG Ecoplates revealed that most communities have the ability to metabolize ring structures similar to the shape of PAHs. Analysis with bioinformatics using PICRUSt demonstrates that each community has microbes thought to be capable of hydrocarbon utilization. The field site, as well as nearby areas, are targets for habitat remediation and recreational development. In order for these remediation efforts to be successful, it is vital to understand the geochemistry, weathering, microbiology, and distribution of known contaminants. Many PAHs are toxic in both the environment and to humans, and are known to be both carcinogenic as well as bioaccumulate. Thus, understanding the relationship of PAHs to the geochemistry of this field site provides critical information for ongoing research and future remediation efforts.

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