Physico-Chemical Influence of Surface Water Contaminated by Acid Mine Drainage on the Populations of Diatoms in Dams (Iberian Pyrite Belt, SW Spain)

Maria José Rivera, Ana Teresa Luís, José Antonio Grande, Aguasanta Miguel Sarmiento, José Miguel Dávila, Juan Carlos Fortes, Francisco Córdoba, Jesus Diaz-Curiel and María Santisteban
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Maria José Rivera: Department of Water, Mining and Environment, Scientific and Technological Center of Huelva, University of Huelva, 21004 Huelva, Spain
Ana Teresa Luís: Department of Water, Mining and Environment, Scientific and Technological Center of Huelva, University of Huelva, 21004 Huelva, Spain
José Antonio Grande: Department of Water, Mining and Environment, Scientific and Technological Center of Huelva, University of Huelva, 21004 Huelva, Spain
Aguasanta Miguel Sarmiento: Department of Water, Mining and Environment, Scientific and Technological Center of Huelva, University of Huelva, 21004 Huelva, Spain
José Miguel Dávila: Department of Water, Mining and Environment, Scientific and Technological Center of Huelva, University of Huelva, 21004 Huelva, Spain
Juan Carlos Fortes: Department of Water, Mining and Environment, Scientific and Technological Center of Huelva, University of Huelva, 21004 Huelva, Spain
Francisco Córdoba: Department of Integrated Sciences—Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Huelva, 21071 Huelva, Spain
Jesus Diaz-Curiel: Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Minas, Ríos Rosas 21, 28003 Madrid, Spain
María Santisteban: Department of Water, Mining and Environment, Scientific and Technological Center of Huelva, University of Huelva, 21004 Huelva, Spain

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 22, 1-15

Abstract: Twenty-three water dams located in the Iberian Pyrite Belt were studied during March 2012 (early spring) in order to carry out an environmental assessment based on diatom communities and to define the relationships between these biological communities and the physico-chemical characteristics of the dam surface water. This is the first time that a diatom inventory has been done for dams affected by acid mine drainage (AMD) in the Spanish part of the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB). It was found that the pH was the main factor influencing the behaviour of the diatom communities. Then, using a dbRDA approach it was possible to organize the aggrupation of diatoms into four groups in response to the physico-chemical conditions of the ecosystem, especially pH: (1) Maris, Aac, Gos, Cmora (pH 2–3); (2) Andc, San, And, Dpin (pH 3–4.5); (3) Gran, Pleon, Oliv, Lagu, Chan, SilI, SilII, Joya, Gar, Agrio, Camp, Corum (pH 4.5–6); (4) Herr, Diq I, Diq II (pH 6–7). The obtained results confirmed the response of benthic diatom communities to changes in the physico-chemical characteristics of surface water, and helped to understand the role of diatoms as indicators of the degree of AMD contamination in those 23 dams. Special attention was given to those that have an acidophilic or acid-tolerant profile (pH 2–3 and pH 3–4.5) such as Pinnularia aljustrelica , Pinnularia acidophila , Pinnularia acoricola and Eunotia exigua , which are the two groups found in the most AMD contaminated dams.

Keywords: acid mine drainage (AMD); benthic diatoms; acidophiles; Pyritic mines; dams; Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB); Tinto River; Odiel River (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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