Risks of mining to salmonid-bearing watersheds

Sergeant, Christopher J.; Sexton, Erin K.; Moore, Jonathan W.; Westwood, Alana R.; Nagorski, Sonia A.; Ebersole, Joseph L.; Chambers, David M.; O'Neal, Sarah; Malison, Rachel L.; Hauer, F. Richard; Whited, Diane C.; Weitz, Jill; Caldwell, Jackie; Capito, Marissa; Connor, Mark ConnorM.; Frissell, Christopher A.; Knox, Greg; Lowery, Erin D.; Macnair, Randal; Marlatt, Vicki L.; McIntyre, Jenifer K.; McPhee, Megan V.; Skuce, Nikki

doi:10.1126/sciadv.abn0929

Cited by 18 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 149 publications

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“…Acidic pit lakes and associated mines are considered hostile environments posing potential threats for wildlife and humans ( McCullough and Lund, 2006 ; Hadjipanagiotou et al, 2020 ; Sergeant et al, 2022 ). Unsurprisingly, understanding and rehabilitating these lakes has become a priority for industry, government agencies and consequently researchers ( Meier et al, 2004 ; Gammons and Icopini, 2020 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-charismatic waterbodies and ecosystem disservices: Mine pit lakes are underrepresented in the literature

2022

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Pit lakes are one of the greatest legacies of open-cut mining. Despite the potential hazards of these lakes, they represent newly formed ecosystems with great scientific and ecological potential. Although thousands of pit lakes occur on every inhabited continent, with more being created, the microbial ecology of pit lakes is relatively under-researched. We evaluated the current state of microbial research in pit lakes by performing a Web of Science search and creating a literature database. Study lakes were categorized according to location and water quality (pH and conductivity) which is a key community and environmental concern. Research technology employed in the study was also categorized. We compared research effort in lakes, rivers, and streams which are the more “charismatic” inland aquatic ecosystems. Pit lake publications on microbes from 1987 to 2022 (n = 128) were underrepresented in the literature relative to rivers and streams (n = 321) and natural lakes (n = 948). Of the 128 pit lake publications, 28 were within the field of geochemistry using indirect measures of microbial activity. Most pit lake microbial research was conducted in a few acidic lakes in Germany due to social pressure for remediation and government initiative. Relatively few studies have capitalized on emerging technology. Pit lake microbial research likely lags other more charismatic ecosystems given that they are viewed as performing “ecosystem disservices,” but this is socially complex and requires further research. Improving understanding of microbial dynamics in pit lakes will allow scientists to deliver safer pit lakes to communities.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-charismatic waterbodies and ecosystem disservices: Mine pit lakes are underrepresented in the literature

2022

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“…The Coho salmon ( Oncorhynchus kisutch ) is a Pacific salmon species of major cultural and economical importance, which has severely declined over the last decades (reviewed in [ 39 ]). It has undergone further recent declines in multiple parts of its native range [ 40 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Allele surfing causes maladaptation in a Pacific salmon of conservation concern

Rougemont,

Leroy,

Rondeau

et al. 2023

PLoS Genet

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How various factors, including demography, recombination or genome duplication, may impact the efficacy of natural selection and the burden of deleterious mutations,is a central question in evolutionary biology and genetics. In this study, we show that key evolutionary processes, including variations in i) effective population size (Ne) ii) recombination rates and iii) chromosome inheritance, have influenced the genetic load and efficacy of selection in Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), a widely distributed salmonid species on the west coast of North America. Using whole genome resequencing data from 14 populations at different migratory distances from their southern glacial refugium, we found evidence supporting gene surfing, wherein reduced Ne at the postglacial recolonization front, leads to a decrease in the efficacy of selection and a surf of deleterious alleles in the northernmost populations. Furthermore, our results indicate that recombination rates play a prime role in shaping the load along the genome. Additionally, we identified variation in polyploidy as a contributing factor to within-genome variation of the load. Overall, our results align remarkably well with expectations under the nearly neutral theory of molecular evolution. We discuss the fundamental and applied implications of these findings for evolutionary and conservation genomics.

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“…One example is large scale mining and the alteration of land surfaces and aquifers due to placement of waste rock, which are known to profoundly influence groundwater and surface water quality. − Mining supports regional and national economies but has been shown to alter water, solute, and sediment dynamics and harm aquatic ecosystems . Understanding environmental and water-quality impacts from mines located near borders provides information that may be used to protect, restore, and manage natural resources in the complex regulatory setting of transboundary watersheds …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…7 Understanding environmental and water-quality impacts from mines located near borders provides information that may be used to protect, restore, and manage natural resources in the complex regulatory setting of transboundary watersheds. 8 Koocanusa Reservoir (KOC, also called "Lake Koocanusa") is a transboundary reservoir that is split between northwestern Montana (MT), United States (U.S.), and southeastern British Columbia (B.C. ), Canada (CA).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growth of Coal Mining Operations in the Elk River Valley (Canada) Linked to Increasing Solute Transport of Se, NO₃^–, and SO₄^2– into the Transboundary Koocanusa Reservoir (USA–Canada)

Storb,

Bussell,

Caldwell Eldridge

et al. 2023

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Koocanusa Reservoir (KOC) is a waterbody that spans the United States (U.S.) and Canadian border. Increasing concentrations of total selenium (Se), nitrate + nitrite (NO 3 − , nitrite is insignificant or not present), and sulfate (SO 4 2− ) in KOC and downstream in the Kootenai River (Kootenay River in Canada) are tied to expanding coal mining operations in the Elk River Watershed, Canada. Using a paired watershed approach, trends in flownormalized concentrations and loads were evaluated for Se, NO 3 − , and SO 4 2− for the two largest tributaries, the Kootenay and Elk Rivers, Canada. Increases in concentration (SO 4 2− 120%, Se 581%, NO 3 − 784%) and load (SO 4 2− 129%, Se 443%, NO 3 − 697%) in the Elk River (1979−2022 for NO 3 − , 1984−2022 for Se and SO 4 2−) are among the largest documented increases in the primary literature, while only a small magnitude increase in SO 4 2− (7.7% concentration) and decreases in Se (−10%) and NO 3 − (−8.5%) were observed in the Kootenay River. Between 2009 and 2019, the Elk River contributed, on average, 29% of the combined flow, 95% of the Se, 76% of the NO 3 − , and 38% of the SO 4 2− entering the reservoir from these two major tributaries. The largest increase in solute concentrations occurred during baseflows, indicating a change in solute transport and delivery dynamics in the Elk River Watershed, which may be attributable to altered landscapes from coal mining operations including altered groundwater flow paths and increased chemical weathering in waste rock dumps. More recently there is evidence of surface water treatment operations providing some reduction in concentrations during low flow times of year; however, these appear to have a limited effect on annual loads entering KOC. These findings imply that current mine water treatment, which is focused on surface waters, may not sufficiently reduce the influence of mine-waste-derived solutes in the Elk River to allow constituent concentrations in KOC to meet U.S. water-quality standards.

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Risks of mining to salmonid-bearing watersheds

Cited by 18 publications

References 149 publications

Non-charismatic waterbodies and ecosystem disservices: Mine pit lakes are underrepresented in the literature

Non-charismatic waterbodies and ecosystem disservices: Mine pit lakes are underrepresented in the literature

Allele surfing causes maladaptation in a Pacific salmon of conservation concern

Growth of Coal Mining Operations in the Elk River Valley (Canada) Linked to Increasing Solute Transport of Se, NO₃^–, and SO₄^2– into the Transboundary Koocanusa Reservoir (USA–Canada)

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Risks of mining to salmonid-bearing watersheds

Cited by 18 publications

References 149 publications

Non-charismatic waterbodies and ecosystem disservices: Mine pit lakes are underrepresented in the literature

Non-charismatic waterbodies and ecosystem disservices: Mine pit lakes are underrepresented in the literature

Allele surfing causes maladaptation in a Pacific salmon of conservation concern

Growth of Coal Mining Operations in the Elk River Valley (Canada) Linked to Increasing Solute Transport of Se, NO3–, and SO42– into the Transboundary Koocanusa Reservoir (USA–Canada)

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Growth of Coal Mining Operations in the Elk River Valley (Canada) Linked to Increasing Solute Transport of Se, NO₃^–, and SO₄^2– into the Transboundary Koocanusa Reservoir (USA–Canada)