TY - GEN
T1 - Development of a comprehensive sediment transport method in first order watersheds with contour coal mining
AU - Martin, D. K.
AU - Adams, N. A.
AU - Fox, J. F.
AU - Jones, A.
AU - Rowe, H.
AU - Kelly, S.
AU - Foley, K.
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - δ13C, δ15N, TOC, TN, and C/N measurements in the Southern Appalachian forested region were obtained from forest surface soils, reclaimed surface soils, the streambanks, and the transported sediments at the watershed outlet in first-order watershed with differing disturbances. It was found that the δ13C and δ15N tracers successfully discriminated between the sediment sources because of the δ13C and δ15N tracers' ability to reflect the biogeochemical changes that occur in the soil matrix. The δ13C and δ15N tracers successfully reflected the degree of disturbance in a watershed. A shift in the δ13C and δ15N values was evident between the summers of 2007 and 2009, which was attributed to tree throw caused ice and rain storms and high velocity winds. The un-mixing model determined that the percentage of sediment originating from the forest soils increased from 2007 to 2009 in both disturbed watersheds because erosion rates in the forest increased after the tree throw occurred. The ability of the δ13C and δ15N tracers to reflect land-use disturbances as well as natural disturbances is a new contribution that has not been presented in the literature. An advancement of the dual isotope tracer method was presented to account for the percentages of carbon and nitrogen eroding from all three sediment sources.
AB - δ13C, δ15N, TOC, TN, and C/N measurements in the Southern Appalachian forested region were obtained from forest surface soils, reclaimed surface soils, the streambanks, and the transported sediments at the watershed outlet in first-order watershed with differing disturbances. It was found that the δ13C and δ15N tracers successfully discriminated between the sediment sources because of the δ13C and δ15N tracers' ability to reflect the biogeochemical changes that occur in the soil matrix. The δ13C and δ15N tracers successfully reflected the degree of disturbance in a watershed. A shift in the δ13C and δ15N values was evident between the summers of 2007 and 2009, which was attributed to tree throw caused ice and rain storms and high velocity winds. The un-mixing model determined that the percentage of sediment originating from the forest soils increased from 2007 to 2009 in both disturbed watersheds because erosion rates in the forest increased after the tree throw occurred. The ability of the δ13C and δ15N tracers to reflect land-use disturbances as well as natural disturbances is a new contribution that has not been presented in the literature. An advancement of the dual isotope tracer method was presented to account for the percentages of carbon and nitrogen eroding from all three sediment sources.
KW - Coal mining
KW - Sediment transport
KW - Watersheds
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79960399352&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=79960399352&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1061/41173(414)491
DO - 10.1061/41173(414)491
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:79960399352
SN - 9780784411735
T3 - World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2011: Bearing Knowledge for Sustainability - Proceedings of the 2011 World Environmental and Water Resources Congress
SP - 4717
EP - 4734
BT - World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2011
T2 - World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2011: Bearing Knowledge for Sustainability
Y2 - 22 May 2011 through 26 May 2011
ER -