NSF Award
2414496
Land surface disturbances have intensified at an unprecedented scale in the past century, altering topography, magnifying rates of soil erosion, and transforming vegetative cover worldwide. Impacts to earth surface processes are nowhere more evident than surface mines, including landscapes throughout the western United States. Two post-mining reclamation methods have emerged since the passage of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act in 1977, with the stipulation that the land be restored to “approximate original contour.” The traditional approach led to the creation of steep, uniform hillslopes that failed to replicate the diversity of natural landforms. One of the more severe results of the traditional reclamation method was a dramatic increase in erosion rates and sediment export from reclaimed hillslopes, with subsequent impacts to ecological function. In contrast to traditional reclamation, a more recent approach results in the approximate reconstruction of the pre-mining landscape by mimicking adjacent natural landforms and reflecting the original surface features or geomorphology, but impacts to ecological processes and economic outcomes are not well understood. This project examines the consequences of the two reclamation practices ranging from hydrologic to vegetative functions at a series of geomorphic and traditional reclamation sites in central Wyoming. <br/><br/>Ecological and hydrologic conditions will be measured along reclamation chronosequences (a sequence of differently aged traditional and geomorphically reclaimed sites) using field, remote sensing, and modeling techniques. Data will assess the impacts of topographic restructuring on vegetation recruitment, species composition and diversity, soil moisture, surface runoff, erosion and sediment export, and snow accumulation. At the same time, empirical recovery functions using both cost and environmental metrics will be calculated to serve the goal of evaluating each reclamation technique for meeting restoration objectives and economic cost effectiveness, informing policy makers. An interdisciplinary research team will train students to evaluate dynamic relationships between ecological metrics and economic costs and benefits that match geographic and policy scales. Roundtable discussions will facilitate regulatory-based alternatives to assist public and agency land management goals. Analyzing a series of reclamation sites over time will provide a more comprehensive picture of land recovery outcomes and address questions of importance to sustainable ecosystem management and ecological reclamation of disturbed landscapes. Results of this project will develop baseline data needed globally for successful post-disturbance land recovery and can guide future reclamation efforts in the western United States.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
