Expanded production of hydrocarbons by means of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing of shale formations has become one of the most important changes in the North American petroleum industry in decades, and the Eagle Ford (EF) Shale play in South Texas is currently one of the largest producers of oil and gas in the United States. Since 2008, more than 5000 wells have been drilled in the EF. To date, little research has focused on landscape impacts (e.g., fragmentation and soil erosion) from the construction of drilling pads, roads, pipelines, and other infrastructure. The goal of this study was to assess the spatial fragmentation from the recent EF shale boom, focusing on La Salle County, Texas. To achieve this goal, a database of wells and pipelines was overlain onto base maps of land cover, soil type, vegetation assemblages, and hydrologic units. Changes to the continuity of different ecoregions and supporting landscapes were then assessed using the Landscape Fragmentation Tool as quantified by land area and continuity of core landscape areas (those degraded by “edge effects”). Results show an increase in ecosystem fragmentation with a reduction in core areas of 8.7% (~333 km²) and an increase in landscape patches (0.2%; 6.4 km²), edges (1.8%; ~69 km²), and perforated areas (4.2%; ~162 km²) within the county. Pipeline construction dominates sources of landscape disturbance, followed by drilling and injection pads (85%, 15%, and 0.03% of disturbed area, respectively). This analysis indicates an increase in the potential for soil loss, with 51% (~58 km²) of all disturbance regimes occurring on soils with low water-transmission rates and a high runoff potential (hydrologic soil group D). Additionally, 88% (~100 km²) of all disturbances occurred on soils with a wind erodibility index of approximately 19 kt/km²/yr or higher, resulting in an estimated potential of 2 million tonnes of soil loss per year. Depending on the placement of infrastructure relative to surface drainage patterns and erodible soil, these results show that small changes in placement may significantly reduce ecological and hydrological impacts as they relate to surface runoff. Furthermore, rapid site reclamation of drilling pads and pipeline right-of-ways could substantially mitigate potential impacts. / text

8 pp. / The land application (non-hazardous sewage sludge) biosolids has been in practice in Arizona since the 60s.

This item was digitized as part of the Million Books Project led by Carnegie Mellon University and supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Cornell University coordinated the participation of land-grant and agricultural libraries in providing historical agricultural information for the digitization project; the University of Arizona Libraries, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the Office of Arid Lands Studies collaborated in the selection and provision of material for the digitization project.

The aim of the work was to verify the performance and design working quality performance of rotary milling machines with horizontal axis of rotation in artificial forest regeneration, support of natural forest regeneration in selected forest stands and in agriculture with different soil and terrain conditions. The measurement was carried out on four different carrier cutters, each machine carrying a different soil milling machine. Measurements took place in various environments as well as soil types, crops or quality requirements for the work performed. In this work are compared performance of given carriers, in terms of aggregation with individual models of milling machines. The tables show the most important parameters such as average fuel consumption, average area efficiency and fuel consumption to area efficiency. Furthermore, there is an evaluation of the quality of the work done.

Thesis (M. P. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Is the biggest tideland reclamation project in the world (the STRP) sustainable? Since 1991, the STRP which aims at converting mudflats into 401 km2 farmland and industrial complex has been carried out in the southwestern coast of South Korea. I designed a comparative study between two neighboring rural townships with nearly identical social and ecological features except that one is within the project area and no longer has mudflats, and the other is outside of the project area and has retained its mudflats (an important source of clams). This dissertation answers the question above by comparing, sustainable development indicators and quality of life indicators in the two townships. I expected to find that people living in the township within the project area would be more sustainable because they have gone through with the environment versus development controversy in their own villages and many of them participated in person in protests with the national/local environmental movement organizations. This study uses one of the best known consumption-based sustainable development indicators (SDIs) - Personal Ecological Footprint (PEF), combined with the ethnographic data from the two townships (Gyehwa-township and Simwon-township) – to demonstrate that the PEF values of the two townships appear to be the same and the status of quality of life is quite similar. As an explanation of the unexpected result, this study contends that the level of sustainable development of the people in the in-project area (Gyehwa-township) has been more affected by nation-wide economic development trajectory than by a major regional development project (the STRP). The first stage of the STRP - the construction of the dykes - has brought about a significant effect of displacement, which cannot be said to be sustainable. However, the total influence on sustainable development in South Korea by the STRP will be determined by the progress of the second stage - internal development.

Albertas oil sands are located in the boreal forest where surface mining disturbs huge tracts of land. One such area, Syncrude Canada Ltd.s Mildred Lake mine, contains waste overburden (OB) piles which can be saline and sodic (SSOB). The objectives of this research were to 1) determine SSOB material impacts on planted tree root distributions, 2) quantify root activity to identify plant species growing at depth, and 3) document coarse woody root structure for planted trees. Root distributions for three mixedwood stands on reclaimed OB in relation to electrical conductivity (EC) and sodium absorption ratio (SAR) were examined using soil cores. Root distributions followed a similar pattern with soil depth as those from undisturbed boreal forest stands and appeared unaffected by the SSOB at this stage; however, future monitoring will be required as the stands mature. Root activity was assessed for jack pine (jP) and white spruce (wS) stands on tailings sand (TS) and OB using a strontium (Sr) chloride tracer. Understory and tree foliage was collected prior to and after application to measure Sr concentration in the control, broadcast, and depth treatments. A small proportion of roots grew in the OB material regardless of its chemical properties. Results from the Sr tracer study suggested that these roots were probably from the clover, sow thistle, and grasses. Planted trees showed little to no change in Sr tissue content suggesting that there were little to no roots in the treatment zones, the understory species out-competed the trees for Sr accessibility, or the tracer was diluted in the tree biomass to undetectable levels. Root systems of planted jP trees older than 10 years and older than 20 years on TS and OB were excavated and the number and diameter of lateral roots, the degree of kinking and coiling, and the presence of a taproot were recorded. Excavated trees showed poor taproot development on 70% of the trees and numerous root deformities, suggesting that more emphasis is needed in correct planting techniques and good planting stock to ensure proper root development. Roots are critical components of boreal forest ecosystems; without healthy root systems productivity may decline, stands may be susceptible to windthrow, and general forest health may suffer.

Understanding the hydrological controls on subsurface flow and transport is of considerable importance in the study of reclaimed landscapes in the oil sands region of Canada. A significant portion of the reclaimed landscape will be comprised of a thin veneer (~ 1 m) of clay-rich reclamation soil overlying saline-sodic shale overburden, which is a waste by-product from the mining process. The global objective of this study was to investigate the first-order controls on soil moisture and salt transport dynamics within clay-rich reclamation covers overlying low permeability waste substrates. The study site is located in a cold, semi-arid climate in the oil sands region of northern Alberta. Preferential flow was the dominant mechanism responsible for the development of perched water table conditions on the cover-waste interface during the spring snow melt. Hydrological and geochemical data indicated that snowmelt infiltration occurs via the macroporosity while the ground is still frozen. An isotope hydrograph separation conducted on water collected in a weeping tile confirmed the presence of fresh snowmelt water at the onset of subsurface flow. This water transitions to a chemical signature that is comprised of approximately 80% connate pore water as a result of chemical equilibration between pore water in the soil matrix and fresh water in the macropores.<p>Detailed mapping of the spatial distribution of soil moisture and salts within a reclamation cover indicated the lower-slope positions are wetter due to the accumulation surface run-off and frozen ground infiltration in spring. Increased soil moisture conditions in lower-slope positions accelerate salt ingress, while drier conditions in middle and upper-slope positions attenuate salt ingress. The data indicated that fresh snowmelt water is bypassing the soil matrix higher in the cover profile. Subsurface flow and deep percolation are key mechanisms mitigating vertical salt ingress in lower and upper slope positions. The mesotopography of the cover-waste interface imposes a direct control on the depth of perched water and the downslope routing of water. Undulations in the cover-waste interface cause the depth of perched water to vary considerably (± 20 60 cm) over short distances (< 5 m), while saturated subsurface flow is routed through the lowest elevations in the cover profile. A numerical analysis of subsurface flow was able to simulate both the discharge rate and cumulative volume of flow to a weeping tile. Composite hydraulic functions were used in the simulations to account for the increased hydraulic conductivity and drainable porosity created by the macroporosity at near-saturated conditions. The transient Na+ concentration of discharge water was modelled using the concept of an equivalent porous medium. The good match between measured and modelled data verified the conceptual model, which contends that saturated subsurface flow is dominated by the fracture network and that the concentration of discharge water is function of the depth of perched water. Finally, the results from this study suggest the mesotopography of the cover-waste interface could be used to manage excess water and salts within the landscape.

Att gräva upp och återvinna värdefulla material från gamla deponier har en enorm miljöpotential i form av utvinning av resurser. I dagsläget innebär emellertid sådana återvinningsprojekt stora osäkerheter och därmed ekonomiska risker för företag. Anledningen är att det finns många deponier att välja mellan och dessa skiljer sig ofta åt med avseende på ålder, storlek, typ av avfall och lokalisering vilka alla är faktorer som direkt kan påverka om ett projekt blir lönsamt eller inte. För att minska de ekonomiska riskerna behöver företag i återvinningsbranschen på förhand kunna identifiera skillnader mellan olika deponier. I denna uppsats genomförs en systematisk litteraturöversikt över inventeringar av deponier. Uppsatsen syftar till att inventera tillgänglig information om deponier på nationell, regional och lokal nivå. Undersökningar har skett kring vilka uppgifter inventeringarna innehåller som finns hos Jönköpings och Linköpings kommun, Länsstyrelserna i Östergötlands och Jönköpings län samt hos Naturvårdsverket. Uppsatsen belyser även begreppet Landfill Mining och dess användning. Slutsatserna i denna uppsats är att information från inventeringarna kan användas för Landfill Mining-projekt, dock kan det behövas gå ned på objekt- eller personnivå för att få tillgång till mer detaljerad data. Uppsatsens kategorier, ålder, riskklassning och avfallstyp innehåller viktig information om deponierna som är avgörande för att besluta om ett LFM- projekt ska genomföras och utgöra en vinst.

Albertas oil sands are located in the boreal forest where surface mining disturbs huge tracts of land. One such area, Syncrude Canada Ltd.s Mildred Lake mine, contains waste overburden (OB) piles which can be saline and sodic (SSOB). The objectives of this research were to 1) determine SSOB material impacts on planted tree root distributions, 2) quantify root activity to identify plant species growing at depth, and 3) document coarse woody root structure for planted trees. Root distributions for three mixedwood stands on reclaimed OB in relation to electrical conductivity (EC) and sodium absorption ratio (SAR) were examined using soil cores. Root distributions followed a similar pattern with soil depth as those from undisturbed boreal forest stands and appeared unaffected by the SSOB at this stage; however, future monitoring will be required as the stands mature. Root activity was assessed for jack pine (jP) and white spruce (wS) stands on tailings sand (TS) and OB using a strontium (Sr) chloride tracer. Understory and tree foliage was collected prior to and after application to measure Sr concentration in the control, broadcast, and depth treatments. A small proportion of roots grew in the OB material regardless of its chemical properties. Results from the Sr tracer study suggested that these roots were probably from the clover, sow thistle, and grasses. Planted trees showed little to no change in Sr tissue content suggesting that there were little to no roots in the treatment zones, the understory species out-competed the trees for Sr accessibility, or the tracer was diluted in the tree biomass to undetectable levels. Root systems of planted jP trees older than 10 years and older than 20 years on TS and OB were excavated and the number and diameter of lateral roots, the degree of kinking and coiling, and the presence of a taproot were recorded. Excavated trees showed poor taproot development on 70% of the trees and numerous root deformities, suggesting that more emphasis is needed in correct planting techniques and good planting stock to ensure proper root development. Roots are critical components of boreal forest ecosystems; without healthy root systems productivity may decline, stands may be susceptible to windthrow, and general forest health may suffer.