Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Diet Composition: A Proximate Mechanism Explaining Stream Salamander Declines In Surface Waters With Elevated Specific Conductivity, Jacob M. Hutton, Steven J. Price, Stephen C. Richter, Christopher D. Barton

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Changes in land use, such as mountaintop removal mining with valley fills (MTR-VF), often results in headwater streams with elevated specific conductivity (SC). Stream salamanders appear to be particularly sensitive to elevated SC, as previous studies have shown occupancy and abundance decline consistently among all species and life stages as SC increases. Yet, the proximate mechanism responsible for the population declines in streams with elevated SC have eluded researchers. We sampled salamander assemblages across a continuous SC gradient (30–1966 μS/cm) in southeastern Kentucky and examined the diet of larval and adult salamanders to determine if the ratio of aquatic to …

Maternal Proximity To Mountaintop Removal Mining And Birth Defects In Appalachian Kentucky, 1997-2003, Daniel B. Cooper

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Background: Extraction of coal through mountaintop removal mining (MTR) alters many dimensions of the landscape, and explosive blasts, exposed rock, and coal washing have the potential to pollute air and water with substances known to increase risk of developmental and birth anomalies. Previous research suggests that infants born to mothers living in MTR coal mining counties have higher prevalence of most types of birth defects.

Objectives: This study seeks to examine further the relationship between MTR activity and birth defects by employing individual level exposure estimation through precise satellite data of MTR activity in the Appalachian region and maternal residence …

Occupancy And Abundance Of Stream Salamanders Along A Specific Conductance Gradient, Jacob M. Hutton, Steven J. Price, Simon J. Bonner, Stephen C. Richter, Christopher D. Barton

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

In the Central Appalachians (USA), mountaintop-removal mining accompanied by valley fills often leads to streams with elevated specific conductivity (SC). Thus, the ionic composition of freshwaters in this region is hypothesized to be a driver of the distribution and abundance of freshwater taxa, including stream salamanders. We examined the association between SC and stream salamander populations by conducting salamander counts in 30 southeastern Kentucky streams across a continuous gradient of SC that ranged from 30 to 1966 μS/cm. We counted 2319 salamanders across 5 species and, using a hierarchical Bayesian version of the N-mixture model, found a negative association between …

Biodiversity Mainstreaming In South Africa’S Production Landscapes: Lessons And Achievements, Aimee Ginsburg, Anthea Stephens, Mahlodi Tau, Emily Botts, Stephen Holness

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

South Africa’s grasslands are critically threatened and many biodiversity priority areas lie in production landscapes. This is a challenge best addressed by an approach aimed at strengthening the enabling environment, and innovating, piloting and mainstreaming new models for biodiversity management into production sectors, namely agriculture, forestry, urban development and coal mining. The Grassland Programme (a 20-year partnership between government, conservation agencies, non-governmental organisations, and private sector) has implemented this approach to sustain and secure grassland biodiversity and ecosystem services for the benefit of current and future generations. In five years of implementation, notable achievements have been in shaping policies and …

Effects Of Mining Reclamation On Sediment Yield And Organic Carbon Flux In First Order Watersheds, Zoe E. Bezold

Kaleidoscope

No abstract provided.

Remaining Resources Of The Herrin Coal, Gerald A. Weisenfluh

Map and Chart--KGS

The Herrin coal bed (W. Ky. No. 11) is one of the most important coal resources in the Illinois Basin. To 2009, the Herrin coal had an estimated 10 million tons of production in Kentucky, and remained the second largest producer in the Western Kentucky Coal Field. The Herrin is known for its regionally extensive "blue band" rock parting, and, in Kentucky, its close association with the overlying Providence Limestone Member and Paradise coal (W. Ky. No. 11) (see, for example, Greb and others, 1992). To fact, the Herrin and Paradise coal beds were so closely spaced in some areas …

Remaining Resources Of The Springfield Coal, Gerald A. Weisenfluh

Map and Chart--KGS

Historically, the Springfield (W. Ky. No. 9) opal bed has been the leading source of coal production in the Western Kentucky Coal Field. With 2009 production more than 21 million tons and another 8 million tons of idle capacity, it is also the most important resource in the state of Kentucky. The Springfield coal is known for its lateral continuity in terms of both thickness and quality. It is a medium-sulfur product, desirable for power plants with sulfur-reduction capability, and has higher Btu values and lower chlorine contents compared to other Illinois Basin areas north of Kentucky. It is estimated …

Mining Geology Of The Fire Clay Coal, Stephen F. Greb

Map and Chart--KGS

The Fire Clay (Hazard No. 4) coal is one of the leading producers in the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field, with more than 20 million short tons of annual production and 230 million short tons mined between 1976 and 1992, according to Kentucky Department of Mines and Minerals data. Regional thickness and resources of the coal are calculated in Greb and others (1999c) and Thacker and others (2000a, b).

Stratigraphically, the coal occurs in the middle part of the Hyden Formation of the Breathitt Group (Fig. 1), which was previously part of the Breathitt Formation (Chesnut, 1992). The coal occurs between …

Pride Water Quality Assessment Report: I. Problems And Programs, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute. University Of Kentucky

KWRRI Research Reports

This report provides an overview of the water quality problems and associated state and federal programs in the 40 counties that make up the PRIDE region. The 2000 Kentucky 305(b) stream assessment has identified over 1000 miles of impaired stream within the region. The major cause of pollution in the region is related to problems with pathogens. Much of these problems are related to straight pipes and failing septic and wastewater systems. It has been estimated that there are over 35,000 straight pipes and failing septic systems in the PRIDE region. A second major environmental impact in the region is …

Mining Geology Of Coals In Western Kentucky, Stephen F. Greb, David A. Williams

Map and Chart--KGS

Each of the most heavily mined coal seams in the Western Kentucky Coal Field, as indicated by analyses, mine visits, and discussions with mine inspectors and engineers, has its own roof and floor characteristics. Also, because roof rocks above several of the seams are laterally continuous (especially in the Carbondale Formation), roof characteristics related to rock type are often widespread and continuous between mines. This chart discusses the mining geology of three western Kentucky coal beds, highlighted on the stratigraphic column shown in Figure 1.

Additional mining obstacles that can affect all coal beds and roof strata are (1) tectonic …

Mining Geology Of The Lower Elkhorn Coal, Stephen F. Greb, Gerald A. Weisenfluh

Map and Chart--KGS

The Lower Elkhorn (and its equivalents) is one of the leading producers of coal in the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field with 12 to 18 million short tons of annual production between 1974 and 1996, according to the Kentucky Department of Mines and Minerals. Stratigraphically, the coal occurs in the lower part of the Pikeville Formation of the Breathitt Group (Fig. 1), which was previously part of the Breathitt Formation (Chesnut, 1992). The coal occurs from 150 to 300 ft above the base of a thick coarsening-upward sequence containing the Betsie Shale and from 250 to 450 ft beneath the base …

Fish Lateral Line Neurophysiological And Neurobehavioral Responses As A Sensitive Water Quality Monitoring System, Hong Y. Yan

KWRRI Research Reports

Cadmium is a heavy metal ion that can cause deleterious effects on aquatic animals. This study uses both electrophysiological recordings from lateral line nerves and videotaping of schooling behavior to investigate the effects of cadmium exposure on fish. The fathead minnows were exposed to cadmium at a concentration of 450 μg/1 over a 24-hr period. Extracellular recording with a silver hook electrode was used to record compound action potentials from the lateral lines of control and experimental fish. After a short time exposure (24 hr) to cadmium ions, all of the electrophysiological activities of the lateral line nerves were suppressed. …

Available Coal Resources Of The Salyersville South 7.5-Minute Quadrangle, Magoffin County, Kentucky, Robert E. Andrews, Gerald A. Weisenfluh, John K. Hiett, Richard E. Sergeant

Information Circular--KGS

Coal resources available for mining have been estimated for the Salyersville South Quadrangle, which is located in the Licking River Coal Reserve District of the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field. Nine coal beds within the quadrangle are potentially mineable and constitute the basis of these resource estimates. Seven of these beds have been commercially developed, but only five have produced more than 1 million tons: from youngest to oldest, the Skyline A, Lower Broas, Lower Peach Orchard, Middle Peach Orchard, and Upper Peach Orchard. A computerized Geographic Information System was used to calculate estimates of original, mined-out, and remaining resources, as …

Available Coal Resources Of The Booneville 7.5–Minute Quadrangle, Owsley County, Kentucky, Gerald A. Weisenfluh, R. E. Andrews, John K. Hiett, Stephen F. Greb, Richard E. Sergeant, Donald R. Chesnut Jr.

Information Circular--KGS

The Booneville Quadrangle lies within the Southwestern Reserve District of the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field. Six coal beds in the quadrangle have been commercially developed, mainly by surface mining methods, and comprise the basis of this Coal Availability Study. These beds are, in descending stratigraphic order, Copland, Whitesburg, Amburgy, Upper Elkhorn No. 3, Jellico and Manchester. A computerized Geographic Information System (GRASS) was used to calculate estimates of original, mined-out and remaining resources, restrictions to mining and available resources.

Infiltration Through Reconstructed Surface Mined Spoils And Soils, A. D. Ward, Larry G. Wells, R. E. Phillips

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

An extensive series of tests involving reconstructed profiles of spoil and topsoil material from a Western Kentucky surface mine site was conducted with a laboratory infiltrometer system. Infiltration through the reconstructed spoil profiles was very slow despite the coarse nature of the material. Low infiltration rates could be attributed to the material having a well-graded texture and to the high densities of the profiles. Infiltration through topsoil horizons was controlled, for the most part, by conditions at the surface. Following wetting, infiltration rates were primarily controlled by the hydraulic characteristics of the less permeable sub horizon of the spoil material. …