Robert Darmody - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Robert Darmody

Soil Science Society of America Journal, 2002

1. Familiarize students with the history of the fields of restoration ecology and land remediatio... more 1. Familiarize students with the history of the fields of restoration ecology and land remediation, especially mineland reclamation. 2. Provide students with an understanding of nature of different types of ecosystem disturbance and problems associated with their remediation. 3. Discuss the implications of land disturbance; how different ecosystem components are affected by disturbance and how they are addressed during remediation. 4. Impart students with an understanding of the process of disturbed land reclamation. 5. Familiarize students with state and federal regulations regarding land reclamation. 6. Discuss the use of bioremediation and phytoremediation techniques in the cleanup of contaminated land.

Physical Geography, Oct 1, 1989

Seven soil pits dug in a downhill sequence beneath Martinelli snow patch, Niwot Ridge, Front Rang... more Seven soil pits dug in a downhill sequence beneath Martinelli snow patch, Niwot Ridge, Front Range, Colorado, reveal that soils are coarse-grained with only limited evidence of silt translocation. Clay mineralogy within the pits exhibits a widespread and distinct change at a depth of ∼15–20 cm. The most common characteristic of this change is a distinct increase in vermiculite in the lower layer, usually accompanied by a decrease in kaolinite and/or smectite. This pattern is interpreted to reflect decreased weathering intensity with depth. Microenvironments beneath the snow patch which exhibit high chemical weathering rates on coarse surficial debris also appear to experience high rates of clay production relative to referenced dry alpine sites, with specific clay mineralogies varying in a fashion commonly found in humid temperate environments. Data generated in this study appear to provide site-specific support for the regionally-developed Synthetic Alpine Slope Model. Spatial variations in eolian additi...

International Journal of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Environment, 1992

Subsidence from longwall underground coal mining adversely impacts agricultural land by creating ... more Subsidence from longwall underground coal mining adversely impacts agricultural land by creating wet or ponded areas. While most subsided areas show little impact, some localized places, usually less than l·5 ha in size, may experience total crop failure. Coal companies mitigate subsidence damaged cropland by installing drainage waterways or by adding fill material to raise the grade. The objective of this study was to test the effectiveness of mitigation in restoring corn and soybean yields to pre-mined levels. Fourteen sites in southern Illinois were selected for study. Corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L)yields from mitigated and nearby undisturbed areas were compared for four years. Results varied due to differing weather and site conditions. Mean corn yields overall, however were significantly ( α=0·05) lower on mitigated areas. There was no significant difference in overall mean soybean yields. Soil fertility levels were similar and did not account for yield differences.

Journal of Environmental Quality, Apr 1, 1983

The problems and procedures of reclamation of forest land disturbed by coal mining are reviewed w... more The problems and procedures of reclamation of forest land disturbed by coal mining are reviewed with particular emphasis on the Eastern and Midwestern regions of the USA. The history of post-surface mining control and reclamation is outlined highlighting major trends. Forestry ...

IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Sep 1, 2015

We evaluate the feasibility of quantifying surface soil properties over large areas and at a fine... more We evaluate the feasibility of quantifying surface soil properties over large areas and at a fine spatial resolution using high-resolution airborne imaging spectroscopy. Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data collected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration immediately after the large 2011 Mississippi River flood at the Birds Point New Madrid (BPNM, ≈ 700 km2) flood way in Missouri, USA, was used in a data mining lasso framework for mapping of soil textural properties such as percentages of sand, silt, clay, soil-organic matter, and many other soil chemicals constituents. The modeling results show that the approach is feasible and provide insights in the accuracy and uncertainty of the approach for both soil textural properties and chemical constituents. These models were further used for a pixel-by-pixel prediction of each the soil constituent, resulting in high-resolution (7.6 m) quantitative spatial maps in the entire floodway. These maps reveal coherent spatial correlations with historical meander patterns of Mississippi River and fine-scale features such as erosional gullies, represented by difference in constituent concentration, e.g., low soil organic matter, with the underlying topography immediately disturbed by the large flooding event. Further, we have argued and established that the independent validation results are better represented as a probability density function as compared with a single calibration-validation set. It is also found that modeled soil constituents are sensitive to NDVI and the calibration sample sizes, and the results improve with stricter (lower) NDVI thresholds and larger calibration sets.

Natural sciences education, 1983

CRC Press eBooks, Aug 16, 2019

Soil Science Society of America Journal, 1977

Two X-ray spectroscopy techniques, called additions and corrections, were developed for total S a... more Two X-ray spectroscopy techniques, called additions and corrections, were developed for total S analysis of soils. The techniques are especially applicable to tidal marsh soils because of the wide range in organic matter contents of these soils and the importance of S in their genesis, classification, and management. Both methods involve basically the same equation: %S = (Sample counts/sec)/(counts/sec per %S), where c/sec is the sulfur Kα counts/sec (peak minus background). In the additions technique, the c/sec per %S is estimated by adding a known concentration of S as thiourea to a powdered soil sample and determining c/sec with and without addition. In the corrections technique, the c/sec per %S is based on the soil organic matter content, since c/sec per %S increases in a regular manner with increasing organic matter content. Results by the additions technique agreed well with values from Na₂CO₃ fusion analyses of tidal marsh soils and with Leco furnace analyses of powdered rock samples, and analyses by the corrections technique agreed well with those by the additions technique. When compared with National Bureau of Standards values for standard coals, however, total S contents were underestimated by the additions technique as employed, apparently at least partly related to a pyritic S form in the coals. Pyritic S gives less c/sec per %S than thiourea. An organoleptic “whiff” (aroma) method for field estimation of S in marsh soils is also described. “Whiff” values gave a highly significant correlation (r = 0.53) with surface soil S content as measured by the X-ray additions technique. Maryland tidal marsh soils examined contained 0.10 to 96% organic matter and 0.02 to 5.44% total S.

Natural sciences education, Sep 1, 1991

Soil Science Society of America Journal, Sep 1, 1985

This paper details the development of a technique to assess the relative weathering state of quar... more This paper details the development of a technique to assess the relative weathering state of quartz grains as revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This approach considers the criticisms leveled against environmental assessments based on SEM observations. The method uses only one size fraction of grains to eliminate size dependent surface texture variability. Operator bias is removed by coding specimens. A semiquantitative approach is used: five grain surface features indicative of “weathering” and five indicative of “freshness” are observed on each grain. A binary scoring system is used where a negative point is assigned for the presence of a weathering feature and a positive point is assigned for the presence of a freshness feature. A zero is assigned for each absent indicator feature. Summing the points gives the weathering class (WC) for a grain. The mean WC for 15 to 30 grains is the weathering classification for a sample. This systematic approach is an improvement over qualitative assessments and allows for statistical analysis of the data.

Soil Science Society of America Journal, May 1, 1979