Long-term response of an arctic fiord system to lead–zinc mining and submarine disposal of mine waste (Maarmorilik, West Greenland)

Søndergaard, Jens; Asmund, Gert; Johansen, Poul; Rigét, Frank

doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2011.03.001

Cited by 40 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…In Greenland, the influence area of the tailings from the former Black Angel Pb-Zn mine in Maarmoilik was estimated through measurements of lead and zinc values in mussels and seaweed. The results indicated that the mine tailing could be measured in the water column as far as 12 km away from the disposal area (Søndergaard et al, 2011).…”

Section: Plume Dispersalmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…After the mine closure, the lead concentrations in the water reduced dramatically, while the zinc concentrations did not decrease as much (Søndergaard et al, 2011). Measurements made 18 years after the mine closure still provided evidence of zinc levels in the bottom water 50-100 times higher than normal seawater, while the dissolution of lead seemed negligible (Søndergaard et al, 2011). Benthic fauna, including deposit feeders, herbivores and detritivores (Larsen et al, 2001), also showed elevated concentrations of lead.…”

Section: Metalsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Elevated concentrations of lead and zinc were detected in seaweed (Fucus vesiculosus and Fucus distichus), blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and wolffish (Anarhichas mino) liver and kidneys soon after mine operations began (Asmund et al, 1975;Bollingberg and Johansen, 1979;Ellis and Ellis, 1994). After the mine closure, the lead concentrations in the water reduced dramatically, while the zinc concentrations did not decrease as much (Søndergaard et al, 2011). Measurements made 18 years after the mine closure still provided evidence of zinc levels in the bottom water 50-100 times higher than normal seawater, while the dissolution of lead seemed negligible (Søndergaard et al, 2011).…”

Section: Metalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Submarine and deep-sea mine tailing placements: A review of current practices, environmental issues, natural analogs and knowledge gaps in Norway and internationally

Ramirez-Llodra

Trannum

Evenset

et al. 2015

Marine Pollution Bulletin

133

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Section: Plume Dispersalmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Metalsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Metalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Submarine and deep-sea mine tailing placements: A review of current practices, environmental issues, natural analogs and knowledge gaps in Norway and internationally

Ramirez-Llodra

Trannum

Evenset

et al. 2015

Marine Pollution Bulletin

133

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“…Similar conditions occurred in the Chilean case Ensenada Chapaco (dissolution and reductive dissolution). One, two, and three decades since operation at Black Angel ceased, independent scientific studies showed that the pollution persists [93][94][95][96][97][98] and is having significant long-term effects on the benthic macro fauna through the presence of heavy metals [99,100]. The study of Josefson et al [100] showed that 33 years after deposition ceased at the Black Angel Mine, degradation of the integrity of the benthic community was directly correlated with persisting, high Pb concentrations in the sediment (>200 mg/kg).…”

Section: Black Angel Mine Greenland (Ceased Since 1990)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Submarine Tailings Disposal (STD)—A Review

Dold¹

2014

Minerals

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Abstract:The mining industry is a fundamental industry involved in the development of modern society, but is also the world's largest waste producer. This role will be enhanced in the future, because ore grades are generally decreasing, thus leading to increases in the waste/metal production ratio. Mine wastes deposited on-land in so-called tailings dams, impoundments or waste-dumps have several associated environmental issues that need to be addressed (e.g., acid mine drainage formation due to sulphide oxidation, geotechnical stability, among others), and social concerns due to land use during mining. The mining industry recognizes these concerns and is searching for waste management alternatives for the future. One option used in the past was the marine shore or shallow submarine deposition of this waste material in some parts of the world. After the occurrence of some severe environmental pollution, today the deposition in the deep sea (under constant reducing conditions) is seen as a new, more secure option, due to the general thought that sulphide minerals are geochemically stable under the reduced conditions prevailing in the deep marine environment. This review highlights the mineralogical and geochemical issues (e.g., solubility of sulphides in seawater; reductive dissolution of oxide minerals under reducing conditions), which have to be considered when evaluating whether submarine tailings disposal is a suitable alternative for mine waste.

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“…Thus, for example, descriptions of mixed inputs of pollutants into St. Lawrence estuary (Pellerin and Amiard, 2009), dicharges from mine activities in Greenland fjords (Søndergaard et al, 2011), anthropogenic inputs from industrial origin and urban effluents in the Bay of Muggia (North Adriatic Sea) (Moschino et al, 2016) or heavy metals pollution from anthropogenic activities in the southern coast of China (Zhang et al, 2012), in relation to the production of marine resources have been reported in the literature.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Coexistence of urban uses and shellfish production in an upwelling-driven, highly productive marine environment: The case of the Ría de Vigo (Galicia, Spain)

Fernández

Álvarez‐Salgado

Beiras

et al. 2016

Regional Studies in Marine Science

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The Ría de Vigo, located at the northern border of the Iberia-NW Africa eastern boundary upwelling ecosystem, is an incised deep (45 m maxim depth) valley originated by the combined action of tectonic and erosive processes. Upwelling events promote a quick renewal (3-4 days) of the volume of water in the Ría, which is replaced by cold, oxygenated and nutrient-rich subsurface oceanic water, giving rise to nutrient fertilization of the embayment that translates into high primary production rates (ca. 3 g C m -2 d -1 ). This high productivity allows the development of an important shellfish exploitation activity. The Ría de Vigo has 529 rafts where 37000 tons of mussels are produced annually. This territory has been subjected to an increasing human pressure since the early XX century deriving in an intense landscape transformation. The city of Vigo showed a six-fold increase in the number of inhabitants from 1900 to 2001 and more than 21 % of the land in the study area is currently artificial. Therefore, urban and industrial activities coexist with local fisheries and shellfish mariculture that accounts for ca. 7 % of the income and employment in this urban region. Incomplete depuration of wastewater in treatment plants explain the relatively high contribution (22%) of sewage-derived nutrients to the total allochtonous fertilization in the Ría. Furthermore, and given the importance of shellfish production, microbial pollution originated from urban wastewater is considered as the main environmental threat of the Ría de Vigo. The dependence of the local economy on marine renewable resources together with the limitation of the natural productivity of the Rías imposed by anthropogenic pressure lies behind a significant fraction of the conflicts occurring in the region during the past two decades. The characteristics of Ría de Vigo, described in this review, confer this coastal ecosystem unique conditions as a natural laboratory where the interaction between human activity and marine ecological processes can be studied within the framework of the World Harbour Project.

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Long-term response of an arctic fiord system to lead–zinc mining and submarine disposal of mine waste (Maarmorilik, West Greenland)

Cited by 40 publications

References 14 publications

Submarine and deep-sea mine tailing placements: A review of current practices, environmental issues, natural analogs and knowledge gaps in Norway and internationally

Submarine and deep-sea mine tailing placements: A review of current practices, environmental issues, natural analogs and knowledge gaps in Norway and internationally

Submarine Tailings Disposal (STD)—A Review

Coexistence of urban uses and shellfish production in an upwelling-driven, highly productive marine environment: The case of the Ría de Vigo (Galicia, Spain)

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