IMWA Insight: Understanding Public Perceptions of a New Pit Lake in As Pontes, Spain

Lopez, Xaquin Perez Sindin; Blanchette, Melanie L.

doi:10.1007/s10230-020-00651-4

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Our results support the idea that there is a positive relationship between research effort and ecosystem charisma ( Duarte et al, 2008 ; He et al, 2021 ). Pit lake ecosystems are often associated with environmental stigma and “ecosystem disservices” such as poor water quality and visual disruptions in the landscape ( Birkhofer et al, 2015 ; Lopez and Blanchette, 2020 ). It was surprising that research effort (measured in terms of “papers published”) conducted in rivers and streams was low relative to lakes, given that rivers were more often studied from 2000 to 2010 compared to lakes, wetlands, and ponds ( Stendera et al, 2012 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Natural saline lakes provide ecosystem services such as minerals, water, habitats, aquaculture, tourism, and recreational activities (Williams, 1996;Wurtsbaugh et al, 2017;Edwards and Null, 2019). Similar services may be found in saline pit lakes, although this may require changing public perception (Lopez and Blanchette, 2020;Rosa et al, 2020;Svobodova et al, 2021).…”

Section: Low Ph Drives Pit Lake Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Non-charismatic waterbodies and ecosystem disservices: Mine pit lakes are underrepresented in the literature

2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pit lakes are one of the greatest legacies of open-cut mining. Despite the potential hazards of these lakes, they represent newly formed ecosystems with great scientific and ecological potential. Although thousands of pit lakes occur on every inhabited continent, with more being created, the microbial ecology of pit lakes is relatively under-researched. We evaluated the current state of microbial research in pit lakes by performing a Web of Science search and creating a literature database. Study lakes were categorized according to location and water quality (pH and conductivity) which is a key community and environmental concern. Research technology employed in the study was also categorized. We compared research effort in lakes, rivers, and streams which are the more “charismatic” inland aquatic ecosystems. Pit lake publications on microbes from 1987 to 2022 (n = 128) were underrepresented in the literature relative to rivers and streams (n = 321) and natural lakes (n = 948). Of the 128 pit lake publications, 28 were within the field of geochemistry using indirect measures of microbial activity. Most pit lake microbial research was conducted in a few acidic lakes in Germany due to social pressure for remediation and government initiative. Relatively few studies have capitalized on emerging technology. Pit lake microbial research likely lags other more charismatic ecosystems given that they are viewed as performing “ecosystem disservices,” but this is socially complex and requires further research. Improving understanding of microbial dynamics in pit lakes will allow scientists to deliver safer pit lakes to communities.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Low Ph Drives Pit Lake Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-charismatic waterbodies and ecosystem disservices: Mine pit lakes are underrepresented in the literature

2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Furthermore, the subsidence caused by mining changes the shape of landforms, leading to steeper slopes, heightened erosion, lower soil quality, and diminished agricultural yields, as shown in Figure 1. Subsidence waterlogging resulting from coal mining has been reported in Berkeley, United States [18], Southern Poland's Upper Silesia [19,20], India's Raigarh [21], Pontes and Blanchet in Spain [22], as well as other nations, demonstrating that this is a global geological crisis triggered by underground extraction [23]. In the CGCA of China, encompassing provinces such as Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong, Henan, and Hebei, these issues are particularly prominent [24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated Mining and Reclamation Practices Enhance Sustainable Land Use: A Case Study in Huainan Coalfield, China

Feng,

Hu,

Zhang

et al. 2023

Land

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the coal-grain composite area (CGCA) of eastern China with a high groundwater table (HGT), underground coal mining subsidence has caused extensive submergence of farmland, posing a significant threat to regional food security. Currently, land reclamation techniques in mining subsidence areas primarily focus on post-mining reclamation (PMR) of stable subsidence land with a low reclamation rate. This study investigated the application of concurrent mining and reclamation (CMR) technology for unstable subsidence land in a representative HGT mining area, namely the Guqiao Coal Mine in the Huainan Coalfield. Firstly, mining subsidence prediction and geographic information technology were employed to simulate the spatio-temporal evolution of dynamic mining subsidence, taking into consideration the mining plan. Subsequently, phased reclamation parameters were quantitatively designed by integrating the dynamic mining subsidence and surface reclamation measures. Lastly, scenario simulations were conducted to discuss the effectiveness of CMR in comparison with non-reclamation (NR) and PMR. Additionally, reclamation and ecological restoration strategies for coal mining subsidence areas with comprehensive governance modes were proposed. The findings indicated that mining activities have led to a reduction in both the quantity and quality of original farmland, with 70% of the farmland submerged and rendered uncultivable. In contrast to PMR, which achieved a reclamation rate of 29%, CMR can significantly increase the farmland reclamation rate to 69% while also prolonging the service life of farmland. This study provides theoretical support and technical references for promoting sustainable mining practices, protecting farmland, and facilitating the high-quality development of coal resource-based cities.

show abstract

“…As aquatic ecosystems of the Anthropocene [5], pit lakes are prominent in the public consciousness in terms of environment, history and culture [6,7]. However, their broader ecology has not been well represented in the primary source literature as they are perceived as industrial and government 'problems' to treat [8] rather than new ecosystems [9,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aquatic Ecosystems of the Anthropocene: Limnology and Microbial Ecology of Mine Pit Lakes

Blanchette

Lund

2021

Microorganisms

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mine pit lakes (‘pit lakes’) are new aquatic ecosystems of the Anthropocene. Potentially hundreds of meters deep, these lakes are prominent in the landscape and in the public consciousness. However, the ecology of pit lakes is underrepresented in the literature. The broad goal of this research was to determine the environmental drivers of pelagic microbe assemblages in Australian coal pit lakes. The overall experimental design was four lakes sampled three times, top and bottom, in 2019. Instrument chains were installed in lakes and measurements of in situ water quality and water samples for metals, metalloids, nutrients and microbe assemblage were collected. Lakes were monomictic and the timing of mixing was influenced by high rainfall events. Water quality and microbial assemblages varied significantly across space and time, and most taxa were rare. Lakes were moderately saline and circumneutral; Archeans were not prevalent. Richness also varied by catchment. Microbial assemblages correlated to environmental variables, and no one variable was consistently significant, spatially or temporally. Study lakes were dominated by ‘core’ taxa exhibiting temporal turnover likely driven by geography, water quality and interspecific competition, and the presence of water chemistry associated with an artificial aquifer likely influenced microbial community composition. Pit lakes are deceptively complex aquatic ecosystems that host equally complex pelagic microbial communities. This research established links between microbial assemblages and environmental variables in pit lakes and determined core communities; the first steps towards developing a monitoring program using microbes.

show abstract

IMWA Insight: Understanding Public Perceptions of a New Pit Lake in As Pontes, Spain

Cited by 5 publications

References 8 publications

Non-charismatic waterbodies and ecosystem disservices: Mine pit lakes are underrepresented in the literature

Non-charismatic waterbodies and ecosystem disservices: Mine pit lakes are underrepresented in the literature

Integrated Mining and Reclamation Practices Enhance Sustainable Land Use: A Case Study in Huainan Coalfield, China

Aquatic Ecosystems of the Anthropocene: Limnology and Microbial Ecology of Mine Pit Lakes

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About