Haunch S, MacDonald AM, Brown N, McDermott CI 2013. Flow dependent water quality impacts of historic coal and oil shale mining in the Almond River catchment, Scotland. Applied Geochemistry 39:156-168. doi: 10.1016/j.apgeochem.2013. AbstractThe Almond River Catchment in Central Scotland has experienced extensive coal mining during the last 300 years and also provides an example of enduring pollution associated with historic unconventional hydrocarbon exploitation from oil shale. Detailed spatial analysis of the catchment has identified over 300 abandoned mine and mine waste sites, comprising a significant potential source of mine related contamination. River water quality data, collected over a 15 year period from 1994 to 2008, indicates that both the coal and oil shale mining areas detrimentally impact surface water quality long after mine abandonment, due to the continued release of iron and sulphate associated with pyrite oxidation at abandoned mine sites. Once in the surface water environment iron and sulphate display significant concentration-flow dependence: iron increases at high flows due to the re-suspension of river bed iron precipitates (Fe(OH) 3 ); sulphate concentrations decrease with higher flow as a result of dilution.Further examination of iron and sulphate loading at low flows indicates a close correlation of iron and sulphate with mined areas; cumulative low flow load calculations indicate that coal and oil shale mining regions contribute 0.21 and 0.31 g/s of iron, respectively, to the main Almond tributary. Decreases in iron loading along some river sections demonstrate the deposition and storage of iron within the river channel. This river bed iron is re-suspended with increased flow resulting in significant transport of iron downstream with load values of up to 50 g/s iron. Interpretation of major ion chemistry data for 2005-6 indicates significant increases in Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ and HCO 3 -in coal mined areas probably as a result of the buffering of proton acidity in mine waters; in the oil shale areas Na -and Cl -become increasing dominant possibly associated with increased urbanisation and saline pore waters discharge from unprocessed oil shales wastes.The study demonstrates importance of considering the cumulative impact of point and diffuse contamination sourced from numerous small coal and oil shale mine sites on surface water quality.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.