@article {bnh-5404, title = {Assessment of potentially toxic metal contamination in the soils of a legacy mine site in Central Victoria, Australia.}, journal = {Chemosphere}, volume = {192}, year = {2018}, abstract = {

The environmental impact of toxic metal contamination from legacy mining activities, many of which had operated and were closed prior to the enforcement of robust environmental legislation, is of growing concern to modern society. We have carried out analysis of As and potentially toxic metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in the surface soil of a legacy gold mining site in Maldon, Victoria, Australia, to reveal the status of the current metal concentration. The results revealed the median concentrations of metals from highest to lowest, in the order: Mn\ \>\ Zn\ \>\ As\ \>\ Cr\ \>\ Cu\ \>\ Pb\ \>\ Ni\ \>\ Co\ \>\ Hg\ \>\ Cd. The status of site was assessed directly by comparing the metal concentrations in the study area with known Australian and Victorian average top soil levels and the health investigation levels set by the National Environmental Protection Measures (NEPM) and the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) of the State of Western Australia. Although, median concentrations of As, Hg, Pb, Cu and Zn exceeded the average Australian and Victorian top soil concentrations, only As and Hg exceeded the ecological investigation levels (EIL) set by DEC and thus these metals are considered as risk to the human and aquatic ecosystems health due to their increase in concentration and toxicity. In an environment of climate fluctuation with increased storm events and forest fires may mobilize these toxic metals contaminants, pose a real threat to the environment and the community.

}, keywords = {Ecosystem health, Heavy metal pollution, Human health, Legacy mining issues, Soil pollution}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.10.150}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653517317356?via\%3Dihub}, author = {Joji Abraham and Kim Dowling and Singarayer Florentine} } @article {bnh-4970, title = {Controlled burn and immediate mobilization of potentially toxic elements in soil, from a legacy mine site in Central Victoria, Australia}, journal = {Science of The Total Environment}, volume = {616-617}, year = {2018}, month = {03/2018}, chapter = {1022}, abstract = {

Conducting controlled burns in fire prone areas is an efficient and economic method for forest management, and provides relief from the incidence of high severity wild fires and the consequent damage to human property and ecosystems. However, similar to wild fires, controlled burns also affect many of the physical and biogeochemical properties of the forest soil and may facilitate remobilization of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) sequestered in vegetation and soil organic matter. The objective of the current study is to investigate the mobilization of PTEs, in Central Victorian forest soils in Australia after a controlled burn. Surface soil samples were collected two days before and after the controlled burn to determine the concentration of PTEs and to examine the physicochemical properties. Results show that As, Cd, Mn, Ni and Zn concentrations increased 1.1, 1.6, 1.7, 1.1 and 1.9 times respectively in the post-burn environment, whereas the concentrations of Hg, Cr and Pb decreased to 0.7, 0.9 and 0.9 times respectively, highlighting considerable PTE mobility during and after a controlled burn. Whilst these results do not identify very strong correlations between physicochemical properties of soil and PTEs in the pre- and post-burn environments, PTEs themselves demonstrated very strong and significant correlations. The mobilization of As, Hg and other toxic elements raise potential health concerns as the number of controlled burns are projected to increase in response to climate change. Due to this increased level of PTE release and remobilization, the use of any kinds of controlled burn must be carefully considered before being used as a forest management strategy in mining-affected landscapes which include areas with high PTE concentrations.

}, keywords = {Arsenic and metals, environmental pollution, forest fire, historical mining, prescribed fire, soil and water pollution}, doi = {10.1016}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969717329364}, author = {Joji Abraham and Kim Dowling and Singarayer Florentine} } @article {bnh-4977, title = {Effects of prescribed fire and post-fire rainfall on mercury mobilization and subsequent contamination assessment in a legacy mine site in Victoria, Australia}, journal = {National Library of Medicine}, year = {2018}, month = {01/2018}, pages = {9}, chapter = {144}, abstract = {

Prescribed fire conducted in fire-prone areas is a cost-effective choice for forest management, but it also affects many of the physicochemical and bio-geological properties of the forest soil, in a similar manner to wild fires. The aim of this study is to investigate the nature of the mercury mobilization after a prescribed fire and the subsequent temporal changes in concentration. A prescribed fire was conducted in a legacy mine site in Central Victoria, Australia, in late August 2015 and soil sample collection and analyses were carried out two days before and two days after the fire, followed by collection at the end of each season and after an intense rainfall event in September 2016. Results revealed the occurrence of mercury volatilization (8.3-97\%) during the fire, and the mercury concentration displayed a significant difference (p\ \<\ 0.05) before and immediately after the fire. Integrated assessment with number of pollution indices has shown that the study site is extremely contaminated with mercury during all the sampling events, and this poses a serious ecological risk due to the health impacts of mercury on human and ecosystems. In times of climate fluctuation with concomitant increase in forest fire (including prescribed fire), and subsequent precipitation and runoff, the potential for an increased amount of mercury being mobilized is of heighted significance. Therefore, it is recommended that prescribed fire should be cautiously considered as a forest management strategy in any mercury affected landscapes.

}, doi = {10.1016}, url = {https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28987403}, author = {Joji Abraham and Singarayer Florentine and Kim Dowling} } @article {bnh-5401, title = {Influence of controlled burning on the mobility and temporal variations of potentially toxic metals (PTMs) in the soils of a legacy gold mine site in Central Victoria, Australia}, journal = {Geoderma}, volume = {331}, year = {2018}, chapter = {1}, abstract = {

Controlled burns also known as managed burns or prescribed fires conducted in fire-prone areas are an efficient and economic option to reduce the frequency and intensity of\ wildfires. The objective of this study is to investigate the\ remobilizationof potentially\ toxic metals\ (PTMs) in the soils of a legacy\ gold mine\ site in Central Victoria, Australia after a controlled burn and to describe their\ temporal variationsin concentrations. Soil samples were collected two days before, two days after and five times later (3, 6, 9, 12 months and after major rainfall) in the post-burn environment after a controlled burn, from the Maldon legacy mine site and analysed for PTM concentrations. The results revealed PTM mobilization after the burn and most of the PTMs (As, Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, and Zn) evidenced an increase immediately after the burn but a reduction in the subsequent post-burn environment. The increase is postulated to be associated with addition of PTM enriched ash to the soil, while the decrease is due to the removal of ash and surface soil by wind activity as well as rainfall\ runoff\ and\ leaching. The PTM mobility is of specific concern due to the negative impacts on human and\ ecosystems health.\ Climate change\ and the resulting projection of increased\ forest fire\ frequency highlight the environmental significance, given the expected concomitant increase in PTM mobilization through wildfires and controlled burns. Hence, the practice of controlled burning should be carefully considered as a\ forest management\ option in any legacy mining areas and indeed in other areas where PTM\ contamination\ is reported.

}, keywords = {Ash, forest fire, Forest management, Metal mobility, prescribed fire, Soil and water contamination}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2018.06.010}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706117320001}, author = {Joji Abraham and Kim Dowling and Singarayer Florentine} } @article {bnh-5403, title = {Risk of post-fire metal mobilization into surface water resources: A review}, journal = {Science of the total Environment}, volume = {599-600}, year = {2017}, abstract = {

One of the significant economic benefits to communities around the world of having pristine forest\ catchments\ is the supply of substantial quantities of high quality potable water. This supports a saving of around US$ 4.1 trillion per year globally by limiting the cost of expensive\ drinking water treatments\ and provision of unnecessary infrastructure. Even low levels of contaminants specifically organics and metals in catchments when in a mobile state can reduce these economic benefits by seriously affecting the water quality.\ Contamination\ and contaminant mobility can occur through natural and anthropogenic activities including\ forest fires. Moderate to high intensity forest fires are able to alter\ soil properties\ and release sequestered metals from sediments,\ soil organic matter\ and fragments of vegetation. In addition, the increase in post-fire\ erosion rate\ by rainfall runoff and strong winds facilitates the rapid transport of these metals downslope and downstream. The subsequent metal deposition in distal soil and water bodies can influence surface water quality with potential impacts to the larger ecosystems inclusive of negative effects on humans. This is of substantial concern as 4 billion hectares of forest catchments provide high quality water to global communities. Redressing this problem requires quantification of the potential effects on water resources and instituting rigorous fire and\ environmental management\ plans to mitigate deleterious effects on catchment areas. This paper is a review of the current state of the art literature dealing with the risk of post-fire mobilization of the metals into surface water resources. It is intended to inform discussion on the preparation of suitable management plans and policies during and after fire events in order to maintain potable water quality in a cost-effective manner. In these times of climate fluctuation and increased incidence of fires, the need for development of new policies and management frameworks are of heighted significance.

}, keywords = {Catchment, Ecosystem, environment, forest fire, Metal, Water resources}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.05.096}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969717311968}, author = {Joji Abraham and Kim Dowling and Singarayer Florentine} } @article {bnh-4697, title = {The Unquantified Risk of Post-Fire Metal Concentration in Soil: a Review}, journal = {Water, Air, \& Soil Pollution}, volume = {228}, year = {2017}, month = {04/2017}, abstract = {

Forest fire is a natural disturbance that occurs in many terrestrial ecosystems specifically in the semi-arid environments and is considered to be an important cause of environmental change. Though many causes of fire are identified, including lightning, volcanic eruption, power line sparks, etc., human involvement is the most significant factor. Fire events are able to alter the physical, chemical and biogeochemical properties of the soil and surface materials and are able to release major and trace metals into the environment. This may be more significant in mining-affected and industrial landscapes, where elevated concentrations of metals present in the soil. After the fire event, metals become more mobile due to the increase in soil surface exposure and the mobility associated with ash dispersal. This mobility may increase the bioavailability of the metals, which may generate water quality issues and may contribute to human and environmental health concerns. Even though, the influences of fire on many soil properties are well established, the behaviour of metals with respect to fire is not well investigated. However, a few studies report that major and trace metals include Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn and As are mobilized after fire with increased concentrations in soil and water resources and this might pose a risk to human health and ecosystems. Climate change may increase the intensity, frequency and areal extend of fire events and hence increase the metal concentrations and their potential health impacts. This paper reviews post-fire (wild fire) mobility of metals in soil common in contaminated forest ecosystems. The human and ecological health risks of these metals are also considered.

}, keywords = {Climate change, environment, fire., forest, soil}, doi = {10.1007}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11270-017-3338-0$\#$citeas}, author = {Joji Abraham and Kim Dowling and Singarayer Florentine} }