A Landscape-Scale Comparison of Wetlands Associated with Surface Coal Extraction and Naturally-Occurring Wetlands in the Central Appalachian Mountains, USA

Abstract

Surface coal extraction exerts substantial influences on the structure and function of ecosystems throughout the central Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America. In particular, the flattening of local terrain following surface mining predisposes many areas to incidental wetland formation, with other wetlands being intentionally constructed on former surface mines for stormwater control and mine drainage remediation. Past work has examined local-scale patterns in the water quality, floral assemblages, and wildlife use of mine-associated wetlands, although little to no information currently exists on landscape-scale patterns of wetland formation in response to surface mining. We inventoried naturally-occurring wetlands and wetlands associated with surface mining in the Guest River watershed in Wise County, Virginia, USA, one of the most heavily surface-mined watersheds in the Virginia coalfields. We found evidence of substantial wetland creation as a result of surface mining at the landscape scale, with mine-associated wetlands being located at significantly higher elevations, in different vegetative contexts, and significantly closer to nearby wetlands than unmined wetlands in the same watershed. Our results suggest that surface mining is a major source of wetland creation across the central Appalachian coalfields with potentially significant, landscape-scale implications for hydrological patterns, wetland-associated wildlife, and the distribution of wetland flora.