Soil hydrological monitoring in the framework of the remediation and long-term safeguard of uranium ore mining residues of the Wismut GmbH

2014 ◽  
pp. 461-468
Author(s):  
Katja Richter ◽  
Marcel Roscher ◽  
Ulf Barnekow ◽  
Gert Neubert ◽  
Manfred Seyfarth
Keyword(s):  
Uranium Ore ◽  
Mining Residues ◽  
Hydrological Monitoring

scholarly journals Structure of Rhodolith Beds and Surrounding Habitats at the Doce River Shelf (Brazil)

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vitória Holz ◽  
Ricardo Bahia ◽  
Cláudia Karez ◽  
Fernanda Vieira ◽  
Fernando Moraes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
River Mouth ◽  
Outer Shelf ◽  
Coralline Algae ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Carbonate Concretions ◽  
Sea Bottom ◽  
Mining Residues ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Doce River

The world’s largest rhodolith beds have been reported from the Brazilian continental shelf. Highly biodiverse beds are located in Southeast Brazil, but ecological aspects of these beds remain unknown. Despite their ecological importance, rhodolith beds (RBs) have recently been subjected to a severe threat, when more than 35 million cubic meters of mining residues slid down a mountainside on 5 November 2015, after a collapse of a gigantic dam upstream (the Mariana disaster), causing a huge impact on the Doce River. Our aim is to assess rhodolith beds and adjacent coralline formations on the Doce River Shelf (DRS) after the dam collapse. This paper describes the distribution, abundance, vitality, size and shape, as well as unmapped bryozoan rich sediment formations in this area, serving as baseline knowledge for environmental monitoring. Four distinct biogenic sea bottom habitats (bryozoan bottoms, rhodolith beds, carbonate concretions, and reefs) were recognized at different depth ranges with distribution indicated to be mostly related to the local sedimentary regime. Mud sediments dominated the seafloor up to 35 m depth. On the mid shelf, bryozoan bottoms were recorded from 35 to 45 m depth. Crustose coralline algae (CCA) occurring as rhodoliths and carbonate concretions extend over 1953 km2 in the mid and outer shelf. Rhodolith beds predominate in these areas, totaling 1521 km2 of sea bottom and were more abundant at depths between 45 and 65 m, occupying an extensive area south of the Doce River mouth. Northward, rhodolith beds are less abundant or absent likely due to the long-term deposition of fine sediments in this region. Carbonate concretions and reefs covered by CCA occupy sparse areas on the outer shelf (65–105 m depth). Differences in rhodolith features recorded, including coverage, density and size, may be related to the Doce River sedimentation and related factors (e.g., hydrodynamics, depth, and light). However, since there are no previous detailed studies on RBs along the DRS, we could not assess the impact of sedimentation of dam wastes on RBs’ abundance and density. In any case, these are valuable results for the further monitoring of long-term effects. Considering that the growth of these rhodoliths is relatively slow, and that they are affected by the sedimentation from the Doce River, the implementation of a management and conservation plan for this area is necessary in order to preserve this ecosystem.

Completion of the South Alligator Valley Remediation: Northern Territory, Australia

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Waggitt ◽  
Mike Fawcett
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Abandoned Mines ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
The South ◽  
Mill Tailings ◽  
Commonwealth Government ◽  
Mining Residues

13 uranium mines operated in the South Alligator Valley of Australia’s Northern Territory between 1953 and 1963. At the end of operations the mines, and associated infrastructure, were simply abandoned. As this activity preceded environmental legislation by about 15 years there was neither any obligation, nor attempt, at remediation. In the 1980s it was decided that the whole area should become an extension of the adjacent World Heritage, Kakadu National Park. As a result the Commonwealth Government made an inventory of the abandoned mines and associated facilities in 1986. This established the size and scope of the liability and formed the framework for a possible future remediation project. The initial program for the reduction of physical and radiological hazards at each of the identified sites was formulated in 1989 and the works took place from 1990 to 1992. But even at this time, as throughout much of the valley’s history, little attention was being paid to the long term aspirations of traditional land owners. The traditional Aboriginal owners, the Gunlom Land Trust, were granted freehold Native Title to the area in 1996. They immediately leased the land back to the Commonwealth Government so it would remain a part of Kakadu National Park, but under joint management. One condition of the lease required that all evidence of former mining activity be remediated by 2015. The consultation, and subsequent planning processes, for a final remediation program began in 1997. A plan was agreed in 2003 and, after funding was granted in 2005, works implementation commenced in 2007. An earlier paper described the planning and consultation stages, experience involving the cleaning up of remant uranium mill tailings and other mining residues; and the successful implementation of the initial remediation works. This paper deals with the final planning and design processes to complete the remediation programme, which is due to occur in 2009. The issues of final containment design and long term stewardship are addressed in the paper as well as some comments on lessons learned through the life of the project.

scholarly journals Field hydrological monitoring of a sloping shallow pyroclastic deposit

2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (7) ◽  
pp. 1125-1137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Comegna ◽  
Emilia Damiano ◽  
Roberto Greco ◽  
Andrea Guida ◽  
Lucio Olivares ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Debris Flows ◽  
Soil Suction ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Meteorological Forcing ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
Triggering Conditions ◽  
Steep Slopes ◽  
Hydrological Monitoring ◽  
Term Response

Many mountainous areas in Campania, southern Italy, are characterized by steep slopes covered by unsaturated volcanic deposits. Shallow landslides are frequently triggered by intense and persistent rainfall events, often turning into debris flows that cause huge damage and casualties. Field hydrological monitoring is a useful tool to develop consistent models of slope response to rainfall, in terms of soil suction and moisture, and to define landslide triggering conditions. This is one of the reasons why since 2002 field monitoring is being carried out in Cervinara, around 50 km northeast of Naples. Since October 2009, rainfall height, soil suction and water content at several locations and depths along the slope are automatically being monitored. The data collected help to demonstrate the effectiveness of such a system for better understanding the hydrological processes occurring in similar slopes of Campania, allowing to distinguish between seasonal suction fluctuations, related to long-term meteorological forcing, and short-term response to rainstorms.

scholarly journals Long-term hydrological monitoring in arid-semiarid Almería, SE Spain. What have we learned?

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 581 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Rodríguez-Caballero ◽  
R. Lázaro ◽  
Y. Cantón ◽  
J. Puigdefabregas ◽  
A. Solé-Benet
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Heterogeneity ◽  
Temporal Variability ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Hydrological Response ◽  
Se Spain ◽  
Precipitation Patterns ◽  
Long Term Monitoring ◽  
Hydrological Monitoring ◽  
Term Monitoring

A combination of high temporal variability and spatial heterogeneity of rainfall, soil surfaces, and plant cover is the cause of the complex hydrological response in arid/semiarid regions. Under these premises, long-term monitoring is necessary to capture drivers controlling the response of these areas and to be able to model and predict their reaction. A succinct, up-to-date review of the databases and results produced by two representative micro-catchments in the most arid extreme of Europe, Almería (SE Spain), is presented with the aim to show how the different precipitation patterns, during a 20-year period, influence the hydrological behavior on different lithologies and soil surfaces. The problems encountered about the functioning of these experimental stations, including the generation and maintenance of long-term databases, is also reviewed.

Enrichment of Uranium inside Wood: a Natural Analog from a Sandstone-hosted Roll-type Uranium Ore Deposit

2004 ◽  
Vol 824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huifang X ◽  
Maozhong Min ◽  
Jia Zhen ◽  
Xinjian Peng ◽  
Jinping Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anaerobic Bacteria ◽  
Ore Deposit ◽  
Uranium Ore ◽  
Natural Analog ◽  
Geological Repository ◽  
Roll Type ◽  
Wooden Furniture ◽  
Carbonized Wood ◽  
Long Term Behavior

AbstractFurniture contaminated with uranium will be disposed of, together with U-bearing waste, in ageological repository such as the WIPP site in New Mexico. It is important to understand the effect of the wooden furniture on the migration of uranium in order to predict long-term behavior of uranium in a geological repository environment. In this paper, we present natural uraninite-bearing carbonized wood pieces from a sandstone-hosted roll-type uranium ore deposit in NW China. Results from SEM and TEM observations show that there are nanometer sized, and micron-sized, uraninite crystals that have accumulated on cell walls of the carbonized wood. Some uranitite crystrals display oval and round shapes that may be the result of microbial-induced reduction of uranium from groundwater. The wood carbonized fragments are the most uranium-rich “phase.” In some areas, aggregates of pyrite crystals occur withthe uraninite. It is proposed that organic components from the decay of the wood cells provide nutrientsfor the anaerobic bacteria to grow. The wood pieces with the bacteria inside may serve as scavengers of uranium because of the local reducing chemical environment.

The Mini Buoy: a novel hydrodynamics sensor for long-term deployments in coastal wetlands

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cai Ladd ◽  
Alejandra Vovides ◽  
Christian Schwarz ◽  
Gail Chmura ◽  
Mohammad Basyuni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Wetlands ◽  
High Spatial Resolution ◽  
Data Logger ◽  
Mangrove Restoration ◽  
The Past ◽  
Centrifuge Tube ◽  
Waves And Currents ◽  
Hydrological Monitoring ◽  
Term Monitoring

<p>Hydrological monitoring is crucial for management and research in coastal wetlands. However, long-term monitoring is scarce due to the high cost of conventional hydrological equipment. The development of open-source and low-power sensors over the past decade presents an opportunity for enabling long-term, high spatial resolution monitoring of hydrodynamics in the intertidal zone. Here, we present the design, calibration, and application of one such sensor: the Mini Buoy. The Mini Buoy is a battery-powered accelerometer and data logger, contained in a standard centrifuge tube. The Mini Buoy floats upright when inundated, and moves freely about a tether anchored to the substrate. Acceleration is measured along a single axis of the buoy, and motion along the axis is used to measure inundation, currents, and waves. Deployments of up to 6 months are possible, and the buoy can measure current and wave orbital velocities as low as 0.05 m/s. Mini Buoys cost less than €350 to assemble, and the materials are globally available. We present the successful application of Mini Buoys in four contrasting scenarios: (1) characterising waves under calm and stormy conditions; (2) linking saltmarsh erosion-expansion patterns with hydrological exposure; (3) identifying high-resolution spatial variability of waves and currents along a saltmarsh edge; and (4) assessing the suitability of former aquaculture ponds for mangrove restoration. Mini Buoys are also being deployed along mangrove fringes across Vietnam, India, and Bangladesh, in order to detect thresholds in hydrodynamic forcing responsible for triggering erosion or progradation events. Mini Buoys offer an exciting and novel tool for coastal management worldwide.</p>

scholarly journals Runoff generation in mountain catchments: long-term hydrological monitoring in the Rio Vauz Catchment, Italy

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 397 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Zuecco ◽  
D. Penna ◽  
M. Borga
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Rainfall Amount ◽  
Environmental Tracers ◽  
Runoff Generation ◽  
Threshold Response ◽  
Generation Mechanisms ◽  
Hydrological Monitoring

Trying to obtain a more detailed understanding of the hydrological functioning of mountain catchments represents an important challenge in the effort of counteracting possible consequences of climate and land use change on water resources availability. Long-term (> 10 years) hydro-meteorological monitoring in small (typically < 10 km2) experimental catchments constitutes a valuable tool to achieve these goal. One of these sites is the Rio Vauz Catchment (1.9 km2), in the Italian Dolomites, that represents an excellent example of long-term snowmelt-dominated catchment in Dolomitic regions. The strong elevation gradient of the Rio Vauz Catchment and the different physiographic properties of its nested subcatchments make this a unique site for investigating fundamental runoff generation mechanisms in mountain headwaters. In this work, we provide a review of physical processes that have been inferred from 12 years of hydrological monitoring in this catchment. We present the available dataset and summarize the main hydrological mechanisms that explain the internal functioning of the Rio Vauz Catchment, primarily focusing on three characterizing hydrological behaviours, namely thresholds, hysteresis and connectivity. The main control on surface and subsurface runoff threshold response is constituted by a combination of soil moisture antecedent conditions, rainfall amount and topography. Changes in hysteresis patterns (clockwise and anti-clockwise loops) between streamflow and soil moisture, water table depth and electrical conductivity were governed by distinct runoff generation processes and rainfall event characteristics. Hillslope-riparian-stream subsurface connectivity was controlled by antecedent wetness conditions and rainfall amount. The composition in environmental tracers (stable isotopes of water and electrical conductivity) in different water sources and the application of tracer-based mixing models helped to distinguish the geographical sources to runoff and to quantify the role of rainfall and snowmelt in streamflow. Finally, we define a perceptual model of runoff generation processes for dry and wet conditions that can be considered representative for many mountain headwater catchments in the world.

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