The nutrient budget of colliery spoil tip sites. I. Nutrient input in rainfall and nutrient losses in surface run-off.
Abstract
The nutrient input in rainfall was determined at three colliery spoil heaps in Yorkshire and at a rural site. The only major difference between sites was a consistently high Na:K ratio in rainfall at the rural site. Losses of nutrients in surface run-off were estimated for bare and grassed colliery spoil. Substantial quantities of nutrients, added as fertilizer, may be lost from recently reclaimed sites. There was a net loss of sodium, calcium and magnesium from bare spoil but net gains of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from rainfall.<new para>ADDITIONAL ABSTRACT:<new para>The input in rainfall of Na, K, Ca, Mg, P, NH4-N, NO3-N and organic N was determined for 3 spoil heaps in Yorkshire and for a rural site. The only signficant difference between sites was a higher Na/K ratio in rainfall at the rural site. Measurement of nutrient loss in runoff indicated that substantial quantities of nutrients, added as fertilizer, may be lost from recently reclaimed sites. Bare spoil showed a net loss of Na, Ca and Mg and net gains of N, P and K from [runoff and] rainfall. From authors' summary.
Key words
- calcium
- composition
- cycling
- ecosystems
- grasslands
- losses
- losses from soil
- magnesium
- meteorological factors
- mine spoil
- mined land
- nutrient balance
- nutrient content
- nutrients
- plant composition
- precipitation
- rain
- RECLAMATION
- runoff
- sodium
- soil
- soil chemistry
- soil conservation
- soil types
- soil types (anthropogenic)
- solutes
- water conservation