Characterizing streamflow response of a mountaintop-mined watershed to changing land use

摘要: Abstract Mountaintop removal mining is a dominant driver of land use/land cover changes in the Appalachian Region eastern United States and expected to increase scale coming decades. While several studies quantify attributed traditional surface at regional scales, no we are aware focus specifically on mountaintop removal/valley fill practices watershed scale. Further, despite its extent, impact runoff, particularly larger spatial scales (10 3  km 2 ), poorly understood due complex relationships between climate, use, hydrology. To explore impacts this practice broader estimated using Landsat 5 TM imagery over five periods 1994 2010; used simple rainfall–runoff model estimate hydrologic response time; conducted non-parametric trend analyses annual metrics (streamflow, Q / P , time) for Big Coal River located southern West Virginia coalfields. No statistically significant trends were detected any timeseries. The lack detectable correlations use hydrology basin not entirely unexpected history mosaic that span timescales than our study period. Further interannual variation likely overwhelms ability detect potential monotonic analysis time scale, light strong streamflow seasonality. Future therefore should include different methods change detection applied more appropriately account seasonal variations. Until significance water resources (quality quality) understood, efforts reduce environmental problems associated with will be difficult achieve.