Evolution of Surface Drainage Network for Spoil Heaps under Simulated Rainfall

Spoil heaps laid from the infrastructure building sites or the mining sites are confoundedly prone to accelerated soil erosion and inducing debris flows on extreme rainfall occasion, thus threatening water quality and personal safety. In present study, the roughness and drainage network evolution of the loess spoil heap (a 33° slope gradient) were investigated via indoor simulation experiment under three rainfall intensities (60, 90, and 120 mm/h). A detailed scan of the slope using laser scanner, topographic analysis based on ArcGIS software, and statistical analyses were the main methods utilized in the study. The results showed that surface roughness increased with cumulative rainfall. For three rainfall intensity treatments, the proneness of shallow landslide under 90 mm/h intensity resulted in the largest roughness. The drainage density and stream frequency of the spoil heap slope both decreased with cumulative rainfall and negatively correlated with surface roughness, which indicated the convergence of the drainage network. Meanwhile, the individual flow paths presented an increasing sinuosity and a decreasing gradient with cumulative rainfall. However, drainage network features varied in a less marked degree during different rainfall intensities, showing comparable fractal dimensions of 1.350–1.454, 1.305–1.459, and 1.292–1.455 for the three rainfall intensities. Evaluating the response of four hydrodynamic characteristics of runoff to the drainage network evolution, stream power was found to be most sensitive. The linearity of the relationships between stream power and drainage density and that between stream sinuosity and gradient were estimated to have R2 between 0.961 and 0.979.

The effect of amendments on Lolium perenne roots arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi colonization when cultivated in contaminated soil

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi that colonize the roots of plants growing on lands contaminated by heavy metals may influence the phytostabilization process reducing the translocation of metals to the aboveground parts of the plant. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of soil amendments (lime and lignite) on the concentration of the bioavailable form of heavy metals (CaCl2 extraction) in soil and on the colonization of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in the roots of Lolium perenne when cultivated in contaminated soil. During the experiment, the bioavailability of Pb, Cd, and Zn in soil was significantly reduced after application of the amendments, causing an increase of L. perenne shoot dry biomass. It was observed that the higher dose of lime (0.5%) resulting in amplified values of relative mycorrhizal intensity. However, independently of the dose, the treatments increased the occurrence of arbuscules in L. perenne roots, with the highest value observed after the application of 0.25% lime with 5% lignite. The results for the first time present the effect of lime and lignite application on the L. perenne roots colonization by Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi indicating the increase of occurrence of arbuscules. These findings suggest that in order to explain the different responses of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi to the applied treatment further investigations are needed to identify the spore morphology. The results of the experiment were implemented to stabilize heavy metals during remediation of a spoil heap in Ruda Śląska, Poland.

Contaminated Areas as Recreational Places—Exploring the Validity of the Decisions Taken in the Development of Antonia Hill in Ruda Śląska, Poland

This paper describes the experimental developing of a post-zinc industry spoil heap in Ruda Śląska, Silesia (an industrial region of Poland), that was turned into a recreational area. The aim of the present article is to analyse the design process and evaluate its effects. The project in question was meant to be a pilot action of the international one entitled Implementation of Sustainable Land Use in Integrated Environmental Management of Functional Urban Areas—LUMAT, whose Polish part was the Action Plan for the Functional Urban Area of Chorzów, Ruda Śląska and Świętochłowice. The Antonia Hill project involved many aspects and fields of study in order to achieve its aims: limiting the health risk of the Hill’s users, maximising the safety of its use as a recreational area, educating its users in the local history and their cultural identity, raising their awareness of the natural environment and its protection. The predominant remediation method was the process described by Loures and Vaz with a modified order of the elements so as to obtain the effect of remediation and development at the same time. The first step was carried out in the form of the site analysis and the potential adaptation possibilities. The next stage was the participatory workshops in the form of Enquiry by Design. The implementation was carried out in accordance with the evidence-based design. The multi-layered structure of the area was built by selecting ideas, activities and goals following the Modelling Nature Method. After the implementation, the facility evaluation process was made by means of the POE method.

Predatory mite instars (Acari, Mesostigmata) and decomposing tree leaves in mixed and monoculture stands growing on a spoil heap and surrounding forests

In the past, ecological research mainly omitted the sexual and developmental variability of mite communities, and therefore could not fully reflect the actual state and function of mite communities in the ecosystems studied. The aim here was to analyze how habitat conditions (mixed vs. monoculture stands) and single-species litter of 14 tree species (in mixed stands) affect the sex and developmental stages of Mesostigmata mites living on the decomposing litter. The research was conducted in 2011–2016, at the Bełchatów Lignite Mine external spoil heap (Central Poland) in mixed stands growing on the spoil heap, as well as in pine and birch monoculture stands growing on the spoil heap and an adjacent forest area. We found significant influences of habitat on females, males and juveniles. Additionally, we found that soil mean temperature had a significant effect on males and juveniles, but not on females. Moreover, despite the insignificant influence of litter species on mite communities, we found that percentage litter mass loss significantly affected female and juvenile mites. Taking into account habitat type, the percentage litter mass loss significantly affected female and male mites, but not juveniles. The mite abundance calculated per dry litter mass usually gradually increased during decomposition. Interestingly, the highest mean female, male and juvenile abundances were recorded in birch stands growing on the adjacent forest area; however, juvenile mites were also very numerous in mixed stands on spoil heap. Therefore, our results confirm that mixed stands on post-mining areas are a potentially better habitat for development of mesostigmatid communities compared to monocultures, among others by relatively higher humidity and lower temperatures.

Does Experimental Non-Reclaimed Sites Differ from Technically Reclaimed Areas in the Risk of Artificial Bird Nest Predation?

Areas left to natural development have been found to be sites with higher diversity and conservation value of local communities, including bird communities, compared to artificial reclamation of post-industrial areas. Most of the studies conducted so far have focused primarily on bird communities of post-mining areas, in terms of the diversity and richness of species. Our study dealt with bird nest predation on specific case of two experimental sites (20 and 32 ha) with more than a 20-year history of primary spontaneous succession established within the technical reclamation of the Radovesická spoil heap (approx. 1,200 ha, North Bohemia, Czech Republic). In the spring of 2018, we conducted a predation experiment using artificial nests (ground and elevated), installed within both succession areas and beyond, in the adjacent artificially reclaimed areas. We monitored the way of restoration and the distance of the nest placement from the succession-reclamation sites edge. The rate of predation was very high: 92.5 % in reclaimed area and 89.4 % in spontaneous successions. None of the observed factors analysed in the generalised linear model (GLM) have conclusively explained the risk of predation. The two experimental succession sites did not differ from the surrounding reclaimed sites in terms of the risk of predation, nor did they significantly influence predation risk on reclaimed sites. We believe that both relatively small and mutually isolated areas do not provide enough of an inner environment without or with at least a limited effect of predation pressure coming from adjacent reclaimed areas.

Thermophilic sulfate-reducing bacteria Moorela thermoacetica Nadia-3, isolated from “Nadiia” pit spoil heap of Chervonohrad mining region

Introduction. Thermophilic sulfate-reducing bacteria attract attention of scientists as the potential agents of purification of wastewater polluted by sulfur and its compounds, heavy metal ions and organic compounds. These bacteria oxidize different organic substrates using metals with variable valency as electron acceptors and transform them into non-toxic or less toxic forms for living organisms. However, wastewater contains high concentrations of different toxic xenobiotics, particularly, metal ions that have negative influence on living organisms. For this reason, it is important to use resistant strains of microorganisms for the purification of wastewater. The aim of this work was to identify the thermophilic sulfur-reducing bacteria, isolated from “Nadiia” pit spoil heap of Chervonohrad mining region, and to study their properties. Materials and Methods. Thermophilic sulfur-reducing bacteria were isolated from the samples of rock of “Nadiia” pit heap at 50 cm depth. Bacteria were cultivated in TF medium under the anaerobic conditions in anaerostates. Cell biomass was measured turbidimetrically using the photoelectric colorimeter KFK-3 (λ = 340 nm, 3 mm cuvette). Hydrogen sulfide content was measured photoelectrocolorymetrically by the production of methylene blue. Organic acids content was measured by high performance liquid chromatography. Cr(VI), Fe(III), Мn(IV) and NO3– content was measured turbidimetrically. Results. Thermophilic sulfur-reducing bacteria were isolated from the rock of “Nadiia” pit heap of Chervonohrad mining region. They were identified as Moorela thermoacetica based on the morpho-physiological and biochemical properties and on the results of phylogenetic analysis. M. thermoacetica Nadia-3 grow in the synthetic TF medium, have the shape of elongated rods, are gram-positive, endospore-forming. They form light brown colonies. Optimal growth was observed at 50–55 °C, pH 6.5–7. The bacteria utilize glucose, starch, fructose, maltose, lactose, sodium lactate, arabinose, cellulose, maltose, glycerol, fumarate, and ethanol as carbon sources. The highest sulfidogenic activity of M. thermoacetica Nadia-3 was found in media with glycerol, lactose, and glucose. M. thermoacetica Nadia-3 reduce SO42-, S2O32-, Fe(III), NO3–, Cr(VI) compounds besides elemental sulfur. They accumulate biomass at K2Cr2O7 concentrations of 0.1–1 mM. Sulfur reduction is not the main way of energy accumulation. Conclusions. Thermophilic chromium-resistant sulfur-reducing bacteria M. thermoacetica Nadia-3, that produce hydrogen sulfide during the oxidation of different organic compounds, were isolated from the rock of “Nadiia” pit heap. They reduce Fe(III), Cr(VI), NO3–, SO42-, S2O32-, besides elemental sulfur.

Correlation between Geochemical and Multispectral Patterns in an Area Severely Contaminated by Former Hg-As Mining

In the context of soil pollution, plants suffer stress when exposed to extreme concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs). The alterations to the plants caused by such stressors can be monitored by multispectral imagery in the form of vegetation indices, which can inform pollution management strategies. Here we combined geochemistry and remote sensing techniques to offer a preliminary soil pollution assessment of a vast abandoned spoil heap in the surroundings of La Soterraña mining site (Asturias, Spain). To study the soil distribution of the PTEs over time, twenty-seven soil samples were randomly collected downstream of and around the main spoil heap. Furthermore, the area was covered by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) carrying a high-resolution multispectral camera with four bands (red, green, red-edge and near infrared). Multielement analysis revealed mercury and arsenic as principal pollutants. Two indices (from a database containing up to 55 indices) offered a proper correlation with the concentration of PTEs. These were: CARI2, presenting a Pearson Coefficient (PC) of 0.89 for concentrations >200 mg/kg of As; and NDVIg, PC of −0.67 for >40 mg/kg of Hg. The combined approach helps prediction of those areas susceptible to greatest pollution, thus reducing the costs of geochemical campaigns.

New records of Pennsylvanian plants, in situ and dispersed cuticles from the Kladno-Rakovník Basin, Radnice Member, Czech Republic

New collection from the spoil heap of the Lužná mine in Lužná near Rakovník contains about 23 species of lycopsids, sphenopsids, ferns, pteridosperms, progymnosperms and cordaitaleans. The exploited coal seam is called the Upper Radnice Coal seam and belonged to the Radnice Member, Kladno Formation of the upper Duckmantian Substage (lower Moscovian Stage). Plant remains were discovered in tuffaceous partings (so called Velká opuka) and roof shales (here called Mydláky). As roof shales are friable, only a few fossils were found, e. g., Lepidodendron aculeatum Sternberg and Calamites cf. cistii Brongniart that are considered here as autochthonous or parautochthonous. Tuffaceous partings (Velká opuka) yielded a diversified assemblage, including large fragments including for instance progymnosperms (Noeggerathia foliosa Sternberg) and pteridosperms (Spheno pteris pulcherrima Crépin), in some layers also including allochthonous small fragments of undeterminable plant debris and pinnule fragments of medullosalean pteridosperms e. g. Laveineopteris tenuifolia (Sternberg) Cleal, Shute et Zodrow and other species. Noeggerathia foliosa Sternberg is the dominant species in this locality. Cuticles obtained from coal can be classified into several groups. Most of the fragments belong probably to the sporangium wall of the subarborescent lycopsid Omphalophloios feistmantelii (Němejc) Bek et al. Other cuticles correspond to leaf cushions of arborescent lycopsids (Lepidodendron Sternberg and Lepidophloios Sternberg), and others lacking cell and stomatal structures are undeterminable. Pteridosperm or fern cuticles from rachises or midvein areas without stomata are difficult to classify. Also, bizarre multicellular bodies of uncertain affinity are present. Sphenopsid and cordaitalean cuticles were absent in the dispersed cuticular spectra.