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Risks to biodiversity from hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in the Marcellus and Utica shales
Author(s) -
Kiviat Erik
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/nyas.12146
Subject(s) - biota , environmental science , wetland , biodiversity , hydraulic fracturing , wildlife , invertebrate , habitat , ecology , fishery , geology , biology , petroleum engineering
High‐volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing (HVHHF) for mining natural gas from the Marcellus and Utica shales is widespread in Pennsylvania and potentially throughout approximately 280,000 km 2 of the Appalachian Basin. Physical and chemical impacts of HVHHF include pollution by toxic synthetic chemicals, salt, and radionuclides, landscape fragmentation by wellpads, pipelines, and roads, alteration of stream and wetland hydrology, and increased truck traffic. Despite concerns about human health, there has been little study of the impacts on habitats and biota. Taxa and guilds potentially sensitive to HVHHF impacts include freshwater organisms (e.g., brook trout, freshwater mussels), fragmentation‐sensitive biota (e.g., forest‐interior breeding birds, forest orchids), and species with restricted geographic ranges (e.g., Wehrle's salamander, tongue‐tied minnow). Impacts are potentially serious due to the rapid development of HVHHF over a large region.