Reclamation Efforts Research Articles

Water quality, nutrients, and stable isotopic signatures of particulates and vegetation in a mangrove ecosystem exposed to past anthropogenic perturbations

Water quality in mangrove estuaries within Caroni Swamp, Trinidad is impaired by a combination of recent increases in nitrogen loads and lingering effects of a series of reclamation efforts that reduced tidal exchanges and fostered low oxygen and high ammonium concentrations, conditions that are relatively unusual for estuaries. Concentrations of available nitrogen diminish down-estuary, with an overall within-estuary interception of about 25% of total dissolved nitrogen. Caroni Swamp remains a productive mangrove environment, and a tourist attraction, in spite of failed and continuing reclamation efforts and increased N loads, a demonstration of remarkable resilience. Developing ecosystem-based management to support that resilience will benefit from improved understanding of processes involved in nitrogen retention and losses, consideration of the consequences in intensifying land use on contributing watersheds and plans to ease tidal water exchanges and diminish extent of shallow and stagnant areas.

Excluded but not forgotten: Veterinary emergency care during emergencies and disasters.

Disasters or crises impact humans, pets, and service animals alike. Current preparation at the federal, state, and local level focuses on preserving human life. Hospitals, shelters, and other human care facilities generally make few to no provisions for companion care nor service animal care as part of their disaster management plan. Aban-doned animals have infectious disease, safety and psychologic impact on owners, rescue workers, and those involved in reclamation efforts. Animals working as first responder partners may be injured or exposed to biohazards and require care. English language literature available via PubMed as well as lay press publications on emergency care, veterinary care, disaster management, disasters, biohazards, infection, zoonosis, bond-centered care, prepared-ness, bioethics, and public health. No year restrictions were set. Human clinician skills share important overlaps with veterinary clinician skills; similar overlaps occur in medical and surgical emergency care. These commonalities offer the potential to craft-specific and disaster or crisis-deployable skills to care for humans, pets (dogs and cats), service animals (dogs and miniature horses) and first-responder partners (dogs) as part of national disaster healthcare preparedness. Such a platform could leverage the skills and resources of the existing US trauma system to underpin such a program.

피난지에서 미군기지까지, 평택에서의 이주와 정착

Examined in this article is the Pyeongtaek city of the Gyeonggi-do province. This area is where North Korean refugees settled down during the Korean war. It now houses the U.S. Army base, which was previously at Yongsan.BR Through the ‘Resettlement Project,’ the Korean government and the U.S. Aid organizations had refugees engage in reclamation projects in agricultural areas and settle down in those areas as well. There were similar cases other than Pyeongtaek throughout the country which resulted in the refugees’ successful settling. Yet in some cases ownership issues broke out over the newly secured agricultural lands, and Pyeongtaek was no exception. Due to the government’s mismanagement, refugees would enter reclamation efforts without having any information of the land’s original owner, only to face the owner later showing up and claiming ownership over the newly reclamated land.BR In Pyeongtaek, the Sejong University foundation in Seoul was the owner of the area in question. In a newly built village, all the refugees -who reclamated the land themselves- had to fight for half a century to protect their own rights. Yet on that very land, the U.S. base was decided to be relocated and established. The government and the university foundation decided to pay some compensation, and the refugee-turned-peasants had to move to another location.BR The history of this region tells us many things. First, it shows the local effects of the Korean War and U.S. military on Korean soil. Refugees who had to relocate to South Korea due to the war now had to move again because of a U.S. military base. Second, the Korean government urged the refugees to settle down and gave them permission for reclamation, but it did not even check first whether there would be any problem. Third, the refugees had a legal fight with a private school foundation for a long time, and the political democratization that exploded in 1987 also influenced such fight, yet they had to succumb to the cause of national security, as well as the needs of the state.

“The right to lead”: Navajo language, dis‐citizenship, and Diné presidential politics

AbstractThis article examines the 2014 Navajo Nation presidential primary election and language debate as a window into the politics of Navajo heritage language and identity. Using Facebook posts written in response to a videotaped hearing testing the fluency of one of the candidates that subsequently went viral, we analyse social citizenship and stigmatized language identities through the lens of critical Diné (Navajo) language consciousness. Focusing on generational differences between speaker groups that undergirded this debate, we analyse (a) the fluency test itself and (b) online and ethnographic responses to the fluency test. Using discourse analysis of Facebook posts of both heritage language and new Navajo speakers, we show how new speakers in particular express investment in their language and Diné cultural continuity and, through their emphasis on the heterogeneity of contemporary Diné communicative practices, offer an alternative template for ways to move forward in Diné language reclamation efforts.

REKLAMASI LAHAN KRITIS BEKAS PENAMBANGAN EMAS MENGGUNAKAN METODE BIOREMEDIASI DAN FITOREMEDIASI

Degraded land caused by gold mining activities in Central Kalimantan requires reclamation efforts, in order to restore of soil conditions, due to the damage of topsoil layer, lack of soil nutrients, and reduced of soil fertility. This research aim was to find an appropriate method of biological reclamation in ex gold mining area, by utilizing a combination of several types of microorganisms and mercury phytoremediator plants. The research is an experiment on a pilot scale at an ex gold mining site in Central Kalimantan. Bioremediation method has used a consortium of local isolates Klebsiella sp. and Pseudomonas sp., and the phytoremediation method was used Melastoma sp. and Cyperus sp. Dependent variables were soil mercury concentration and soil nutrients. The results showed the application of consortium microorganisms and mercury phytoremediator, were able to reduce soil mercury concentrations in averages 2.5 ppm, soil nutrient levels increased in averages 33%. These increased soil nutrients consist of potassium in averaged 73%, Mg in average 21%, Na in average 19.5%, and Fe in averaged 71%, when compared to controls. The application of consortium of microorganisms combined with mercury plant phytoremediator type Melastoma sp., able more to improve soil conditions in ex gold mining area compared to Cyperus sp.

Isolation of Iindigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) to support revegetation on the nickel post-mining land

The revegetation on the nickel post-mining area requires symbiotic associations with mycorrhizal fungi to support the plant growth because it faces major obstacles of harsh soil condition. The study was conducted to identify the AMF status on the nickel post-mining land and its association with pioneer plant roots. Soil and root sampling werewas collected on 4 type areas of nickel post-mining land i.e TR (top soil + revegetation), TNR (top soil + no revegetation), NTR (no top soil + revegetation) and NTNR (no top soil + no revegetation) to determine spore density, soil chemical properties and AMF colonization. The results showed that the nickel mining activities interfere in soil fertility and soil microbial population. It was denoted by lack available nutrient and low AMF diversity. Population of AMF only 7 – 83 spore per gram soil. Glomus or Acaulospora is dominating genus in each area. However, AMF occurrence is a vital to help the pioneer plants growth. It was proven by 163 species of pioneer plants that colonize nickel post-mining land associated with the AMF in their root system. Grass species have highest AMF colonization level. Therefore, inoculation of AMF indigenous isolate is needed as an intervention ion post-mining reclamation effort, so the possibility of symbiosis between plant roots and AMF becomes increasing. Eventually the development of natural plants will be accelerated to catalytic the natural succession process.

Wildlife usage indicates increased similarity between reclaimed upland habitat and mature boreal forest in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region of Alberta, Canada.

While there is no denying that oil sands development in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) has large impacts upon the habitat it disturbs, developers are legally required to return this land to “an equivalent land capability.” While still early in the process of reclamation, land undergoing reclamation offers an opportunity to study factors influencing reclamation success, as well as how reclaimed ecosystems function. As such, an Early Successional Wildlife Dynamics (ESWD) program was created to study how wildlife return to and use reclaimed upland boreal habitat in the AOSR. Wildlife data comprising 182 taxa of mammals, birds, and amphibians, collected between 2011 and 2017 and from five oil sands leases, were compared from multiple habitat types (burned [BRN], cleared [CLR], compensation lakes [COMP], logged [LOG], mature forest [MF], and reclaimed sites [REC]). Overall, similarity of wildlife communities in REC and MF plots varied greatly, even at 33 years since reclamation (31–62% with an average of 52%). However, an average community similarity of 52% so early in the successional process suggests that current reclamation efforts are progressing towards increased similarity compared to mature forest plots. Conversely, our data suggest that REC plots are recovering differently than plots impacted by natural (BRN) or other anthropogenic disturbances (LOG), which is likely due to differences associated with soil reconstruction and development on reclaimed plots. Regardless of the developmental trajectory of reclaimed habitats, progression towards increased wildlife community similarity at REC and MF plots is apparent in our data. While there is no expectation that reclaimed upland habitats will resemble or function identically to naturally occurring boreal forest, the degree of similarity observed in our study suggests that comparable ecological functionality is possible, increasing the probability that oil sands operators will be able to fulfill their regulatory requirements and duty to reclaim regarding wildlife and wildlife habitat.

Oilfield Reclamation Recovers Productivity but not Composition of Arthropod Herbivores and Predators.

Arthropods are key components of grassland ecosystems. Though arthropod communities are often strongly influenced by plant communities, plants and arthropods may respond differently to disturbance. Studying plant responses alone may, therefore, not fully capture altered ecosystem dynamics; thus multi-trophic approaches are critical to fully understand ecosystem responses to disturbance. Energy development is a large-scale driver of disturbance in northern Great Plains rangelands, and recovery of arthropod communities following reclamation is not well understood. We sampled Orthoptera and spiders in western North Dakota, United States, in 2016. Samples were collected from 14 reclaimed oil well sites ('reclaims') 2-33 yr since reclamation, and native prairie at two distances (50 and 150 m) from reclaim edges. Overall Orthopteran and spider abundances on reclaims and native prairie did not differ; however, Orthopteran community composition and species abundances were distinct on reclaims versus native prairie, including increased abundances of Melanoplus femurrubrum (De Geer) (Orthoptera: Acrididae) (a noted crop pest) on reclaims. In contrast, NMS analyses revealed no differences in spider community composition between reclaims and native prairie, although abundances of one group (Salticidae) strongly decreased on reclaims. We present one of the first studies to investigate impacts of energy development and reclamation on arthropod communities. While reclamation efforts successfully recovered abundances and biomass of arthropod herbivores and predators, Orthopteran (but not spider) community composition on reclaims has not recovered to match that of intact prairie even 30 yr after reclamation. These findings suggest that energy development may have long-term or potentially irreversible impacts to rangeland arthropod communities.

Effects of reclamation effort on the recovery of ecosystem functions of a tropical degraded serpentinite dump site

Surface mining or other disturbing operations on ultramafic outcrops degrade soil conditions and decrease major ecosystem functions in those habitats. Human disturbances exacerbate the harsh conditions of some ultramafic soils, making recovery more difficult. Recovery of ecosystem functions of disturbed areas may vary from passive to active reclamation measures, depending on the starting situation, available resources and expected outcomes. In this study, three treatments (topsoil application, topsoil + non-compacted, and topsoil + non-compacted + organic amendment), representing a gradient of increasing reclamation effort, were tested for the reclamation of a tropical ultramafic Spolic Technosol in Sabah (Malaysia). Soil treatments were tested at the mesocosm-scale for 12 months, and drainage water fluxes, evolution of soil physicochemical parameters, soil microbial activities and spontaneous plant colonisation, diversity and growth were monitored along the duration of the experiment. The results show that application of topsoil improved the plant biomass and water filtration functions in the non-reclaimed sites, with no additional benefit from lesser compaction. The most intensive treatment (topsoil + non-compacted + organic amendment) gave the best improvements in nutrient cycling and biomass production functions, but with a reduction of water filtration function, due to an increase in soluble concentrations and cumulative fluxes of nickel. Introduced species were dominant in the vegetation colonising the mesocosms, and therefore planting of selected native species will be necessary to create habitats for native biodiversity. This information will be useful to select a strategy for the recovery of degraded tropical serpentinite quarries and dump sites.

Local residents’ views of surface mining: Perceived impacts, subjective well-being, and support for regulations in southern Appalachia

Growing public demand for cleaner technologies and alternative energy sources has challenged the sustainability of traditional industries like coal mining. Public support for mining in rural communities may depend partly on how local residents perceive its impacts on their well-being. Nonetheless, community perceptions of and attitudes toward mining have received limited empirical attention. This study surveyed long-term residents of predominantly mining counties in eastern Kentucky to assess how residents perceive environmental change and subjective well-being relative to mining activities and how the perceived impacts of mining and their confidence in reclamation influence their support for public policies regulating surface mining. While residents noted some changes in natural environment conditions over the years, mining operations were not perceived as responsible factor for those changes. We also found that surface mining currently enjoys overwhelming public support, mainly because local residents view mining as part of their community identity and are skeptical about environmental concerns relative to the benefit mining brings. Occupation in mining, perceived past impact, and future risk were all negatively related to subjective well-being. Support for regulations to stop surface mining in the region was significantly impacted by perceived risks and benefits, confidence in reclamation efforts, attitudes toward the mining industry, and trust in local institutions. Considering the ongoing policy debates surrounding cleaner technology and concerns for economic growth in rural areas, this study provides insights on community perception and acceptability of surface mining that will inform policy making and regional development planning in southern Appalachia and similar regions.

Interactions Between Regional Climate, Surficial Geology, and Topography: Characterizing Shallow Groundwater Systems in Subhumid, Low‐Relief Landscapes

AbstractThe Boreal Plains region of Canada is characterized by low relief, heterogeneous glacial landforms, and a subhumid climate, which result in complex and spatially variable groundwater‐surface water interactions. We test the influence of, and interactions between, short‐term climate variations, glacial deposit types, and topography on water table position and groundwater flow in a region with a subhumid long‐term climate. To do so, we evaluated water table positions, vertical hydraulic gradients, geochemistry, and stable water isotope signatures over a 19‐year period (including wet and dry climate states) along a 70‐km transect. The transect spans topographic positions on three hydrological response areas that comprise the major glacial depositional types typical of the Boreal Plains. High spatiotemporal variability of water table fluctuations and responses to climate signals illustrate the strong spatially variable controls that surficial geology, climate, and topography exert over scales of groundwater flow within and between glacial landforms across the Boreal Plains. Water tables were determined to be recharge controlled in the hummocky moraine and coarse outwash and topography controlled in the clay plain. Chemoscapes and isoscapes help delineate areas with characteristic water storage and transmission properties, which in turn control scales of groundwater flow and hydrologic responses to climate. Understanding the natural spatial and temporal variability of, and controls on, water table position, groundwater movement, and water quality under varying physical and climatic scenarios is important, as water security, ecosystem sustainability, and environmental quality become the focus of land management and reclamation efforts.

Influence of High Voltage Gradients on Electrokinetic Dewatering for Wenzhou Clay Slurry Improvement

Laboratory experiments were conducted to examine the feasibility and determine the optimal voltage gradient of electrokinetic consolidation of Wenzhou clay slurry with a small amount of fine sand. During the process of electrokinetic dewatering using high voltage gradients of 0.5-1.25 V/cm, the current, temperature, drainage, evaporated water, and electrolytic water were monitored in real-time. The results showed that a steady current was achieved under relatively lower voltage gradients (0.5 V/cm), while higher voltage gradients (1 V/cm) reduced the drainage time. Voltage gradients greater than 1.0 V/cm had no significant effect on the drainage rate. A greater reduction in temperature was achieved under higher voltage gradients than using lower voltage gradients, and the evaporated water and electrolytic water increased with increasing voltage gradient. Taken together, the results of this study can be used to optimize engineering practices during land reclamation efforts.

Quantifying land use/land cover change and its potential impact on rice production in the Northern Nile Delta, Egypt

Land use/land cover (LULC) and their changes are critically required for any sustainable development policies. In this research, the changes in LULC in Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, northern Nile Delta, Egypt, were investigated. The LULC distribution over four different dates; 1972, 1984, 2003, and 2016 were carried out based on supervised procedure using maximum likelihood classifier (MLC). Ten LULC classes were distinguished based on this procedure; agricultural land, fallow, urban or built-up land, lake, Nile, fish farm, natural vegetation, wet sabkha, dry sabkha, and sand sheet. Three post classification tools (majority analysis, clump classes, and sieve classes) were used to enhance the classified image and obtained more accurate thematic maps. For accuracy assessment, the confusion matrix was achieved. Post-classification change detection technique was employed as it is commonly implemented for detecting both nature and rate of changes at the assigned location. The results indicated that the dry sabkha significantly decreased from 16.5% to 2% between 1972 and 2016, respectively. Between 1972 and 2003 the agricultural land increased by around 10% due to the reclamation efforts, simultaneously, the urban area increased from 5% to 9%. In 1972, the fish farms did not exist, between 1983 and 2016 the fish farm increased from 4% to 11%, respectively. The Burullus Lake has significantly altered during the assigned dates since its area decreased from around 480 km2 in 1972 to 222 km2 by 2016. The overall accuracy of resulted thematic maps were over 90%. Due to the loss in agriculture land for built-up land, there could be economic risks that affect the rice cultivation and production in this area. The results indicated that as the total loss increase as the time increase, the economic analysis reveals that the total loss in 2016 was 78,750 feddan (feddan=4200 m2) which is equal to 164,823,750 L.E. if it used in rice production. The findings of this research can help the decision makers for better management plans.

Post-reclamation Age Effects on Soil Physical Properties and Microbial Activity Under Forest and Pasture Ecosystems

ABSTRACTDuring surface mining and subsequent reclamation efforts, physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils are disturbed. A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of age chronosequence on soil physical property and microbial activity in chronosequence reclaimed sites covering successional ages in the ranges 1, 4, 8, 11, and 13 years under forest and pasture ecosystems. The adjacent normal and unmined pasture and forest were used as a control for comparison purposes. The study site was located at the Red Hill Mine in east central Mississippi (approximately 33.3 N latitude and 89 W longitude), which is used by the North America Mining Company, LLC. Soil samples were collected from the reclaimed and unmined sites at 0–15- and 15–30-cm depth and analyzed for selected soil quality indicators. Results indicated that water stable aggregate and infiltration were increased, but soil bulk density and compaction decreased with increasing reclamation age. Soil penetration resistance was greater in the pasture than forest ecosystem. All reclaimed soils had less microbial enzyme activity than an unmined forest ecosystem; however, bacteria population level after 11 years since reclamation was similar to that of unmined forest soils. Soil organic carbon increased with increasing reclamation age strongly correlated with soil physical indicators and appears to be the main driving force during the development of soil physical and biological properties in the humid southeast.

Modeling Urban Encroachment on the Agricultural Land of the Eastern Nile Delta Using Remote Sensing and a GIS-Based Markov Chain Model

Historically, the Nile Delta has played an integral part in Egyptian civilization, as its fertile soils have been cultivated for centuries. The region offers a lush oasis among the expansive arid climate of Northern Africa; however, in recent decades, many anthropogenic changes to the environment have jeopardized Egypt’s agricultural productivity. Political instability and lack of sufficient regulations regarding urban growth and encroachment have put agricultural land in the area at risk. Advanced geospatial techniques were used to assess the rate at which urban areas are increasing within the region. A hybrid classification of Landsat satellite imagery for the eastern sector of the Nile Delta, between the years 1988 and 2017, was conducted to map major land-use and land-cover (LULC) classes. The statistical change analysis revealed that urban areas increased by 222.5% over the study period (29 years). Results indicated that urban areas are encroaching mainly on established agricultural lands within the Nile Delta. Most of the change has occurred within the past nine years, where approximately 235.60 km2 of the cultivated lands were transitioned to urban. Nonetheless, at the eastern delta flank, which is bordered by desert, analysis indicated that agricultural lands have experienced a considerable growth throughout the study period due to a major desert reclamation effort. Areas most at risk from future urban expansion were identified. A simulation of future urban expansion, using a Markov Chain algorithm, indicated that the extent to which urban area is simulated to grow in the region is 16.67% (277.3 km2) and 37.82% (843 km2) by the year 2026, and 2050, respectively. The methods used in this study are useful in assessing the rate of urban encroachment on agricultural lands and can be applied to similar at-risk areas in the regions if appropriate site-specific modifications are considered.

Insect diversity in post-mining areas: Investigating their potential role as bioindicator of reclamation success

Buchori D, Rizali A, Rahayu GA, Mansur I. 2018. Insect diversity in post-mining areas: Investigating their potential role as bioindicator of reclamation success. Biodiversitas 19: 1696-1702. Reclamation can be a pivotal process to return an ecosystem to its condition prior to human disturbance, by recreating a landscape so that its structure and function closely resemble a natural community. Unfortunately, there is a lack of empirical data as to whether reclamation efforts successfully establish sustainable of the ecosystem or not. The objective of this research was to study insect diversity in post-mining areas and investigate their potential role as bioindicators of reclamation success. An ecological research was conducted in post-mining reclamation areas managed by PT. Berau Coal in Binungan, East Kalimantan. We selected sub-areas that had been subject to reclamation efforts for varying periods, ranging from 2 to 10 years, for observation. We also used an area of undisturbed natural forest as a comparison. Inside each of these subareas of different reclamation age, insects were sampled using pitfall traps and malaise traps along a 100-meter transect. Our results showed that insect diversity differed in areas of different reclamation age. Based on CCA revealed that environmental factors i.e. pioneer tree age, vegetation diversity and soil chemistry (N total) affected the diversity of insects in the reclamation area. In particular, NMDS analysis showed different species composition in ant communities found in subareas of varying reclamation age. We conclude that ants are the most useful potential bioindicator to assess reclamation success in post-mining areas.

Seismic lines in the boreal and arctic ecosystems of North America: environmental impacts, challenges, and opportunities

The oil and gas industry has grown significantly throughout the boreal and arctic ecosystems of North America. A major feature of the ecological footprint of oil and gas exploration is seismic lines—narrow corridors used to transport and deploy geophysical survey equipment. These lines, which traverse forests, tundra, uplands, and peatlands, were historically up to 10 m wide. Over the past decade, seismic lines have decreased in width (in some cases down to 1.75–3 m); however, their density has increased drastically and their construction is expected to continue in regions of Canada and the United States that are rich in oil and gas resources. We examine the literature related to the environmental impacts of, and restoration and reclamation efforts associated with, seismic lines in the boreal and arctic ecosystems of North America. With respect to conventional seismic lines, numerous studies report significant and persistent environmental changes along these lines and slow recovery of vegetation that translates into a lasting fragmentation of the landscape. This fragmentation has many ramifications for biodiversity and ecosystem processes, including significant implications for threatened woodland caribou herds. While modern, low-impact seismic lines have comparatively lower ecological effects at the site-level, their high density and associated potential edge effects suggest that their actual environmental impact may be underestimated. Seismic line restoration is a critical aspect of future integrated landscape management in hydrocarbon-rich regions of the boreal-arctic, and if widely applied, has the potential to benefit a wide range of species and maintain or re-establish key ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and biodiversity.

Capillary barriers improve reclamation in drastically disturbed semiarid shrubland

ABSTRACTSoils in arid climates affected by drastic disturbance do not recover without reclamation efforts, and saline-sodic conditions caused by development activities are especially problematic. To improve reclamation success, we created seeded depressions that held three types of sand capillary barriers in October 2013. Sand was placed above (mulch), below (capillary barrier), and encompassing (dual barrier) seeded native soil at ridge and depression sites near Wamsutter, WY, representative of natural gas extraction areas. We compared grass growth, salinity, and moisture among the treatments and under depressions without sand amendments (pit) and plots seeded by standard procedures (control). At the ridge site, the mulch treatment supported 249 stems m−2 in the seeded patches surviving to August 2014, compared with 110 and 89 stems m−2 in the pit and lower barrier treatments, respectively, less than 50 stems m−2 in the dual barrier treatments, and none in the control. The dual barrier and mulch treatments performed best at the depression site, with 40–50 stems m−2 in August compared with none in the other three treatments. Changes in soil moisture and salinity were variable, but indicate positive effects of capillary barriers. Capillary barriers led to reductions or smaller increases in salinity than in treatments without a capillary barrier. While mulch treatments effectively increased grass growth at both sites, the dual barriers only showed positive impact at the depression site, possibly due to adequate moisture. Sand is readily available in many regions, and scaling up from test plots may be achieved with existing equipment.

Novel insights into freshwater hydrocarbon-rich sediments using metatranscriptomics: Opening the black box

Baseline biogeochemical surveys of natural environments is an often overlooked field of environmental studies. Too often research begins once contamination has occurred, with a knowledge gap as to how the affected area behaved prior to outside (often anthropogenic) influences. These baseline characterizations can provide insight into proposed bioremediation strategies crucial in cleaning up chemical spill sites or heavily mined regions. Hence, this study was conducted to survey the in-situ microbial activity within freshwater hydrocarbon-rich environments cutting through the McMurray formation - the geologic strata constituting the oil sands. We are the first to report in-situ functional variations among these freshwater microbial ecosystems using metatranscriptomics, providing insight into the in-situ gene expression within these naturally hydrocarbon-rich sites. Key genes involved in energy metabolism (nitrogen, sulfur and methane) and hydrocarbon degradation, including transcripts relating to the observed expression of methane oxidation are reported. This information provides better linkages between hydrocarbon impacted environments, closing knowledge gaps for optimizing not only oil sands mine reclamation but also enhancing microbial reclamation strategies in various freshwater environments. These finding can also be applied to existing contaminated environments, in need of efficient reclamation efforts.

Spatial distribution patterns of illegal artisanal small scale gold mining (Galamsey) operations in Ghana: A focus on the Western Region

Recently, there have been efforts by stakeholders to monitor illegal mining (galamsey) activities, foster their formalization and reclaim the many abandoned wastelands in Ghana. However, limited information exists on the locations, abundance, scope and scale of galamsey types, which hinders the development of effective policy response.This study attempts to map and analyze the distribution patterns, abundance, activity statuses and the extents of nine (9) galamsey types within eleven (11) Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) of Ghana's Western Region. It explores the utility of field-based survey, using the Open Data Kit (ODK) system, ArcGIS and Google Earth Imagery to map and visualize different galamsey types under a hostile working environment. A total of 911 galamsey sightings, of which 547 were found in clusters (corresponding to approximately 7106 individual operational units) and 364 in stand-alone mode. Overall, a total of 7470 individual galamsey operations were encountered in 312 different communities (towns and villages).Operationally, the Alluvial Washing Board, Mill-House and Chamfi were found to be the three most popular and practiced galamsey types. The three main galamsey hotspot districts (out of the 11) are the Tarkwa Nsuaem (294 sightings and 3648 individual galamsey sites), Amenfi East (223 sightings and 1397 individual galamsey sites) and Prestea Huni-Valley Districts (156 sightings and 1130 individual galamsey sites). In terms of their activity statuses, 199 abandoned operations (entailing 1855 individual operations), 664 active (entailing 5055 individuals operations) and 48 semi-active (comprising 560 individuals within clusters) galamsey operations were sighted at the time of the study.While galamsey is generally acknowledged to be widespread in Ghana, the results suggest a scale that probably surpasses any previous estimate or expectation. The findings will adequately inform the prioritization of reclamation efforts.