Selenium in ecosystems within the mountaintop coal mining and valley-fill region of southern West Virginia-assessment and ecosystem-scale modeling

Abstract

Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner.Part or all of this report is presented is Portable Document Format (PDF). For best results viewing and printing PDF documents, it is recommended that you download the documents to your computer and open them with Adobe Reader. PDF documents opened from your browser may not display or print as intended. Download the latest version of Adobe Reader, free of charge.

Selenium dynamics in headwater streams of the central Appalachian coalfield

“…Selenium concentrations in water, biofilm, and sediment in the reference streams of the present study were within or close to accepted background levels in freshwater environments (US Department of the Interior ), whereas Se concentrations in the particulate media of nonreference streams were within range or similar to Se concentrations collected in coal mining–influenced streams elsewhere in Appalachia (Presser and Luoma ; Presser ; Arnold et al ), in Alberta (Casey ), and in the Canadian Rockies (Kuchapski and Rasmussen ). Lower Se concentrations in particulate media, particularly in sediment, may be influenced by the relatively high‐gradient morphology of the present study streams, resulting in less Se accumulation through sediment and detrital pathways (Orr et al ).…”

“…Because of the complexity of these processes, site‐specific studies are needed to inform appropriate resource management and environmental protection practices (Presser and Luoma ). Though studies have associated coal mining with elevated SC and Se in receiving waters (Pond et al , ; Lindberg et al ), few studies in central Appalachia have examined Se dynamics within aquatic food webs (see Presser ). In the present study, our primary goal was to improve scientific understanding of Se dynamics in the headwater systems that dominate river networks in the region and are generally most proximate to mining‐related geologic disturbances.…”

Spatial and temporal relationships among watershed mining, water quality, and freshwater mussel status in an eastern USA river

“…Selenium is especially problematic as a mining-origin element (Pond et al, 2008;Lindberg et al, 2011;Presser, 2013). Manganese is strongly associated with Appalachian mining (Larsen and Mann, 2005;Griffith et al, 2012) and is a regulated water constituent in mining operation discharges in the USA (US EPA, 2013).…”

Selenium (IV,VI) reduction and tolerance by fungi in an oxic environment

“…Indeed, Se is proving to be a significant worldwide problem, with diverse anthropogenic activities releasing Se to the environment (Lenz & Lens, ; Winkel et al., ). In the USA alone, Se contamination and resulting toxicity problems are widely distributed due to coal mining and combustion, phosphate mining, and agricultural irrigation (Presser, ; Presser & Luoma, ; Presser, Sylvester, & Low, ). Excess Se ingestion can cause neurological disturbances, bone deformations, and nervous system abnormalities in animals, including humans (Lenz & Lens, ), as well as severe birth defects, reproductive failure, and local diebacks in aquatic wildlife (Hamilton, ; Lemly, ).…”