Information
Level 2 Detail of experimental conditions (what might be found in a journal paper or project brief in Hydstra)
Description of study
What?
Runoff, erosion and water quality were monitored on three different coal mine sites to determine the effect of land slope, vegetation cover and soil and spoil types.
When and Where?
Three coal mines were selected (Curragh, Oaky Creek and Goonyella/Riverside) with a range of soil and spoil materials that are commonly encountered on central Queensland coal fields. The study commenced in 1993 and continued for 6 years.
How?
Three slope gradients (approximately 10, 20 and 30%) were prepared for each site. A depth of 20-30cm of soil at Curragh and Goonyella/Riverside and 10cm at Oaky Creek was laid of the top of the spoil and ripped at 1m intervals across each slope. Pasture and tree treatments were imposed on soil and spoil material and on the 20% slope, single soil and spoil plots were left bare as a comparison with the vegetated treatment. Sediment and runoff were measured for 14 bounded plots, each 0.01ha (20m by 5m) in size.
In each plot (7 per soil and spoil sites), 8 surface samples (0-50 mm) were randomly collected and bulked and a single subsample was taken for chemical and physical properties. On each of the site a range of different pasture and tree species were planted / sown.
The pasture species sown included:
- Chamaecrista rotundifolia (Amiga);
- Stylosanthes hamata (Verano);
- Bothriochloa insculpta;
- Cenchrus ciliaris; and
- Chloris gayana.
The tree species planted included:
- Acacia harpophylla;
- holosericea;
- salicina;
- saligna;
- Casuarina glauca;
- Eucalyptus citriodora;
- E. crebra;
- E. drephanophylla;
- E. populnea; and
- E. tereticornis.
At each site rain was recorded at 1 minute intervals by 2 pluviometers situation on the 20% and 10% gradients and recorded by data loggers. Two rainfall gauges were installed on the 10% and 30% gradients to measure daily rainfall.
Runoff was measured using a tipping bucket. Total runoff and runoff rates were determined by recording the number of tips per min on a data logger. Total tips were also recorded on a mechanical counter. Sediment erosion was measured as 2 components: bedload and suspended sediment in the runoff. Bedload was deposited in 5 m long troughs and was weighted after each rainstorm event and dry weight calculated. A 10cm copper pipe with a 1 mm vertical slot collected a small sample of runoff (0.01% flow) from one side of the tipping bucket and stored in 20 L plastic drums.
Vegetation cover was quantified by a photographic technique (Described in Sallaway et al 1998) which takes photographs at 5 m intervals along each plot and covered an area of 30 m2.
Surface roughness was determined by taking 2 measurements at the horizontal length of the plot and length along the surface relief. Surface relief was measured by laying a tape measure along and over undulations caused by ripping the plots. The rough straight ratio was used to calculate a numeric expression of linear (1 dimensional) surface roughness. A torvane gauge was used to measure surface strength of soil and spoil for a range of moisture conditions. Ten measurements were taken at each sampling event, with moisture samples taken to depth of torvane penetration.
Project administration
Site identifier code: N/A
Principal investigator: Carroll C, Merton L, Burger P
Principal data manager: N/A
Principal organizations: Queensland Department of Natural Resources
Data custodian: Queensland Department of Natural Resources
Key co-operators: N/A
Data access policy: Research has been published but base data is not archived
Planned pathway for data: completed study, no evidence of formal database records.
Data warehousing: for ongoing studies N/A
Planned data upload frequency: for ongoing studies N/A
Key references and sources of this data synthesis
These data summaries have been extracted from:
- Carroll C, Merton L, Burger P. (2000). Impact of vegetative cover and slope on runoff, erosion, and water quality for field plots on a range of soil and spoil materials on central Queensland coal mines. Australian Journal of Soil Research. 38: 313-327.
Keywords:
Erosion, runoff, water quality, mines , spoil.