Freshwater ecosystem services in mining regions : modelling options for policy development support

The ecosystem services (ES) approach offers an integrated perspective of social-ecological systems, suitable for holistic assessments of mining impacts. Yet for ES models to be policy-relevant, methodological consensus in mining contexts is needed. We review articles assessing ES in mining areas focusing on freshwater components and policy support potential. Twenty-six articles were analysed concerning (i) methodological complexity (data types, number of parameters, processes and ecosystem-human integration level) and (ii) potential applicability for policy development (communication of uncertainties, scenario simulation, stakeholder participation and management recommendations). Articles illustrate mining impacts on ES through valuation exercises mostly. However, the lack of ground-and surface-water measurements, as well as insufficient representation of the connectivity among soil, water and humans, leave room for improvements. Inclusion of mining-specific environmental stressors models, increasing resolution of topographies, determination of baseline ES patterns and inclusion of multi-stakeholder perspectives are advantageous for policy support. We argue that achieving more holistic assessments exhorts practitioners to aim for high social-ecological connectivity using mechanistic models where possible and using inductive methods only where necessary. Due to data constraints, cause-effect networks might be the most feasible and best solution. Thus, a policy-oriented framework is proposed, in which data science is directed to environmental modelling for analysis of mining impacts on water ES

Gap Filling Based On A Quantile Perturbation Factor Technique

The presence of hydro-meteorological series gaps is a common problem in hydrological and water engineering applications. This is also the case for the Ecuadorian hydrological data-series, showing many gaps of short term duration. This study focuses on the Paute River Basin, in the Southern Ecuadorian Andes. It is one of the most monitored basins in Ecuador, with 25 rainfall observed sites during the period 1963 - 1990. These series suffer of about 20% of missing data. Two techniques were evaluated comparing their efficiency in the filling of missing gaps. The first one is a traditional one based on multiple linear regressions based on logarithmic transformations converting the data to normalized standard variables. The second one is a newly proposed technique based on quantile perturbation factors, following four steps: i. Identification of the station with the highest monthly correlation; ii. selection and ranking of the stations for which the correlation is significant; iii. gap filling based on the stations with the highest significant correlation by linear regressions; and iv. the application of a quantile based correction factor to each filled value (depending on its empirical exceedance probability). For their evaluation, three uninterrupted daily rainfall series were selected. Data values were removed from these series in a random way, simulating about 20% of missing data. The two filling techniques were applied and results inter-compared by means of different statistical criteria. Results indicate that the proposed technique is an efficient method for filling missing gaps. It shows a higher performance for extreme rainfall intensities (high/low intensities). The traditional regression based gap filling method has the disadvantage that it averages out the intensities; hence causes biases in the upper and lower tail of the frequency distribution of the individual values. One disadvantage of the proposed method is the double counting of high/low extremes events

Assessing the freshwater quality of a large-scale mining watershed : the need for integrated approaches

Water quality assessments provide essential information for protecting aquatic habitats and stakeholders downstream of mining sites. Moreover, mining companies must comply with environmental quality standards and include public participation in water quality monitoring (WQM) practices. However, overarching challenges beyond corporate environmental responsibility are the scientific soundness, political relevance and harmonization of WQM practices. In this study, a mountainous watershed supporting large-scale gold mining in the headwaters, besides urban and agricultural landuses at lower altitudes, is assessed in the dry season. Conventional physicochemical and biological (Biological Monitoring Water Party-Colombia index) freshwater quality parameters were evaluated, including hydromorphological and land-use characteristics. According to the indicators used, water quality deterioration by mining was absent, in contrast to the effects of urban economic activities, hydromorphological alterations and (less important) agricultural pollutants. We argue that mining impacts are hardly captured due to the limited ecological knowledge of high-mountain freshwaters, including uncharacterized mining-specific bioindicators, environmental baselines and groundwater processes, as well as ecotoxicological and microbial freshwater quality components. Lessons for overcoming scientific and operational challenges are drawn from joint efforts among governments, academia and green economy competitiveness. Facing a rapid development of extractive industries, interinstitutional and multidisciplinary collaborations are urgently needed to implement more integrated freshwater quality indicators of complex mining impacts

Impact of agricultural management on soil aggregates and associated organic carbon fractions: analysis of long-term experiments in Europe

Inversion tillage is a commonly applied soil cultivation practice in Europe, which often has been blamed for deteriorating topsoil stability and organic carbon (OC) content. In this study, the potential to reverse these negative effects in the topsoil by alternative agricultural management practices are evaluated in seven long-term experiments (running from 8 to 54 years the moment of sampling) in five European countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy and UK). Topsoil samples (0–15 cm) were collected and analysed to evaluate the effects of conservation tillage (reduced and no tillage) and increased organic inputs of different origin (farmyard manure, compost, crop residues) combined with inversion tillage on topsoil stability, soil aggregates and, within these, OC distribution using wet sieving after slaking. Effects from the treatments on the two main components of organic matter, i.e. particulate (POM) and mineral associated (MAOM), were also evaluated using dispersion and size fractionation. Reduced and no-tillage practices, as well as the additions of manure or compost, increased the aggregates mean weight diameter (MWD) (up to 49 % at the Belgian study site) and topsoil OC (up to 51 % at the Belgian study site), as well as the OC corresponding to the different aggregate size fractions. The incorporation of crop residues had a positive impact on the MWD but a less profound effect both on total OC and on OC associated with the different aggregates. A negative relationship between the mass and the OC content of the microaggregates (53–250 µm) was identified in all experiments. There was no effect on the mass of the macroaggregates and the occluded microaggregates (mM) within these macroaggregates, while the corresponding OC contents increased with less tillage and more organic inputs. Inversion tillage led to less POM within the mM, whereas the different organic inputs did not affect it. In all experiments where the total POM increased, the total soil organic carbon (SOC) was also affected positively. We concluded that the negative effects of inversion tillage on topsoil can be mitigated by reducing the tillage intensity or adding organic materials, optimally combined with non-inversion tillage methods.</p

Soil-Improving Cropping Systems for Sustainable and Profitable Farming in Europe

Soils form the basis for agricultural production and other ecosystem services, and soil management should aim at improving their quality and resilience. Within the SoilCare project, the concept of soil-improving cropping systems (SICS) was developed as a holistic approach to facilitate the adoption of soil management that is sustainable and profitable. SICS selected with stakeholders were monitored and evaluated for environmental, sociocultural, and economic effects to determine profitability and sustainability. Monitoring results were upscaled to European level using modelling and Europe-wide data, and a mapping tool was developed to assist in selection of appropriate SICS across Europe. Furthermore, biophysical, sociocultural, economic, and policy reasons for (non)adoption were studied. Results at the plot/farm scale showed a small positive impact of SICS on environment and soil, no effect on sustainability, and small negative impacts on economic and sociocultural dimensions. Modelling showed that different SICS had different impacts across Europe-indicating the importance of understanding local dynamics in Europe-wide assessments. Work on adoption of SICS confirmed the role economic considerations play in the uptake of SICS, but also highlighted social factors such as trust. The project's results underlined the need for policies that support and enable a transition to more sustainable agricultural practices in a coherent way

Soil-Improving Cropping Systems for Sustainable and Profitable Farming in Europe

Soils form the basis for agricultural production and other ecosystem services, and soil management should aim at improving their quality and resilience. Within the SoilCare project, the concept of soil-improving cropping systems (SICS) was developed as a holistic approach to facilitate the adoption of soil management that is sustainable and profitable. SICS selected with stakeholders were monitored and evaluated for environmental, sociocultural, and economic effects to determine profitability and sustainability. Monitoring results were upscaled to European level using modelling and Europe-wide data, and a mapping tool was developed to assist in selection of appropriate SICS across Europe. Furthermore, biophysical, sociocultural, economic, and policy reasons for (non)adoption were studied. Results at the plot/farm scale showed a small positive impact of SICS on environment and soil, no effect on sustainability, and small negative impacts on economic and sociocultural dimensions. Modelling showed that different SICS had different impacts across Europe—indicating the importance of understanding local dynamics in Europe-wide assessments. Work on adoption of SICS confirmed the role economic considerations play in the uptake of SICS, but also highlighted social factors such as trust. The project’s results underlined the need for policies that support and enable a transition to more sustainable agricultural practices in a coherent way

Report on demonstration activities in the study sites

Executive summary The SoilCare project aims at developing soil improving cropping systems. At 16 study sites dispersed over Europe experiments have been implemented. These were selected in collaboration with the stakeholders (WP3) and based on a literature review (WP2). The methodology for monitoring the experiments was compiled by WP4. The results are being compiled by WP5. In addition, all study sites had to organize demonstration activities and field days of the selected cropping systems. The combined findings by the study sites are an important input for the upscaling by WP6, the policy analysis by WP7 and the dissemination by WP8. The demonstrations/field days for the stakeholders are an important tool for sharing experiences between the stakeholders and the researchers while inspecting and reflecting over the experiments in the field. A total of 31 demonstration events/field days took place in the 16 study sites over two years. Four out of the sixteen study sites organised three or more. Six out of the sixteen study sites organised two demonstration/field days and six organised one. In total, about 937 stakeholders attended the demonstration events. The average number of participants in the events was 30. The demonstration/field days are experienced by the stakeholders and researchers of the study sites as a very useful activity in combination with a more systematic consultation with the stakeholders. The specific feedback by each study site is given in a table and can be found in more detail in the reports by the study sites in appendix I. Several points were discussed in different degrees: the need for machinery, the incentives by subsidies, the selection of crops, rotations and cover crops, the erodibility and the soil structure/quality. Also many participants stressed the need for communication and information on soil improving cropping systems. A major general concern for all stakeholders was the economic performance of the cropping systems. Also, weed infestation and weed control management was also a recurring theme.status: Published onlin

Implications of municipal wastewater irrigation on soil health from a study in Bangladesh

This study evaluated soil health in fields of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv Shatabdi) and potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) irrigated by different blends of municipal wastewater (hereafter called wastewater). The crops were grown with and without added fertilizers over three consecutive years. The wastewater contained high concentrations of organic carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulphur (S), zinc (Zn) and boron (B). It also contained negligible concentrations of a few heavy metals. Irrigation by wastewater resulted in an increase in the porosity of the surface soil and thus a reduced bulk density. Wastewater enhanced the saturated hydraulic conductivity and water retention capacity of the soils. The organic carbon, total N, available P and S, and exchangeable Na, K, Ca and Mg of the soils increased proportionately with the quantity of applied wastewater. C, N and K increased significantly (α = 0.05) when fields were irrigated using raw wastewater after applied fertilizers; the other elements accumulated in the soil insignificantly under both fertility levels. Electrical conductivity (EC) and pH of the upper 0–20 and 20–40 cm soil layers increased with the application of wastewater; the increase was significant only under raw wastewater irrigation. In the 40–60 cm soil layer, both EC and pH remained unchanged. The applied inorganic fertilizers raised EC but reduced soil pH. The wastewater contained large counts of total coliform (TC: 17.2 × 106 cfu/100 mL) and faecal coliform (FC: 13.4 × 103 cfu/100 mL). Irrigation using municipal wastewater is proposed for improving soil fertility as well as for alleviating water scarcity with the exception of some crops whose edible parts come in direct contact with wastewater and/or are eaten uncooked.status: publishe

Seasonal rainfall patterns classification, relationship to ENSO and rainfall trends in Ecuador

Water is one of Ecuador’s most important natural resources, whose management should rely on good information and adequate models for the water balance. Although there are many studies focusing on rainfall and temperatures, most of them are localized for specific projects or study basins. The convergence of factors like its location in the Intertropical Convergence Zone, the Amazon River basin, the complex topography of the Andes, and being next to the Pacific Ocean impacted by the El Niño Southern Oscillation, modelling climate in Ecuador is a challenging task. The aim of this research was to classify seasonal rainfall patterns, using robust procedures to deal with missing values and outliers. The selected database contained 319 stations with monthly rainfall from 1982 to 2011. A hierarchical clustering technique applied to the proportion of monthly rainfall percentiles allowed identifying four clusters that, when compared to a digital elevation model, resulted geographically related to Sierra, Coast, Amazon and Coast Orographic Sierra (COS). Coast shows strong seasonality with the dry season from June to November, while COS presents a similar pattern with moderate seasonality, the Amazon exhibits mild to no seasonality and the Sierra with a moderate seasonality. Interestingly, the Amazon seasonality enters rather deep into the Sierra through large river valleys. Cumulative differential plots of the standardized deleted deviations of monthly rainfall aided detecting cluster dependent El Niño effects in rainfall for Coast and COS. Correlations of rainfall versus SST at El Niño regions were also cluster dependent, with low to no significant correlations for Amazon, higher correlations for Coast and COS and moderate correlations for Sierra. Monthly rainfall trends assessed by the non-parametric method of Sen’s slopes, showed overall decreasing trends for September andOctober rainfall and increasing from February to April, thus suggesting a strengthening of seasonality.status: publishe

Lateral inflow into the hyporheic zone tested by a laboratory model

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