Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Spatial Analysis Of Mountaintop Mining's Impact On Water Quality, Samantha Cahill

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

Mountaintop coal mining (MTM) has been shown to have negative effects on both biological communities and water quality downstream of mining. Impacts of MTM can still be seen decades after the mining has ended, leading to the conclusion that the cumulative effects of mining last decades after the mining has ended. Here, I aim to analyze the effects of MTM on both water quality and benthic macroinvertebrates in streams of the Southern Appalachian Mountains in Kentucky. I combine a remotely sensed mining landcover product with data on water quality parameters and stream macroinvertebrate communities from state and federal monitoring programs …