Quantifying the impacts of coal seam gas (CSG) activities on the soil resource of agricultural lands in Queensland, Australia
Paper
Paper/Presentation Title | Quantifying the impacts of coal seam gas (CSG) activities on the soil resource of agricultural lands in Queensland, Australia |
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Presentation Type | Paper |
Authors | Vacher, C. A. (Author), White, S. (Author), Eberhard, J. (Author), Schmidt, E. (Author), Huth, N. I. (Author) and Antille, D. L. (Author) |
Journal or Proceedings Title | Proceedings of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Annual International Meeting (ASABE 2014) |
Journal Citation | 4, pp. 2368-2377 |
Number of Pages | 10 |
Year | 2014 |
Place of Publication | St. Joseph, MI. United States |
ISBN | 9781632668455 |
Web Address (URL) of Paper | http://elibrary.asabe.org/azdez.asp?JID=5&AID=44705&CID=mon2014&T=2 |
Conference/Event | American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Annual International Meeting (ASABE 2014) |
Event Details | American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Annual International Meeting (ASABE 2014) Parent American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Annual International Meeting, ASABE Event Date 13 to end of 16 Jul 2014 Event Location Montreal, Canada |
Abstract | Coal seam gas (CSG) activities in the Surat and Bowen Basin areas of Queensland, Australia, cover approximately 300,000 km2 including regions of good quality agricultural lands. Without adequate knowledge of soil properties, hydrologic processes and control measures, the disturbed soil structure and landform in these regions are highly susceptible to soil degradation. The construction and installation of CSG infrastructures (e.g. roads, pipelines, hardstand and plant areas) cause various degrees of disturbance to the soil physical, chemical and biological characteristics. This disturbance may result in soil degradation through various forms including compaction, erosion processes, changes to organic carbon and soil nutrient store, exposure of potentially reactive/poor quality soils (e.g. acid sulphate soils, hyper-saline soils) or introduction of outside contaminants (poor quality water, weeds). Not only are soils directly disturbed by the footprint of the CSG operation but the surrounding soil landscape may be disturbed by secondary processes such as erosion and sedimentation. Soil compaction changes caused by CSG operations, including vehicle impacts and trench line installation, have been assessed by soil bulk density measurements. This measurement has been identified as a common impact by CSG operation and a key element of soil degradation of agricultural areas contributing poor vegetation establishment, tunnel and surface erosion processes and an ongoing decline for soil productivity. Quantifying the impacts of CSG activities on soils will inform the development of industry guidelines for impact minimisation and management of the soil resource on joint CSG-agricultural lands. |
Keywords | coal seam gas; erosion; soil compaction; soil conservation; soil degradation; soil management |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 410406. Natural resource management |
410601. Land capability and soil productivity | |
300202. Agricultural land management | |
Public Notes | This publication is copyright. It may be reproduced in whole or in part for the purposes of study, research, or review, but is subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgment of the source. |
Byline Affiliations | National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture |
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia | |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q2x16/quantifying-the-impacts-of-coal-seam-gas-csg-activities-on-the-soil-resource-of-agricultural-lands-in-queensland-australia
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