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Effects of rainfall intensity and compaction on water transport from opencast coal mine soils: An experimental study
Author(s) -
Wang Fengjiao,
Wang Jinman
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
hydrological processes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.222
H-Index - 161
eISSN - 1099-1085
pISSN - 0885-6087
DOI - 10.1002/hyp.13582
Subject(s) - surface runoff , soil water , infiltration (hvac) , compaction , bulk density , environmental science , hydrology (agriculture) , soil science , intensity (physics) , water content , coal mining , geology , coal , geotechnical engineering , materials science , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering , waste management , ecology , composite material , biology
The use of heavy machinery during opencast coal mining can result in soil compaction. Severe soil compaction has a negative impact on the transport of water and gas in the soil. In addition, rainfall intensity has traditionally been related to soil surface sealing affecting water transport. To assess the effects of rainfall intensity and compaction on water infiltration and surface runoff in an opencast coal mining area, the disturbed soils from the Antaibao opencast mine in Shanxi Province, China, were collected. Four soil columns with different bulk densities (i.e., 1.4 g cm ‐3 , 1.5 g cm ‐3 , 1.6 g cm ‐3 , and 1.7 g cm ‐3 ) were designed, and each column received water five times at rainfall intensities of 23.12, 28.91, 38.54, 57.81, and 115.62 mm hr ‐1 . The total volume of runoff, the time to start runoff, and the volumetric water contents at the depths of 5 cm, 15 cm, 25 cm, 35 cm, 45 cm, 55 cm, and 65 cm were measured. Under the same soil bulk density, high rainfall intensity reduced infiltration, increased surface runoff, and decreased the magnitude of change in the volumetric water contents at different depths. Under the same rainfall intensity, the soil column with a high bulk density showed relatively low water infiltration. Treatments 3 (1.6 g cm ‐3 ) and 4 (1.7 g cm ‐3 ) had very small changes in volumetric water contents of the profiles even under a lower rainfall intensity. Severe soil compaction was highly prone to surface runoff after rainfall. Engineering and revegetation measures are available to improve compacted soil quality in dumps. Our results provide a theoretical basis for the management of land reclamation in opencast coal mine areas.