Avoiding Destructive Remediation at DOE Sites

Whicker, F.W.; Hinton, Thomas G.; MacDonell, M.; Pinder, J.E.; Habegger, L.J.

doi:10.1126/science.1093187

Cited by 95 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Indeed, these areas have been demonstrated to have quite diverse and thriving ecosystems that are often in a better ecological state when compared to similar areas where routine human activity is present (see Fig. 2; Gray and Rickard 1989;Whicker et al 2004;Davis 2007;Richards et al 2008;Houk and Musburger 2013). Thus, sites devoted to nuclear arms production and testing can still be considered a positive feature in maintaining biodiversity despite the potential for chronic health impacts in resident organisms.…”

Section: Radiation Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of modern war and military activities on biodiversity and the environment

et al. 2015

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Abstract:War is an ever-present force that has the potential to alter the biosphere. Here we review the potential consequences of modern war and military activities on ecosystem structure and function. We focus on the effects of direct conflict, nuclear weapons, military training, and military produced contaminants. Overall, the aforementioned activities were found to have overwhelmingly negative effects on ecosystem structure and function. Dramatic habitat alteration, environmental pollution, and disturbance contributed to population declines and biodiversity losses arising from both acute and chronic effects in both terrestrial and aquatic systems. In some instances, even in the face of massive alterations to ecosystem structure, recovery was possible. Interestingly, military activity was beneficial under specific conditions, such as when an exclusion zone was generated that generally resulted in population increases and (or) population recovery; an observation noted in both terrestrial and aquatic systems. Additionally, military technological advances (e.g., GPS technology, drone technology, biotelemetry) have provided conservation scientists with novel tools for research. Because of the challenges associated with conducting research in areas with military activities (e.g., restricted access, hazardous conditions), information pertaining to military impacts on the environment are relatively scarce and are often studied years after military activities have ceased and with no knowledge of baseline conditions. Additional research would help to elucidate the environmental consequences (positive and negative) and thus reveal opportunities for mitigating negative effects while informing the development of optimal strategies for rehabilitation and recovery.Key words: war, biodiversity, ecosystem structure, conflict, military activities, environment, conservation biology.Résumé : La guerre est une force omniprésente ayant le potentiel d'altérer l'atmosphère. Les auteurs passent en revue les conséquences potentielles des activités guerrières et militaires modernes sur la structure et le fonctionnement des écosystèmes. On met l'accent sur les effets directs et indirects des conflits, des armes nucléaires, des entrainements militaires et des contaminants des produits militaires. Dans l'ensemble, on constate que les activités préalablement mentionnées ont des effets négatifs écrasants sur la structure et le fonctionnement des écosystèmes. Avec des altérations dramatiques des habitats, la pollution et les perturbations environnementales contribuent au déclin des populations et aux pertes de biodiversité provenant des effets aigus et chroniques sur les systèmes terrestres aussi bien qu'aquatiques. Tout de même dans certains cas, en présence d'altérations massives de la structure des écosystèmes, la récupération s'est avérée possible. Il est intéressant de noter qu'une activité militaire fut bénéfique sous des conditions spécifiques telles que la création d'une zone d'exclusion, en générant des augmentations générales des p...

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Section: Radiation Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of modern war and military activities on biodiversity and the environment

et al. 2015

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“…For example, an industrialized area with low ecological habitat value and apparently high ecological risk (but low human health risk) might be of a lower priority for remediation than a more natural area with lower apparent ecological risk but high ecological habitat value. The argument that remediation might harm an ecological community more than toxicants in soils or waters (Whicker et al, 2004;Efroymson et al, 2004) may be supported or refuted with evidence concerning habitat value. Similarly, the recovery of ecological communities following remediation or natural attenuation of contaminants may be monitored through a habitat valuation process (Kapustka et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating habitat value to inform contaminant remediation options: Approach

Efroymson

Peterson

Welsh

et al. 2008

Journal of Environmental Management

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Habitat valuation methods are most often developed and used to prioritize candidate lands for conservation. In this study the intent of habitat valuation was to inform the decision-making process for remediation of chemical contaminants on specific lands or surface water bodies. Methods were developed to summarize dimensions of habitat value for six representative aquatic and terrestrial contaminated sites at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) on the US Department of Energy Oak Ridge Reservation in Oak Ridge, TN, USA. Several general valuation metrics were developed for three broad categories: site use by groups of organisms, site rarity, and use value added from spatial context. Examples of use value metrics are taxa richness, a direct measure of number of species that inhabit an area, complexity of habitat structure, an indirect measure of potential number of species that may use the area, and land use designation, a measure of the length of time that the area will be available for use. Measures of rarity included presence of rare species or communities. Examples of metrics for habitat use value added from spatial context included similarity or complementarity of neighboring habitat patches and presence of habitat corridors. More specific metrics were developed for groups of organisms in contaminated streams, ponds, and terrestrial ecosystems. For each of these metrics, cutoff values for high, medium, and low habitat value were suggested, based on available information on distributions of organisms and landscape features, as well as habitat use information. A companion paper describes the implementation of these habitat valuation metrics and scoring criteria in the remedial investigation for ETTP. r

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“…Stimulation of metal reduction within the subsurface offers a relatively simple method to remove metal contaminants from groundwater, thereby limiting or greatly reducing further transport of contaminants downgradient (Lovley et al 1991;Lovley 1993;. Efforts to understand and control in situ metal reduction are currently active areas of research within the U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. Department of Energy, O.o.B.a.E.R 2004) particularly in light of the recent focus on the potential ecological impacts of ex situ remediation practice (Whicker et al 2004).…”

Section: Metal Remediation Through Biodegradation Of Associated Organmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developments in Bioremediation of Soils and Sediments Polluted with Metals and Radionuclides – 1. Microbial Processes and Mechanisms Affecting Bioremediation of Metal Contamination and Influencing Metal Toxicity and Transport

Tabak

Lens

Hullebusch

et al. 2005

Rev Environ Sci Biotechnol

193

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Avoiding Destructive Remediation at DOE Sites

Cited by 95 publications

References 7 publications

The effects of modern war and military activities on biodiversity and the environment

The effects of modern war and military activities on biodiversity and the environment

Investigating habitat value to inform contaminant remediation options: Approach

Developments in Bioremediation of Soils and Sediments Polluted with Metals and Radionuclides – 1. Microbial Processes and Mechanisms Affecting Bioremediation of Metal Contamination and Influencing Metal Toxicity and Transport

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