Environmental problems of coal production in the United Kingdom with particular reference to the Yorkshire coalfield

This paper reviews the environmental problems associated with the coal-mining industry on the Yorkshire coalfield. The main environmental problems are identified as being caused by:

1. The need to dispose of large quantities of colliery waste or ‘spoil’, in an environmentally acceptable manner.
2. Derelict and despoiled land, including the problems caused by the re-working of old tips for their coal content.
3. Opencast coal mining.
4. Subsidence.
5. Transportation of coal and coal waste.

These problems are reviewed in the context of the role of coal in meeting the United Kingdom's energy needs and the framework of environmental control within which the coal-mining industry has to operate. Particular stress is laid on the fact that the Yorkshire coalfield, as with the majority of coalfields, is an old one with a legacy of inherited dereliction. Whilst modernisation of the mining industry is proceeding there have not been parallel developments put in hand to cope with the changing nature of the environmental problems resulting from the modernisation of the industry. Particular stress is placed on the need to dispose of the greatly increased quantities of spoil now being produced.     

Health hazard prospecting by modeling wind transfer of metal-bearing dust from mining waste dumps: application to Jebel Ressas Pb–Zn–Cd abandoned mining site (Tunisia)

This work presents a modeling approach to simulate spatial distribution of metal contamination in aerosols with evaluation of health hazard. This approach offers the advantage to be non-intrusive, less expensive than sampling and laboratory analyses. It was applied to assess the impact of metal-bearing dust from mining wastes on air quality for a nearby community and agricultural lands in Jebel Ressas (Tunisia) locality. Dust emission rates were calculated using existing parameterization adapted to the contamination source composed of mining wastes. Metal concentrations were predicted using a Gaussian model (fugitive dust model) with, as input: emission rates, dump physical parameters and meteorological data measured in situ for 30 days in summertime. Metal concentration maps were built from calculated PM10 particle concentrations. They evidence the areas where Pb and Cd concentrations exceeded WHO guidelines (0.5 and 0.005 µg/m³, respectively). Maximum concentrations of Pb and Cd in PM10 are, respectively, of 5.74 and 0.0768 µg/m³ for measured wind speed values up to 22 m/s. Preferential areas of contamination were determined in agricultural lands to the NW from the source dump where Pb and Cd exceeded guidelines up to a distance of 1,200 m. The secondary spreading directions were SW and E, toward the village. Health hazard prospecting shown that a major part of the village was exposed to contaminated dust and that daily hazard quotient (HQ) values reached locally 118 and 158, respectively, for Pb and Cd during the study period. However, HQ variations in the village are high, both temporally and geographically.     

Environmental problems of coal production in the federal republic of of germany with particular reference to to the Ruhr

In 1979 it was noted that the production of deep-mined coal in the Federal Republic of Germany, including the Ruhr area, has risen once again. Since the beginning of the sixties the convenient source of both energy and raw material, oil, has been responsible for the falling levels of coal production in the Ruhr, to almost one half of peak production in 1956. Not much would have been needed to give up the entire troublesome and expensive process of deep coal mining in the Federal Republic in favour of the then cheap and bountiful oil. Only lignite managed to maintain a more or less steady annual production rate due to the direct conversion into electricity of a major part of its production at the site of extraction. Since the limitations and uncertainties governing the supply of crude oil have now been clearly exposed, the illusions about oil have begun to fade, and as a result confidence in our indigenous supplies of energy and raw material resources has been restored. What, however, are the implications of this revival of home-produced energy and raw material, which are not without problems both when produced and when consumed for the region in which they are extracted and brought to the surface, and where, to a large extent, the processing takes place? The region benefits from employment and investment, and in turn offers its resources (labour, land, water, air) inasmuch as past development has left them available for future development. But is the region to be covered with even more ‘honourable’ scars? In 1980, 87 million tonnes of deep mined coal were produced in the Federal Republic of Germany which resulted in roughly the same amount of minestone (spoil). Approximately 600 km² of densely populated area in the Ruhr district was already acquiring artificial drainage due to subsidence. Coking plants and old coal-based stations fired with deep mined coal pollute air and water. Lignite production in 1980 in the Federal Republic of Germany — which was almost entirely obtained by opencast mining — amounted to 130 million tonnes. To achieve this an additional 445×10⁶m³ of overburden had to be shifted. Already in 1977 in the Rhineland between Cologne, Dusseldorf and Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle), 522 km² of mainly good agricultural land was acquired under compulsory purchase order for lignite mining. Villages, roads, rail and waterways were and continue to be re-routed and re-sited. The direct conversion of lignite into electricity produces emission and spreads pollution. Now, it is not only the people of the Ruhr area, the largest industrial conurbation in Europe, that have become sensitive to the impact of mining upon their environment. In all industrial countries it has been learned that those things which cannot be replaced, i.e. environment, are not always being valued by the free market at a price which represents the value they may have for the individual and possibly should have for all of us. Today the need for mining is hardly being questioned any more but people are voicing their opinion as to what is a just price to be paid. The citizen of the Ruhr, for instance, no longer accepts that the specific environmental impacts caused by deep coal mining, which produces a commodity wanted by the entire nation, should be borne solely at the place where it is produced and by the people who happen to live there. He demands that such burdens are borne by everybody who enjoys the benefits. Clear political ideas must be developed and made know as to how much we value home-produced energy sources, what proportion of the resulting burdens the country is willing to bear and how they are to be distributed fairly. There are many methods and technical means by which the burdens of the mining and industrial regions can be minimised, by which damage can be repaired and derelict areas reclaimed. The application of such means must be safeguarded by early planning and sufficient finanacing so that the exploitation of one resource will not result in other resources being lost.     

Generating productive topsoil substitutes from hard rock overburden in the southern appalachians

Natural soils on steeply sloping landscapes in the Appalachian coal fields of Virginia. West Virginia. Kentucky, and Tennessee are often thin, rocky, acidic and infertile, making the topsoiling of surface mined sites impractical in many cases. Topsoil substitutes composed of blasted rock fragments are commonly used in this region. The proper selection and placement of designated topsoil substitutes is therefore critical to long term reclamation success. These mine soil surfaces are not in equilibrium and with the surface environment, and it is quite difficult to diferentiate among dissolution, adsorption, desorption and precipitation reactions as these surfaces weather with time. Severe compaction limits the productivity of many otherwise suitable topsoil substitutes. A minimum non-compacted thickness of 1 m is desirable to insure long run mine soil productivity for a variety of post-mining land uses. Significant changes in the physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties of mine soils occur within one year after placement. Mine soils high in silt content often form hard vesicular surface crusts, particularly when left unvegetated. The long term survival of plant communities on these mine soils is dependent upon mine soil organic matter accumulation and N and P cycling. Little is currently known about N and P dynamics in these mine soils, but P-fixation is a profound problem in high Fe^3- spoils. Revegetation practices that were designed to meet 2-year bond release requirements may not he sufficient to meet new 5-year release standards. Hard rock derived mine soils can often equal or exceed native topsoil in productivity and post mining land use potential.     

Watershed land use effects on lake water quality in Denmark

Mitigating nutrient losses from anthropogenic nonpoint sources is today of particular importance for improving the water quality of numerous freshwater lakes worldwide. Several empirical relationships between land use and in-lake water quality variables have been developed, but they are often weak, which can in part be attributed to lack of detailed information about land use activities or point sources. We examined a comprehensive data set comprising land use data, point-source information, and in-lake water quality for 414 Danish lakes. By excluding point-source-influenced lakes (n = 210), the strength in relationship (R2) between in-lake total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations and the proportion of agricultural land use in the watershed increased markedly, from 10-12% to 39-42% for deep lakes and from 10-12% to 21-23% for shallow lakes, with the highest increase for TN. Relationships between TP and agricultural land use were even stronger for lakes with rivers in their watershed (55%) compared to lakes without (28%), indicating that rivers mediate a stronger linkage between landscape activity and lake water quality by providing a "delivery" mechanism for excess nutrients in the watershed. When examining the effect of different near-freshwater land zones in contrast to the entire watershed, relationships generally improved with size of zone (25, 50, 100, 200, and 400 m from the edge of lake and streams) but were by far strongest using the entire watershed. The proportion of agricultural land use in the entire watershed was best in explaining lake water quality, both relative to estimated nutrient surplus at agricultural field level and near-lake land use, which somewhat contrasts typical strategies of management policies that mainly target agricultural nutrient applications and implementation of near-water buffer zones. This study suggests that transport mechanisms within the whole catchment are important for the nutrient export to lakes. Hence, the whole watershed should be considered when managing nutrient loadings to lakes, and future policies should ideally target measures that reduce the proportion of cultivated land in the watershed to successfully improve lake water quality.     

Exceptionally high concentrations of the insect repellent N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) in surface waters from Jakarta,Indonesia

Jakarta is a booming coastal megacity in Indonesia with over 10 million inhabitants. The rivers flowing through the city district receive enormous amounts of untreated wastewaters from households and industries and discharge high pollutant loads into Jakarta Bay. Applying a screening approach for the identification of characteristic site-specific and harmful organic contaminants, we frequently found the insect repellent N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) in river water and seawater samples from Jakarta. The compound was previously reported as persistent aquatic contaminant in industrial countries, and we present here the first data set from a tropical megacity. Concentrations in river water and seawater from Jakarta were exceptionally high, up to 24,000 ng L^?1, and exceeded by far all published concentrations in surface waters worldwide. We explained this with massive usage of the compound, lack of wastewater treatment and low average river flow as compared to rivers in other tropical megacities. The usage and properties of DEET indicate its suitability as molecular marker of municipal wastewaters. Such markers are useful to trace emissions from specific pollution sources in aquatic systems as a basis for the investigation of related impacts. We show here that DEET is in particular useful to trace the long-range distribution of municipal wastewaters in tropical freshwater and coastal systems. This application is of great value for tracing such inputs in tropical coastal habitats which are sensitive to changing water quality like coral reefs. This assists to uncover whether specific conditions in these systems could be related to pollutant inputs from land.     

Evaluation procedures for restored land

Release of land for mineral extraction is often dependent on the quality of the restoration which can be achieved. It follows, therefore, that some means of judging the success of restoration is required, especially where restoration is an agricultural after use.In order to assess whether land has been well restored it is therefore necessary to know what the physical characteristics of the land were before mineral extraction took place, what changes are likely to have occurred to the land and soil as a result of mineral extraction, and lastly whether the physical characteristics of the land are as good as when the land was last used for agriculture. Most permissions however, were granted before there was a requirement to record pre-site conditions so it is impossible to know what the site was like when it was last used for agriculture. Furthermore, this paper will argue that land quality is only one factor which should be considered in assessing the quality of restored land, other factors for example, visual integration, farm management must also be taken into consideration. This paper will outline the existing evaluation procedures used by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food and Minerals Planners and suggest developing an evaluation procedure which considers various dimensions of restored land namely soil and land quality, visual integration and the management and productivity of restored land. This evaluation procedure has been applied to seventeen study sites of sand and gravel pits. The paper will indicate whether the evaluation procedure successfully classified these sites or not.     

Density and composition of heterotrophic bacterial populations in North Sea sediments

The bacteria from 119 sediment samples collected off the Belgian and Dutch North Sea coast were enumerated on marine agar. Geographical and seasonal variations were observed. The colony formers were mainly obligate aerobes. Coliform organisms were relatively rare. An exhaustive analysis of a few samples revealed a great number of species belonging to different taxonomic groups. A survey of physiological and biochemical characteristics of 71 isolates is presented.     

Resin embedments of quantitative meiofauna samples for ecological and structural studies — Description and application

In enumerating data for systematic and ecological studies on meiofauna, an unfortunate diversification exists in the methods used for observation, identification, preservation and curatorial treatment of various taxa. The application of transmission electron microscopy resin embedment techniques to whole, quantitative, extracted meiofauna samples is described here as a new method, which overcomes most of these problems. Slide-shaped resin blocks are produced by this method; they contain the mass-embedded meiofauna on one side and sand from the sample site on the other side; the latter can be used in studying sand-grain epigrowth of Protista, Fungi and Monera. Examples for the applicability of these slides to various meiobenthic studies are given for most taxa, but especially for Turbellaria, Annelida and Mystacocarida. Using this resin-slide technique, whole quantitative transects can be deposited as “ecotype material” in museums.     

Evaluating the eco-environment benefit of land reclamation in the dump of an opencast coal mine

Land reclamation significantly affects the ecological and environmental conditions of mining areas. However, quantifying the exact effects is difficult because of the lack of reliable data. The estimation of eco-environment benefit contributes to clarify the ecological and environmental changes caused by land reclamation and to provide useful information for policy-makers concerned with sustainable development. The aim of this study is to investigate variations in eco-environment benefit in response to land use changes during land reclamation. The West dump, one of the earliest regions to implement ecological restoration in Liaoning Province, is selected as the study area. The widely used methods for eco-environment benefits based on the land use change were proposed and applied to the West dump in 2004, 2009, and 2014. The total eco-environment benefits in study areas were 0.98 million dollars in 2004, 1.39 million dollars in 2009, and 1.43 million dollars in 2014, with an increase of 0.41 million dollars from 2004 to 2009 mainly because of the increasing areas of artificial woodland and reclaimed cropland. The combined eco-environment benefits of artificial woodland, improved grassland, and reclaimed cropland were over 90% of the total benefits. Soil formation and protection, biodiversity protection, and gas regulation were the top three functions with high eco-environment benefits, contributing about half of the total eco-environment benefits. The results suggest that future studies estimating eco-environment benefits should pay more attention to ecosystems in fragile ecological regions where various human interferences happen frequently. All of the abovementioned results made the techniques of estimation of the eco-environment benefit of land reclamation are more meaningful in guiding the future exploitation and reclamation of mining areas.     

The nature and significance of public exposure to arsenic: a review of its relevance to South West England

In South West England, more than two hundred years of intensive exploitation of metalliferous ore deposits, combined with the natural processes of pedogenesis from mineral-rich parent rocks, has resulted in the creation of a aignificant area of arsenic-contaminated wastes and soils. The scale of arsenic dispersion by natural and anthropogenic processes is such that 722 km² of land contains concentrations of arsenic in excess of 110 g g^–1, more than twice the maximum that might be expected in a normal soil.The general rationale for the clean-up of derelict and contaminated mining sites often includes aesthetic factors and the desirability of preventing the dispersion of contaminants beyond the site boundaries. Only in extreme cases is public health directly invoked as justification for remediation. In South West England, if arsenic constitutes a genuine threat to the public, an increased rate of site remediation would be justified. The primary purpose of this review is to establish whether or not widespread arsenic contamination (principally of soils) has any measurable effects on public health in South West England, and how this might affect current contaminated site remediation policy. The review is based on data from previous research in the region, and other relevant international studies of mining and smelting communities, and other populations exposed to elevated arsenic concentrations. The literature reviewed also includes the determination of the extent and sources of contamination, and pathways between source and man.While the contamination of potable waters in some countries has led to measurable health effects, this scenario has not yet been identified in South West England, and there is little reason to believe that significantly contaminated potable water supplies would escape detection for extended periods of time under the current monitoring regime.In relative terms (based on both globaland local data), one of the most significant links between contaminated soils and humans appears to be contaminated food stuffs. In absolute terms, such exposure is low due to the natural constraints on arsenic uptake by herbage, cereal crops and vegetables, and the food chain does not appear to have been significantly compromised in South West England. Chronic health effects are unlikely as excessive arsenic concentrations in locally grown food crops remain rare.With the problems of confounding medical and social factors, it is not surprising that studies in South West England have failed to identify chronic exposure to arsenic at very low concentrations as a significant health risk. Those studies that indicate otherwise do not stand up to close scrutiny. It appears that the number of additional deaths arising from the widespread arsenic contamination in South West England is small. The relative benefits of a costly statistical study to actually determine the number of additional deaths might be considered minimal, but one major area could benefit from further studies: the sensitivity of certain population sub-groups to environmental arsenic exposure. Of particular interest are children, for whom significant exposure to arsenic via soil ingestion may be occurring.Based on available information, there appears to be no justification for a large programme of site remediation. Resources should, however, be expended on enlightening the general public, and private and governmental organisations as regards the gap between the perceived and actual significance of arsenic contamination in South West England.To whom correspondence should be addressed.     

The presence of riboflavin and two pterins in ascidians (Tunicata) and their excretion into sea water

Individuals belonging to 6 species of ascidians were kept in experimental vessels filled with filtered sea water, for a defined period. Pterins and flavins were identified in the bodies of each species and in the ambient sea water by the method of Momzikoff (1974). The possible causes of the recorded variations in composition are discussed; these differences seem related to the ordinal position of the species. Numerous unidentified substances are excreted together with pterins (2-amino-4-hydroxypteridine and isoxanthopterin) and riboflavin into the surrounding medium. Ascidians may be the source of a significant quantity of these substances in the sea.     

稀土矿开采对土地资源的影响及植被恢复

对广东省平远县稀土矿开采对土地资源的影响进行了初步的调查和分析。同时在已进行的植被恢复措施的基础上,对其效应作了初步的分析,评价了恢复措施对水土流失和土壤理化性质的影响,并据此提出了比较适合的植被恢复措施。     

The trophic role of glycolic acid in coastal seawater. I. Heterotrophic metabolism in seawater and bacterial cultures

Glycolic acid, a known algal excretory product, represents a potentially important energy source for heterotrophic bacteria in marine waters. Measurements of heterotrophic uptake and mineralization by the natural microbes in the plankton indicate quantitative use of glycolic acid comparable to other common microbial substrates. This activity shows vertical and horizontal variations that correlate in a general way with primary productivity. Glycolic acid appears to be present at higher concentrations than other low molecular weight substrates, and it also shows a lower rate of turnover. It is mineralized (respired) to a greater extent than other recorded substrates, an average of 70% of total uptake. Two-thirds of a total of 141 colonies of bacteria cultured from seawater on marine agar proved capable oftaking up and respiring glycolic acid. These same bacteria, however, were unable to utilize glycolic acid for growth when it was the sole carbon source. Glycolate may therefore occur at higher concentrations and show erratic fluctuations in natural waters because microbial use is not tied to glycolate production but to the presence of other substrates. The fact that so many bacteria are able to metabolize it indicates a possibly important trophic role as an energy source. It is suggested that glycolic acid may be a major source of energy for active transport of other substrates by marine bacteria.     

Trace-element speciation and partitioning in environmental geochemistry and health

Establishment of the chemical form and associations of trace elements is important in the scientific and medical fields related to environmental geochemistry and health. Fundamental understanding of trace-element behaviour, the realistic formulation of historical perspectives of trace-element contamination, an assessment of environmental transformation processes and a thorough appraisal of environment-related ill health and disease all depend on knowledge of the chemical speciation and partitioning of trace elements. These topics and the development of analytical speciation techniques and procedures are discussed with reference to trace-element studies in the Department of Forensic Medicine and Science, University of Glasgow, on lacustrine sediments and water, the atmosphere, soil and street dirt of an urban environment and human biological fluids.     

Assessing the shelf life of cost‐efficient conservation plans for species at risk across gradients of agricultural land use

High costs of land in agricultural regions warrant spatial prioritization approaches to conservation that explicitly consider land prices to produce protected‐area networks that accomplish targets efficiently. However, land‐use changes in such regions and delays between plan design and implementation may render optimized plans obsolete before implementation occurs. To measure the shelf life of cost‐efficient conservation plans, we simulated a land‐acquisition and restoration initiative aimed at conserving species at risk in Canada's farmlands. We accounted for observed changes in land‐acquisition costs and in agricultural intensity based on censuses of agriculture taken from 1986 to 2011. For each year of data, we mapped costs and areas of conservation priority designated using Marxan. We compared plans to test for changes through time in the arrangement of high‐priority sites and in the total cost of each plan. For acquisition costs, we measured the savings from accounting for prices during site selection. Land‐acquisition costs and land‐use intensity generally rose over time independent of inflation (24–78%), although rates of change were heterogeneous through space and decreased in some areas. Accounting for spatial variation in land price lowered the cost of conservation plans by 1.73–13.9%, decreased the range of costs by 19–82%, and created unique solutions from which to choose. Despite the rise in plan costs over time, the high conservation priority of particular areas remained consistent. Delaying conservation in these critical areas may compromise what optimized conservation plans can achieve. In the case of Canadian farmland, rapid conservation action is cost‐effective, even with moderate levels of uncertainty in how to implement restoration goals.     

Dimethyl disulfide and dimethyl trisulfide: so similar yet so different in evoking biological responses in saprophilous flies

Dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) and dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS) are used by saprophilous insects to locate breeding sites (decaying organic matter), and by brood-site deceptive flowers to attract such insects. However, little is known about the relative importance of these two compounds in eliciting electrophysiological and behavioral responses in the insects. Here, we compared the relative attractiveness of DMDS and DMTS to saprophilous flies in field choice experiments and tested whether potential differences in field responses can be explained by differences in electrophysiological antennal responses to these compounds. Field experiments revealed that the attractiveness of a mixture of these compounds is due to DMTS alone. This result was confirmed by electroantennographic recordings in which flies of four tested species of Calliphoridae (Lucilia sericata, L. caesar, Calliphora vicina, Protocalliphora azurea) and one Muscidae (Musca domestica) respond clearly to DMTS, but not to DMDS. In house flies, however, DMTS elicited electrophysiological responses only, not reflected in behavioral assays. Despite the fact that DMTS and DMDS exhibit similar chemical structures, both the electroantennographic and field responses from saprophilous flies to these two compounds strongly differed. Our study suggests that oligosulfide-responsive saprophilous flies rely on DMTS and not DMDS for finding appropriate breeding sites and that DMTS and not DMDS could act as a key mediator for pollinator attraction in brood-site deceptive plants.     

Growth and form in the reef-building coral Montastrea annularis

The in-situ growth rate of the reef coral Montastrea annularis on a reef at Jamaica, W. Indies was determined for a 1-year period using Alizarin Red-S staining techniques. Growth rate is correlated with water depth and growth form. The flattened growth form of M. annularis allows for continued rapid increase in colony surface area at low light intensities. The geomorphology of Jamaican reefs may in part be controlled by the population ecology of M. annularis.