Evolution of the Hydraulic Conductivity of Reclamation Covers over Sodic/Saline Mining Overburden

Meiers, Greg; Barbour, S. Lee; Qualizza, Clara V.; Dobchuk, Bonnie S.

doi:10.1061/(asce)gt.1943-5606.0000523

Cited by 40 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…biochemical degradation breaking up fibres into smaller pieces (e.g. Rezanezhad et al, 2016), compaction , the shrinkage and swelling of bog soils Price et al, 2003;Price, 2003;Glaser et al, 2004), and freeze-thaw processes (Meiers et al, 2013). These findings are corroborated by a positive relationship between depth and advance in decomposition at this site (Broder and Biester, 2015).…”

Section: Change In Pore-system Characteristics With Depthsupporting

confidence: 74%

A pore-size classification for peat bogs derived from unsaturated hydraulic properties

Weber

Iden

Durner

2017

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. In ombrotrophic peatlands, the moisture content of the acrotelm (vadoze zone) controls oxygen diffusion rates, redox state, and the turnover of organic matter. Thus, variably saturated flow processes determine whether peatlands act as sinks or sources of atmospheric carbon, and modelling these processes is crucial to assess effects of changed environmental conditions on the future development of these ecosystems. We show that the Richards equation can be used to accurately describe the moisture dynamics under evaporative conditions in variably saturated peat soil, encompassing the transition from the topmost living moss layer to the decomposed peat as part of the vadose zone. Soil hydraulic properties (SHP) were identified by inverse simulation of evaporation experiments on samples from the entire acrotelm. To obtain consistent descriptions of the observations, the traditional van GenuchtenMualem model was extended to account for non-capillary water storage and flow. We found that the SHP of the uppermost moss layer reflect a pore-size distribution (PSD) that combines three distinct pore systems of the Sphagnum moss. For deeper samples, acrotelm pedogenesis changes the shape of the SHP due to the collapse of inter-plant pores and an infill with smaller particles. This leads to gradually more homogeneous and bi-modal PSDs with increasing depth, which in turn can serve as a proxy for increasing state of pedogenesis in peatlands. From this, we derive a nomenclature and size classification for the pore spaces of Sphagnum mosses and define inter-, intra-, and inner-plant pore spaces, with effective pore diameters of > 300, 300-30, and 30-10 µm, respectively.

show abstract

Section: Change In Pore-system Characteristics With Depthsupporting

confidence: 74%

A pore-size classification for peat bogs derived from unsaturated hydraulic properties

Weber

Iden

Durner

2017

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Due to the limited number of GP measurements, Fig. 8aÁc also included additional GP measurements at the same sites obtained by other researchers (Fenske 2007;O'Kane 2007;Kelln et al 2008;Meiers et al 2011). The average value from these K s measurements was 1.06 )10 (6 m s…”

Section: Comparison Of the Ap And Gp Testsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The properties of these reclamation soil covers will evolve over time as a result of changes in secondary structure brought about by processes such as freezeÁthaw or wetÁ dry cycles, settlement of the waste material below the cover, or biotubation processes caused by rooting or burrowing animals. All of these processes can lead to the formation of macropores and fractures, which increase the hydraulic conductivity over time (Albrecht and Benson 2001;Meiers et al 2011).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The K s value can then be estimated from this flow rate based on a number of assumptions related to soil type (Reynolds and Elrick 1986). Meiers et al (2011) undertook repeated GP measurements on a reclaimed overburden deposit at the Mildred Lake oil sands mine, operated by Syncrude Canada Ltd., over a 5-yr period. Repeated GP measurements were conducted on an upper soil layer composed of a peat-mineral mixture, an underlying soil cover layer of glacial till, and the underlying shale overburden.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(1 ) it may take several hours to conduct a single measurement (Reynolds and Elrick 1986;Meiers et al 2011).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

An evaluation of air permeability measurements to characterize the saturated hydraulic conductivity of soil reclamation covers

HuangMingbin

RodgerHeather²,

Lee

2015

Can. J. Soil. Sci.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

, S. L. 2015. An evaluation of air permeability measurements to characterize the saturated hydraulic conductivity of soil reclamation covers. Can. J. Soil Sci. 95: 15Á26. The saturated hydraulic conductivity (K s ) of soil covers used in land reclamation is known to change over time as the result of weathering processes. Guelph permeameter (GP) measurements have been used to track the evolution of K s for soil covers at an oil sands mine near Ft. McMurray, Alberta. Although successful, the method was time consuming and consequently a rapid method of estimating K s based on in situ air permeability measurements was developed. The objectives of this study were: (1) to use air permeability measurements to characterize the spatial variations of K s for typical reclamation soils and (2) to compare air permeability measurements to direct measurements obtained through laboratory and GP measurements. The results highlight that the values of K s estimated from measured air permeability values were higher than the values of K s measured directly using the GP. This is likely due to swelling of clay soils or air-entrapment during GP measurements. Although the magnitude was over-estimated, the variability of K s was captured by the air permeability measurements. Consequently, a limited program of comparative GP and air permeameter measurements could be used to more rapidly characterize the K s of reclamation covers over time.

show abstract

The impact of reclamation cover depth on the performance of reclaimed shale overburden at an oil sands mine in Northern Alberta, Canada

Huang

Barbour

Carey

2015

Hydrological Processes

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Multilayer covers are widely accepted reclamation designs in the oil sands region of northern Alberta, Canada, with an ultimate goal of revegetating to species characteristic of predisturbance native plant communities. To determine the optimal depth of reclamation material required to reclaim overburden shale from an oil sands mine, an evaluation was made of the long‐term performance of six reclamation soil cover depths all placed over overburden. The measured soil water contents from different cover thicknesses at South Bison Hills located at the Syncrude Mine site north of Fort McMurray, Alberta, were used to calibrate and validate a dual‐porosity model in HYDRUS‐1D. The calibrated and validated model was then used to evaluate the influence of cover thickness and climatic variability on plant available water for forest growth. The frequency distributions of actual transpiration (Tr) for six cover treatments with a range of leaf area index (LAI) cases were developed. These Tr frequency distributions were then modified by coupling Tr and LAI. The modified frequency distributions for annual Tr for the six simulated cover thickness highlight the strong nonlinearity between the distributions of Tr over a long‐term (60 years) climate cycle in that incremental increases in cover thickness do not produce proportional increases in Tr. The results indicated that, once the cover thickness exceeds 100 cm, there is little incremental increase in the median value of Tr over the 60‐year climate cycle. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

show abstract

Evolution of the Hydraulic Conductivity of Reclamation Covers over Sodic/Saline Mining Overburden

Cited by 40 publications

References 21 publications

A pore-size classification for peat bogs derived from unsaturated hydraulic properties

A pore-size classification for peat bogs derived from unsaturated hydraulic properties

An evaluation of air permeability measurements to characterize the saturated hydraulic conductivity of soil reclamation covers

The impact of reclamation cover depth on the performance of reclaimed shale overburden at an oil sands mine in Northern Alberta, Canada

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About