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Title: ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF COAL MINING PRACTICES IN SVALBARD: INSIGHTS FROM SOIL, VEGETATION, AND COAL ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF COAL MINING PRACTICES IN SVALBARD: INSIGHTS FROM SOIL, VEGETATION, AND COAL ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS

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Anna Abramova
10.5593/sgem2023/5.1/s20.14
10.5593/sgem2023/5.1
1314-2704
978-619-7603-60-6
English
23
5.1
•    Prof. DSc. Oleksandr Trofymchuk, UKRAINE 
•    Prof. Dr. hab. oec. Baiba Rivza, LATVIA
Ecology and Environmental Protection
This study quantifies the elemental composition of soil, vegetation, and the level of trace elements in coals to identify the impacts associated with coal mining practices in the Longyearbyen and Barentsburg settlements, the Svalbard archipelago. The analysis is based on a data set that includes 26 chemical elements measured in 74 soil, 29 vegetation, and 4 coal samples provided by a catena-based survey strategy. The concentrations of lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), and vanadium (V) in the soils did not exceed the European regulatory standards (the Finnish Standard and the Norwegian Soil Quality Standard), while arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) overstepped their threshold values in some soils. The Geoaccumulation Index (Igeo) values showed that soils were enriched in titanium (Ti), strontium (Sr), boron (B), and zirconium (Zr). The elemental screening of the exposed coals, soils, and vegetation revealed high concentrations of these four elements as well. The examination of geospatial patterns shows that the concentrations of Ti, Sr, Zr, and B in the soils are distributed evenly along the most of the sampling transects (catenas). While the distribution of elements in the soils between the transects (catenas) varies considerably, the highest concentrations for Ti, Sr, B, and Zr are observed near the currently operating coal mining and transportation facilities.
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I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Sergey Chernyanskii for his valuable comments on the paper. Furthermore, I would like to acknowledge the generous support received throughout the various stages of this study. The fieldwork was sponsored by the Safety of Maritime Operation and Sustainable Industrial Development in the Arctic program (SMIDA) (2013-2015), with additional support from the Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Education (SIU, grant number CPRU-2011/10042) and the Research Council of Norway Arctic Field Grant (2014-2015). The laboratory tests were made possible by the Svalbard Environmental Protection Fund (grant number 14/140) (2015-2017). During the data analysis stage, this work received support from the Fulbright Visiting Researcher Scholarship (U.S.A., 2015-2016) and the Frank Gossette Scholarship (CSULB, USA, 2020-2021).
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https://doi.org/10.5593/sgem2023/5.1/s20.14
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Proceedings of 23rd International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2023
23rd International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2023, 03 - 09 July, 2023
Proceedings Paper
STEF92 Technology
International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM
SWS Scholarly Society; Acad Sci Czech Republ; Latvian Acad Sci; Polish Acad Sci; Serbian Acad Sci and Arts; Natl Acad Sci Ukraine; Natl Acad Sci Armenia; Sci Council Japan; European Acad Sci, Arts and Letters; Acad Fine Arts Zagreb Croatia; Croatian Acad Sci and Arts; Acad Sci Moldova; Montenegrin Acad Sci and Arts; Georgian Acad Sci; Acad Fine Arts and Design Bratislava; Turkish Acad Sci.
113-122
03 - 09 July, 2023
website
9282
environmental assessment, coal mining impact, soil contamination, Igeo environmental index, Svalbard

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