Natural recovery of soil organic matter in 30–90‐year‐old abandoned oil and gas wells in sagebrush steppe

Avirmed, Otgonsuren; Burke, Ingrid C.; Mobley, Megan L.; Lauenroth, William K.; Schlaepfer, Daniel R.

doi:10.1890/es13-00272.1

Cited by 11 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…In addition, soil microbial processes can be either accelerated or hampered, often leading to reduction of soil organic matter (Akala andLal 2001, Dangi et al 2012). While changes in bulk density and soil organic matter could explain the slow recovery of big sagebrush species in some cases, our soil analyses suggest that neither bulk density nor organic matter levels were significantly different between disturbed and undisturbed sites (Avirmed et al 2014). We found that big sagebrush density recovered more quickly than big sagebrush cover or biomass.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 64%

“…Soils in the study area are Typic and Lithic Torriorthents with a mesic and/or frigid temperature regime and an aridic moisture regime (Munn and Arneson 1998). Soil textures in the study area are sandy and sandy loam (Avirmed et al 2014). The study area is characterized by long cool winters and short dry summers and has mean annual temperatures of 5.5-6.08C and mean annual precipitation of 215-343 mm (mean of 1981-2010; PRISM Climate Group 2011).…”

Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sagebrush steppe recovery on 30–90‐year‐old abandoned oil and gas wells

Avirmed¹,

Lauenroth²,

Burke³

et al. 2015

Ecosphere

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Abstract. Oil and natural gas extraction is rapidly expanding in semiarid intermountain big sagebrush ecosystems of the western USA. Formerly covering over 60 million ha, this ecosystem has lost almost half its area due to land use changes. In this study, we measured the natural recovery of the big sagebrush plant community across a chronosequence of 29 oil and gas well sites that were abandoned without reclamation between 1923 and 1980. We measured big sagebrush cover and density with strip transects inside and outside of the well sites, and we estimated big sagebrush biomass using both canopy measurements and allometric equations. Cover of other shrubs, grasses, and forbs was estimated with line transects inside and outside of well sites. We estimated that it takes at least 87 years for Wyoming big sagebrush cover to recover naturally, although big sagebrush density recovered in fewer than 70 years. Grasses and nonsagebrush shrubs recovered rapidly, shown by the high cover of those groups in the youngest sites. We found none of the invasive plants that are common in disturbed big sagebrush communities in other parts of the big sagebrush range. The forbs that account for the largest portion of plant species richness in semiarid ecosystems and promote consumer diversity showed very little indication of recovery after 87 years. Our results suggest that reclamation efforts in disturbed big sagebrush plant communities in southwestern Wyoming should target big sagebrush and forbs.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 64%

Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sagebrush steppe recovery on 30–90‐year‐old abandoned oil and gas wells

Avirmed¹,

Lauenroth²,

Burke³

et al. 2015

Ecosphere

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“…While this implies that sagebrush has the potential to regenerate following removal, complete recovery of sagebrush vegetation structure clearly requires at least a 3–4 decade time frame (Sturges ; McDaniel, Allen Torell & Ochoa ; Lesica, Cooper & Kudray ; Avirmed et al . ). In addition, enhanced regeneration possibilities following disturbance also underscore the opportunity provided by sagebrush removal for invasive plant species (Anderson & Inouye ), notably exotic annual grasses (Knapp ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…simulated in the reduced biomass grass vegetation (especially at depths > 10 cm) suggest that establishment of sagebrush, and/or other plant species including potential invaders, may be more likely immediately following sagebrush removal. While this implies that sagebrush has the potential to regenerate following removal, complete recovery of sagebrush vegetation structure clearly requires at least a 3-4 decade time frame (Sturges 1993;McDaniel, Allen Torell & Ochoa 2005;Lesica, Cooper & Kudray 2007;Avirmed et al 2014). In addition, enhanced regeneration possibilities following disturbance also underscore the opportunity provided by sagebrush removal for invasive plant species (Anderson & Inouye 2001), notably exotic annual grasses (Knapp 1996).…”

Section: M P L I C a T I O N S F O R S A G E B R U S H E C O S Y S mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In approximately 2-7 years, grass biomass typically increases to levels significantly higher than in the original mixed community (Beck, Connelly & Reese 2009;Davies, Bates & Nafus 2012). This altered state often persists for decades (Wambolt & Payne 1986;McDaniel, Allen Torell & Ochoa 2005;Beck, Connelly & Reese 2009) with recovery of shrub biomass and canopy structure occurring at roughly 30-40 years post-disturbance (Watts & Wambolt 1996;McDaniel, Allen Torell & Ochoa 2005;Lesica, Cooper & Kudray 2007;Avirmed et al 2014). Thus, the dynamics of sagebrush vegetation can be characterized by examining three vegetation conditions: intact sagebrush vegetation, low biomass grass vegetation (representing a recent disturbance), and grass-dominated but recovered vegetation (representing conditions between several years and decades after disturbance).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Shifts in plant functional types have time‐dependent and regionally variable impacts on dryland ecosystem water balance

et al. 2014

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Summary 1.Terrestrial vegetation influences hydrologic cycling. In water-limited, dryland ecosystems, altered ecohydrology as a consequence of vegetation change can impact vegetation structure, ecological functioning and ecosystem services. Shrub steppe ecosystems dominated by big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) are widespread across western North America, and provide a range of ecosystem services. While sagebrush abundance in these ecosystems has been altered over the past century, and changes are likely to continue, the ecohydrological consequences of sagebrush removal and reestablishment remain unclear. 2. To characterize the immediate and medium-term patterns of water cycling and availability following sagebrush plant community alteration, we applied the SOILWAT ecosystem water balance model to 898 sites across the distribution of sagebrush ecosystems, representing the three primary sagebrush ecosystem types: sagebrush shrublands, sagebrush steppe and montane sagebrush. At each site, we examined three vegetation conditions representing intact sagebrush, recently disturbed sagebrush and recovered but grass-dominated vegetation. 3. Transition from shrub to grass dominance decreased precipitation interception and transpiration and increased soil evaporation and deep drainage. Relative to intact sagebrush vegetation, simulated soils in the herbaceous vegetation phases typically had drier surface layers and wetter deep layers. 4. Our simulations suggested that alterations in ecosystem water balance may be most pronounced in vegetation representing recently disturbed conditions (herbaceous vegetation with low biomass) and only modest in conditions representing recovered, but still grass-dominated vegetation. Furthermore, the ecohydrological impact of simulated sagebrush removal depended on climate; while short-term changes in water balance were greatest in wet areas represented by the montane sagebrush ecosystem type, medium-term impacts were greatest in dry areas of sagebrush shrublands and sagebrush steppe. 5. Synthesis. This study provides a novel, regional-scale assessment of how plant functional type transitions may impact ecosystem water balance in sagebrush-dominated ecosystems of North America. Results illustrate that the ecohydrological consequences of changing vegetation depend strongly on climate and suggest that decreasing woody plant abundance may have only limited impact on evapotranspiration and water yield.

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A systematic framework for continuous monitoring of land use and vegetation dynamics in multiple heterogeneous mine sites

Jiang

Liu

et al. 2022

Remote Sens Ecol Conserv

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Vegetation dynamics and land use information are significant for a better understanding of the ecological consequences of multiple mining activities. However, the high spatial heterogeneity of mine sites and diverse disturbance and recovery pathways make it a challenge to understand the dynamics of multiple mine sites over large areas. Here, we proposed a general framework for continuous monitoring of land use and vegetation dynamics in multiple mine sites and applied it to Pingxiang, China. First, annual land use and land cover (LULC) maps from 2000 to 2019 were generated using a modified Continuous Change Detection and Classification approach (CCDC). Second, the locations and extents of 86 mine sites on different scales were mapped individually and then aggregated into five groups according to the similarity and differences of vegetation change. Vegetation dynamics showed great heterogeneity across sites driven primarily by the spatial-temporal variation in types and intensity of land use activities in and around the mine sites. We found the impact distance was typically 500-700 m in the region, but can be smaller than the potential impact distance in areas with land use activities. The long-term slow recovery of vegetation conditions at some sites indicates that it might be a challenge to improve vegetation conditions naturally in a short time and human-assisted restoration measures may be required. The systematic framework proposed in this study can be used to establish comprehensive and spatially-explicit mine datasets at the regional scale, essential for understanding the dynamics and ecological consequences of multiple mining activities and coordinated management and restoration of heterogeneous mine sites.

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Natural recovery of soil organic matter in 30–90‐year‐old abandoned oil and gas wells in sagebrush steppe

Cited by 11 publications

References 39 publications

Sagebrush steppe recovery on 30–90‐year‐old abandoned oil and gas wells

Sagebrush steppe recovery on 30–90‐year‐old abandoned oil and gas wells

Shifts in plant functional types have time‐dependent and regionally variable impacts on dryland ecosystem water balance

A systematic framework for continuous monitoring of land use and vegetation dynamics in multiple heterogeneous mine sites

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