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Burger J, Gochfeld M, Giffen N, Brown KG, Cortes M, Ng K, Kosson DS. Comparing land cover and interior forests on contaminated land and the surrounding region: Oak Ridge Reservation as a case study. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART A 2023:1-17. [PMID: 37335075 DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2023.2223231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Pressure from expanding populations has resulted in a need for protection, reclamation, and restoration of damaged land to productive, beneficial health uses. The objective of this investigation was to 1) compare land cover on the Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) with the surrounding region, 2) select an indicator to evaluate ORR's protection of ecological resources, and 3) develop and implement a method to compare the amount of the indicator on ORR with the regions using National Land Cover Database (NLCD). Data demonstrated that ORR has a higher % of forests (deciduous, coniferous, mixed) than the 10 km and 30 km areas surrounding ORR, suggesting that obligations are being met to protect the ecology and environment. The findings also indicate that the interior forest at ORR is fragmented more than is the interior forest in the 30 km buffer zone, suggesting a need for DOE and managers of other lands to take into consideration the importance of intact interior forest when developing land or planning roads. The study describes the basis for specific ecological parameters such as interior forest that are important to consider when planning and executing remediation, restoration, and other management actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Burger
- Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Rutgers University and Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Michael Gochfeld
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Rutgers University and Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Neil Giffen
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Kevin G Brown
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Rutgers University and Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Monica Cortes
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Rutgers University and Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Kelly Ng
- Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Rutgers University and Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - David S Kosson
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Rutgers University and Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
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Muha TP, Rodriguez-Barreto D, O'Rorke R, Garcia de Leaniz C, Consuegra S. Using eDNA Metabarcoding to Monitor Changes in Fish Community Composition After Barrier Removal. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.629217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Artificial instream barriers are a major cause of habitat fragmentation that reduce population connectivity and gene flow by limiting fish movements. To mitigate their impacts, obsolete barriers are increasingly been removed worldwide, but few barrier removal projects are monitored. We employed a powerful Before-After-Downstream-Upstream (BADU) approach using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to examine the effects on fish community composition of removing a weir in the river Lugg (England) that had been suggested to have a detrimental effect on salmonid migration. We found no change in fish community diversity or relative abundance after the removal above or below the weir, but detected an important effect of sampling season, likely related to the species' life cycles. eDNA detected nine fish species that were also identified by electrofishing sampling and one additional species (Anguilla anguilla) that was missed by traditional surveys. Our results suggest that monitoring of barrier removal projects should be carried out to ensure that any ecological benefits are properly documented and that eDNA metabarcoding is a sensitive technique to monitor the effects of barrier removal.
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Burger J. Costs and Benefits of Delaying Remediation on Ecological Resources at Contaminated Sites. ECOHEALTH 2019; 16:454-475. [PMID: 31377906 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-019-01437-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2018] [Revised: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The USA and other nations have massive industrial, radiologic, and chemical legacy wastes on numerous sites, for example from the Cold War and industrial activities. Most of these sites will require remediation (cleanup of contaminants). Prioritization is essential to determine the order of cleanup, leaving some tasks for a later time. This paper examines the potential costs and benefits of delaying remediation on ecological resources on contaminated sites. Aspects to consider include those related to management and planning, source term and pathways, risks and resources, and external drivers (regulations and laws, stakeholders). The US Department of Energy was used as a case study to examine the effects of delaying remediation. The conceptual model and tables provided here can serve as guidance or checklists for site managers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Burger
- Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854-8082, USA.
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Insitutute, Rutgers Univesity, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
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