The grassland bird-community has declined significantly in abundance and diversity in Illinois over the past century. Reclamation of surface coal-mines in southern Illinois has created ca. 50,000 ha of grassland habitat that offers surrogate habitat for grassland and shrubland birds. Much of the grassland habitat created by reclamation of mine lands has not been managed and has succeeded to shrubland habitat dominated by both native and non-native shrubs. The purposes of this research were to identify the bird community utilizing reclaimed surface-mines in southern Illinois, and to examine the habitat-associations of the bird community and compare those to previously reported habitat-associations. I examined bird communities, plant structure and composition, and invertebrate communities at grasslands and shrublands at 3 reclaimed surface-mines in southern Illinois. I used 100-m wide strip-transects to survey the bird community and measured habitat characteristics including: vegetation height and density, litter depth and cover, shrub density and height, and plant composition. I observed 57 bird species over 126 surveys in 2008 and 2009. I used Generalized Linear Models and Akaike's Information Criteria to develop habitat-association models for 7 bird species: Henslow's sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii), grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), eastern meadowlark (Sturnella magna), dickcissel (Spiza americana), indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea), field sparrow (Spizella pusilla), and Bell's vireo (Vireo belli). Of these 7 species, dependable models were found for the Henslow's sparrow, grasshopper sparrow, eastern meadowlark, and field sparrow. The best habitat model for Henslow's sparrows indicated a positive association with % litter cover and a negative association with large variations in grass cover. The best habitat model for grasshopper sparrows indicated a negative association with both litter cover and depth and a positive association with grassland area. The best habitat model for the eastern meadowlark indicated a negative association with visual obstruction and shrub density. The best habitat model for the field sparrow indicated a curvilinear association with shrub density and visual obstruction. The habitat-association model for Henslow's sparrows differed from previous research in that neither vegetation height nor density were indicated as important habitat characteristics. To identify the habitat characteristics that have the greatest effect on the overall bird-community composition, I generated graphical ordinations using non-metric multidimensional scaling. The habitat factors most affecting the bird community composition were: vegetation density, vegetation height, litter depth, shrub density, shrub height, warm-season grass cover, and the ratio of habitat area to perimeter. Invertebrate biomass at a site was positively correlated to forb cover and plant richness and negatively correlated to grass cover. Grassland bird species have distinct habitat-associations that allow them to reduce interspecific competition through niche partitioning and would be best managed with a diverse set of successional stages.

Surface mining often changes the native landscape and vegetation of an area. Reclamation is used to counter this change, with the goal of restoring the land to its original pre-mined state. The process of reclamation creates early successional-stage lands, such as grasslands, shrublands, and wetlands, attracting new plant and animal species to the area. I compared avian species density (number of individuals/ha), diversity (H'), and richness (number of species/ha) on reclaimed and non-mined lands at TXU's Big Brown Mine in Fairfield, Texas. I also compared my results to those of a previous study conducted 25 years earlier. Avian counts were conducted using a fixedradius point-count method on 240 points placed in four different vegetation types and in four land-age groups (time since being reclaimed). Vegetation was measured both locally, and at a landscape level. Overall bird species density did not exhibit a clear relationship on non-mined versus reclaimed land. Overall bird species diversity was greater on non-mined lands, whereas overall species richness was greater on reclaimed lands. My results demonstrated a lower mean/point bird density and higher mean/point bird diversity than were found 25 years earlier. Different nesting guilds occurred on the reclaimed lands than occurred on the non-mined lands. Results suggested different species were attracted to the several successional stages of reclaimed lands over the nonmined lands, which consisted of climax vegetation. The different successional stages of reclaimed lands increased overall diversity and richness of the landscape as a whole. Five bird species of conservation concern were observed in the study, all of which occurred on reclaimed land. Four of the five species primarily occurred on reclaimed lands. Future land management should include conserving different successional-stage lands to increase overall biotic diversity and richness of mined land, preserving reclaimed habitat for species of concern, and educating future private landowners on the importance of maintaining vegetative and bird species diversity.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Emerging health concern for gaseous nitrogen oxides (NOx) emitted during surface mine blasting has prompted mining authorities in the United States to pursue new regulations. NOx is comprised of various binary compounds of nitrogen and oxygen. Nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are the most prominent. Modern explosive formulations are not designed to produce NOx during properly-sustained detonations, and researchers have identified several causes through laboratory experiments; however, direct sampling of NOx following full-scale surface mine blasting has not been accomplished. The purpose of this thesis was to demonstrate a safe, innovative method of directly quantifying NOx concentrations in a full-scale surface mining environment. A small unmanned aircraft system was used with a continuous gas monitor to sample concentrated fumes. Three flights were completed – two in the Powder River Basin. Results from a moderate NOx emission showed peak NO and NO2 concentrations of 257 ppm and 67.2 ppm, respectively. The estimated NO2 presence following a severe NOx emission was 137.3 ppm. Dispersion of the gases occurred over short distances, and novel geometric models were developed to describe emission characteristics. Overall, the direct sampling method was successful, and the data collected are new to the body of scientific knowledge.

No description available.

No description available.

Unpaved mine haul roads provide the principal means of material transport on surface strip coal mines. With the expansion of surface mining in South Africa and in particular coal strip mining, the use of ultra-heavy off-highway trucks, currently capable of hauling payloads in excess of 160t, has become commonplace. Design and management of these roads was based primarily on local experience and adopted empirical guidelines. This design method served its purpose in an era when off-highway trucks were lighter and less financial outlay was required, both in terms of initial pavement construction costs, ongoing road maintenance costs and vehicle maintenance costs. As the trend in increasing truck size continues, these current pavement design and management systems proved inadequate. Not only would the maintenance costs of existing roads increase, vehicle operating and maintenance costs would also increase prohibitively. The primary objective of this research was the development of a portable and practical total haul road design and management methodology that encompasses both pavement strength, wearing course functionality and road maintenance management components. The structural design concerns the ability of a haul road to carry the imposed loads without the need for excessive maintenance. A revised mechanistically derived structural design is presented together with the associated limiting design criteria and recommended target effective elastic modulus values for the construction materials available. The placement of those materials as pavement layers, such as to optimise their performance both as individual layers and over the entire structure is analysed. Functional design aspects refer to the ability of the haul road to perform its function, i.e to provide an economic, safe and vehicle friendly ride. This is dictated to a large degree through the choice, application and maintenance of wearing course materials. The development and analysis of suitable material selection guidelines for use in haul road functional design was allied to the development of a qualitative defect assessment and ranking methodology in order to assess the utility of established performance related selection guidelines and as a basis for revised functional performance parameter specification. A revised range of parameters was derived based on road-user acceptability criteria. By "analysing the trends evident in the individual defect rankings, the predictive capability of the specification was enhanced by depicting the typical functional defects arising when departures are made from the recommended material property limits. Maintenance design concerns the optimal frequency of wearing course maintenance commensurate with minimum vehicle operating and road maintenance costs. A qualitative road roughness evaluation technique was developed as a precursor to the development of a model for roughness progression. Expressions were developed to enable direct comparison to be made between the qualitative roughness defect score and International Roughness Index (IRI). The second element of a maintenance management system was based on models of the variation of vehicle operating and road maintenance costs with a road roughness model. The combination of these models enabled the optimal maintenance strategy to be sought based on the minimisation of these costs. Sub-optimal maintenance strategies were seen to be associated with unwarranted expenditure on total road-user costs. This thesis makes a contribution to the state of knowledge through the development and synthesis of structural, functional and maintenance management aspects of haul road design. The adoption of these revised and improved haul road design methodologies are associated with potentially significant cost savings and operational improvements. AFRIKAANS: Ongeplaveide mynvervoerpaaie voorsien die primêre vervoer metode van materiaal in steenkoolstrookdagmyne. Met die uitbreiding van dagmynbou in Suid-Afrika en in besonder in die steenkoolstrookmynbou, het die gebruik van swaar vervoertrokke alledaags geword. Ontwerp en bestuur van hierdie paaie was hoofsaaldik gebaseer op plaaslike ondervinding en empiriese riglyne. Hierdie ontwerp metode het sy doel gedien in 'n tydperk waarin die trokke ligter en 'n kleiner finansiele uitleg nodig was, beide in tenne van inisiele plaveisel konstruksie kostes en voortdurende padonderhoudskostes en voertuig instanthoudingkostes. Soos wat die tendens van toename in trokgrootte voortduur, sal die huidige plaveisel ontwerp en bestuursstelsels onvoldoende wees. Nie aIleen sal die ondershoudskostes van bestaande paaie verhoog nie, maar voertuigbedryf en -instandhoudingkostes sal buitensporig word. Die primêre doel van die navorsing was die ontwikkeling van 'n oordraagbare en praktiese totale vervoerpadontwerp en bestuursmetodiek wat die plaveiselsterkte, slytlaag funksionele werkverrigting en padonderhoudbestuur komponente insluit. Die strukturele ontwerp behels die vermoe van 'n vervoerpad om die toegepaste las te kan dra sonder die noodsaaklikheid van buitensporige onderhoud. 'n Hersiene meganisties strukturele ontwerp word aangebied tesame met die geassosieerde ontwerpkriterium en aanbevole effektiewe elastisiteitsmoduluswaardes vir die beskikbare konstruksie materiaa1. Die plasing van daardie materiale as plaveisellae, om sodanig hulle werkverrigting te optimeer is, as beide individuele lae en oor die hele struktuur, geanaliseer. verrig, naamlik om 'n ekonomiese, veilige en voertuigvriendelike rit te voorsien. Die ontwikkeling en analise van geskikte materiaal seleksie is gekoppel aan die ontwikkeling van 'n kwalitatiewe defek waardebepaling en ranglys metodiek om die bruikbaarheid van vasgestelde prestasie-verwante seleksie riglyne te kan bepaal en as basis vir hersiene funksionele prestasie parameter spesiftkasies. 'n Hersiene reeks parameters is afgelei, gebaseer op padverbruiker aanvaarbaarheids kriterium. Deur analise van die tendens in die individuele defek ranglys, is die voorspelbaarheids vennoe van die spesifIkasies verhoog deur die uitwysing van tipiese funksionele defekte wat voorkom wanneer afgewyk word van aanbevole materiaal parameter beperkings. Die onderhoud aspek van vervoerpad ontwerp kan nie afsonderlik van die strukturele en funksionele ontwerp aspekte oorweeg word nie. Onderhoudontwerp behels die optimale frekwensie van slytlaag onderhoud eweredig aan die minimum. voertuigbedryf en padonderhoudskostes. 'n Kwalitatiewe pad ongelykheid evaluasie tegniek is ontwikkel as 'n voorloper tot die ontwikkeling van 'n ongelykheid progressie model. Uitdrukkings is ontwikkel om direkte vergelyking tussen ongelykheid defektelling en Internasionale ongelykbeids indeks (IRI) moontlik te maak. Die tweede element van 'n onderhouds bestuurstelsel is gebaseer op modele van die variasie van die voertuigbedryf en instandhoudingkoste en padongelykbeid. Die kombinasie van hierdie modelle stel die verbruiker in staat om die optimale onderhoudstrategie te soek. 'n Sub-optimale padonderhouds strategie was geassosieer met buitensporige besteding op totale padverbruikers koste. Hierdie proefskrif lewer 'n bydrae tot die staat van kennis deur die ontwikkeling en samevoeging van die strukturele, funksionele en onderhoud bestuurs aspekte van mynvervoerpadontwerp. Die ingebruikneming van die hersiene en verbeterde vervaerpad antwerp en bestuur metodiek het die potensiaal am beduidende koste besparings te verwesenlik. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Civil Engineering / unrestricted

No description available.