Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Poster
Presentation #1 Title
Selenium in mining –influenced streams: an assessment of enrichment and bioaccumulation
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Surface coal mining dominates land change in central Appalachia, impacting the stream ecosystems in ways both physical and chemical. The EPA recognizes elevated levels of dissolved selenium as a principal alteration of the aquatic environment. Following a mining event, selenium is leached from previously un-weathered rock, entering streams at dangerously elevated levels and producing toxic effects in stream biota. However, attaching a quantifiable value to “dangerously elevated” presents a challenge to regulators due to the complex nature of selenium enrichment and bioaccumulation dynamics. Site specific studies are needed to evaluate the threat of elevated selenium concentrations in mining-influenced streams. My research project seeks to further the understanding of selenium dynamics in headwater streams of Virginia and West Virginia. In the fall of 2015 and the spring of 2016, water column, stream bed sediments, algae, leaf detritus, and benthic macroinvertebrates were collected from streams both impacted and un-impacted by surface coal mining. Samples where analyzed for selenium concentrations and values were used to calculate ratios of enrichment and trophic transfer. Preliminary results have found significantly increased concentration of selenium in media collected from streams impacted by coal-mining. Further data analysis will yield results that will improve understanding of ecosystem processes governing mining-introduced selenium dynamic. This study will aid in the development of water quality criteria that can safely protect aquatic biota in in Appalachian streams.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Kriddie Whitmore is a North Carolina native but has called Blacksburg, VA home since beginning her studies as a Master's student at Virginia Tech. Since she was small, Kriddie has had a deep affection for streams, evolving into a desire to protect stream ecosystems health in her professional life.
Selenium in mining –influenced streams: an assessment of enrichment and bioaccumulation
Surface coal mining dominates land change in central Appalachia, impacting the stream ecosystems in ways both physical and chemical. The EPA recognizes elevated levels of dissolved selenium as a principal alteration of the aquatic environment. Following a mining event, selenium is leached from previously un-weathered rock, entering streams at dangerously elevated levels and producing toxic effects in stream biota. However, attaching a quantifiable value to “dangerously elevated” presents a challenge to regulators due to the complex nature of selenium enrichment and bioaccumulation dynamics. Site specific studies are needed to evaluate the threat of elevated selenium concentrations in mining-influenced streams. My research project seeks to further the understanding of selenium dynamics in headwater streams of Virginia and West Virginia. In the fall of 2015 and the spring of 2016, water column, stream bed sediments, algae, leaf detritus, and benthic macroinvertebrates were collected from streams both impacted and un-impacted by surface coal mining. Samples where analyzed for selenium concentrations and values were used to calculate ratios of enrichment and trophic transfer. Preliminary results have found significantly increased concentration of selenium in media collected from streams impacted by coal-mining. Further data analysis will yield results that will improve understanding of ecosystem processes governing mining-introduced selenium dynamic. This study will aid in the development of water quality criteria that can safely protect aquatic biota in in Appalachian streams.
