ORCID Profile
0000-0002-5076-7205
Current Organisation
Centro de Investigacion en Matemáticas
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Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 17-11-2022
Abstract: Mining has been a major contributor to economic development in Australia since British arrival in the late 1700s, with little to no thought regarding the long-term environmental consequences. This study assesses the metal pollution legacy caused by different smelting methods and mining activities during the British colonialism in western Tasmania. This region was the largest copper producer in the Southern Hemisphere during the 20th century. Lake sediments from Basin Lake and Owen Tarn, 12 and 5 km from Queenstown’s mines, respectively, were used to reconstruct historical metal contamination. Temporal changes in metal concentrations (iron, copper, arsenic, selenium and lead) were assessed in relation to the scale of mining activities and the technologies used. Sedimentation rates and metal influxes increased from 1900, reflecting the beginning of copper mining in Mount Lyell. Observed metal concentrations peaked after 1930, coinciding with the introduction of large-scale open-cut operations and an expansion of the mining machinery used. All elements underwent at least minor enrichment (EF 1-3) during the lifespan of the mine, with lead and copper undergoing extremely severe enrichment (EF 50). Although smelters contributed to metal increases in the lakes, large open-cut large operations in the 1930s contributed most to metal contamination. Local metal deposition from mining-related activities decreased significantly once operations decreased, with selenium and arsenic decreasing nearly to background levels within 50 years. Lead and copper, the elements which underwent major enrichment, have not yet reached background values. The ecological consequences include the current degraded local landscape, poor water quality and disrupted local biota. Knowledge about the environmental impacts of mining in western Tasmania is less known compared to other sites around the world with a similar history. Our results demonstrate the urgent need to develop better policies and remediation programs that can mitigate the consequences of metal pollution from abandoned mines in Australia.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-10-2020
DOI: 10.1002/LDR.3749
Abstract: Mountain ecosystems are sensitive to environmental changes and are affected by direct and indirect anthropogenic activities. This study sought to understand the impacts of human occupation, environmental and climate change on the Great Hinggan Mountains (GHM) in Northeastern China. The last 200 years of environmental changes are reconstructed by analyzing sediment cores from five small mountain lakes. Cores were dated using 210 Pb and 137 Cs radioisotopes, microscopic charcoal identified regional fire activity and fossil pollen analysis reconstructed temporal and spatial changes in vegetation. Peaks in 137 Cs, 226 Ra and microscopic charcoal flux were found to follow similar trends between sites. The radioisotope records reflect redistribution processes, such as erosion and fire events, which overwhelm the atmospheric fallout signal in the GHM. Microscopic charcoal increased from 1950 CE and peaked at all sites after 2000 CE suggesting that current fire management, coupled with a warmer climate due to global warming, may be leading to more wildfire events in the region. Pinus , Quercus and Betula declined at all sites as human occupation occurred in the early 1900s. Initially, open forest and grassland expanded in response to overexploitation of forests, followed by arboreal pollen reaching maximum values after 2000 CE. This study concludes that the present‐day mixed coniferous broad‐leaved forest dominating the southern region of the GHM is a product of changing fire activity, excessive logging and, more recently, forestry management and vegetation regeneration. Results suggest further management strategies are needed to address land degradation and wildfire events in mountain regions of Northeastern China.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2020
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: Mexico
No related grants have been discovered for Marco Antonio Aquino-Lopez.