Browsing by Author "Gondran, Amy C."

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    Reforestation and Water Quality: Optimizing Plant Systems to Minimize Total Dissolved Solid Delivery to Surface Waters
    Strahm, Brian D.; McGuire, Kevin J.; Seiler, John R.; Gondran, Amy C. (Virginia Tech. Powell River Project, 2015)
    This proposal requests funds to continue and complete a project that will advance the science and practice of reclamation at the intersection of revegetation and water quality. Recommended reforestation practice, the Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA), includes guidelines for loose dumping and grading of topsoil substitutes. While highly beneficial to seedling survival and productivity, there are also concerns that such practices will increase infiltration, weathering, and total dissolved solid (TDS) generation from reclaimed mined lands. Much of the focus of Powell River Project and other associated work aimed at mitigating TDS loading to surface waters has been on chemical (e.g., topsoil substitute selection) and physical (e.g., geological confinement) approaches. Less is known about the potential optimization of biological systems to minimize TDS leaching, despite the fact that forest vegetation removes a large proportion of precipitation inputs through evapotranspiration, and a majority of the ions making up typical TDS are nutrients required by plants in relatively large amounts. Thus, this proposed work will test the concept that rapidly aggrading forests can decrease TDS generation through a decrease in the quantity of water leaving the rooting zone (from increased evapotranspiration), and by decreasing the concentration of TDS nutrient ions in percolating waters (from plant demand and uptake). Optimizing biological reclamation strategies to improve water quality would provide reclamation professionals with an economically feasible approach to compliment existing efforts to maintain regional surface water quality.
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    Reforestation and Water Quality: Optimizing Plant Systems to Minimize Total Dissolved Solid Delivery to Surface Waters
    Strahm, Brian D.; McGuire, Kevin J.; Seiler, John R.; Gondran, Amy C. (Virginia Tech. Powell River Project, 2016)
    Total dissolved solids (TDS) coming from surface coal mines are greatly impacting water quality in Appalachia. This study investigated whether vegetation could reduce TDS (specifically calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium and sulfate ions) in solution draining from the soil into streams. Vegetated and un‐vegetated plots were established across eight sites that differed in age, rock material, and plant communities. Ion exchange resins that capture TDS ions in soil solution were used to compare nutrient ion fluxes that contribute to TDS between paired plots. Soil and vegetation properties (used as proxies for evapotranspiration and plant uptake) were characterized at each site and correlated with log ratios of common TDS contributing ions. Strong correlations were found during the peak growing season, suggesting that the presence of vegetation reduced the amount of dissolved ions in soil solution. In addition, soil organic matter was correlated with TDS contributing nutrient ions in all seasons. These finding suggests that productive, growing forests could reduce TDS contributing nutrient ions draining from soils into streams through plant and organic matter retention.