Richard Moles

Environmental risk assessment of metals contaminated soils at Silvermines abandoned mine site, Co Tipperary, Ireland

A centuries long history of mining and mineral processing has resulted in elevated Cd, Pb and Zn soil concentrations in the vicinity of the Silvermines abandoned mine site (AMS), Co. Tipperary, Ireland. A process for preliminary evaluation of environmental risk was developed and implemented. Potential pathways of metal compound transport and deposition were mapped and used to optimise the subsequent site investigation. Elevated soil metals are shown to be predominantly in areas where metal deposition in soil is associated with water related pathways (surface runoff, seasonal groundwater seepage and floodplains). Extensive areas of soil in the surrounding district are classified as contaminated on the basis of Cd, Pb and Zn concentrations, both total and potential bioavailable (EDTA-extractable). The most affected areas, with metal concentrations in soil comparable with that within the AMS, were floodplains located 2–3 km downstream from the site. Assessment of the sequential effects on grass and grazing animals indicates that Pb poses the greatest risk due to its high toxicity and high concentrations in soil (more than 10 000 mg kg−1). Within floodplain areas grazing cattle may intake a lethal dose of Pb. On the basis of the investigation an approach to risk assessment was developed which allowed quantified assessment of the risks related to individual metals, areas of contamination and contamination targets.

Assessment of total urban metabolism and metabolic inefficiency in an Irish city-region

This paper aims to measure product and waste flows in an Irish city-region using the principles of metabolism and mass balance. An empirical indicator to measure resource efficiency, using a ratio of waste disposal as a function of product consumption, was developed and it was found that total materials metabolic inefficiency fell by 31% from 0.13 in 1996 to 0.09 in 2002. The paper concludes by analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of this indicator and its potential application in the field of sustainable consumption and resource efficiency as well as making suggestions to improve and strengthen the indicator.

Towards sustainable development in the mid‐west region of Ireland

The University of Limerick, Ireland, in collaboration with the major local authorities in the mid‐west region of Ireland (Limerick County Council, Limerick Corporation, Clare County Council, Tipperary (North Riding) County Council and the Mid‐Western Regional Authority) is currently undertaking a project to promote sustainable development in the region. This is being achieved, first, through the promotion of public participation by directly involving members of local government, the voluntary and community sector and the general public in the region who form the mid‐west steering and advisory groups, second, the development of a range of indicators selected on the basis of sensitivity to sustainable development, and third, the design of a Local Agenda 21 programme in the mid‐west. The paper falls into two parts. First, the current situation in Ireland in relation to sustainable development is reviewed, and second, the University of Limerick case study is described.

Influence of geology, glacial processes and land use on soil composition and Quaternary landscape evolution in The Burren National Park, Ireland

The Burren in County Clare, western Ireland is a glaciated karstic landscape with a fragmented soil and vegetation cover on a predominantly limestone substrate. A representative area approximately 4 km2 in extent located within The Burren National Park was studied in order to determine the distributions of soil types and relate these to geology, glacial erosion and deposition, post-glacial mass movements and land use. Mineralogical and particle size analyses indicate the presence of two distinct soil types, one shale-bearing, the other granite-bearing. Geochemical analyses confirm this division and also reveal soils of mixed composition and a distinctive subtype of granite-bearing soil that occurs exclusively on drumlin-like landforms. The soils on the drumlins formed by the decalcification of limestone-rich glacial diamicton (till) containing granite and metamorphic rocks derived from County Galway to the north. The occurrence of mineralogically similar though geochemically heterogeneous soils throughout the area suggests that there was once an extensive thin cover of diamicton, which has almost entirely vanished because of pedogenesis and erosion. Soils containing shale fragments occur in a glacial dispersion train extending south from outcrops of a small body of shale-rich limestone breccia. Isolated patches of shale-bearing soil occurring up to 1.2 km from these outcrops may have formed by the weathering of ice-transported boulders. The presence of relatively deep soil cover on outcrops of the shale/limestone unit is attributed to Holocene weathering to form an erosion-resistant clay-rich soil. Tree charcoal, 14C-dated to 3300 BP and buried to a depth of 2 m by mixed granite- and shale-bearing soil, indicates that Bronze Age deforestation triggered mass movement and soil erosion. Denudation processes are still active in the Burren landscape.

Use of embodied energy and ecological footprinting to assess the global environmental impact of consumption in an Irish city-region

The objective of this paper is to compare the carbon emissions produced as a result of product consumption by the residents of an Irish city-region, that is Limerick City and its environs. The resulting carbon footprints are used to compare imports of food items, manufactured products and construction materials with domestic production as well as changes between 1996 and 2002. The total ecological footprints (EF) associated with product consumption are also calculated by aggregating the theoretical land required to sequester carbon emissions and the terrestrial land area appropriated for agricultural production and industrial activity. It is suggested that this approach be used to allocate producer or consumer responsibility for environmental impacts from trade.

A System Dynamics Model of Mining Industry Investment Decisions within the Context of Environmental Policy

This paper describes a detailed computer model developed using the Powersim simulation program in the system dynamics tradition. The model comprises over 180 interrelated variables, providing a means of examining the effects of varied environmental, fiscal and corporate policies on the flow of investment funds and mineral resources between a number of simulated mining firms and competing countries. An outline of the system dynamics method is presented, followed by a high-level overview of the model structure. Examples of the application of the model are then discussed.

Radiocarbon dated episode of Bronze Age slope instability in the south-eastern Burren, county Clare

While previously reported evidence from lacustrine sediments has linked Burren soil erosion to anthropogenic forest clearance, there have been no previous accounts of dateable episodes of prehistoric slope instability based on evidence from terrestrial sites. Described here is the occurrence of charcoal buried lo a depth of C. 2m within diamicton at a site on Knockanes hill close to Mullach Mor hill in the south-eastern Burren. An AMS radiocarbon dale places the formation of this charcoal in the Bronze Age. contemporary With exceptionally high rates of soil erosion and forest clearance in a nearby lake catchment. EMS images indicate that the charcoal is of fine grained deciduous wood, most probably hazel (Corylus avellana) but perhaps birch (Betula spp.). Results of analyses of diamictons present in the vicinity of the charcoal support the view that the pattern of occurrence of diamictons in the present day Burren landscape is in pan the product of prehistoric mass movement.

The application of the ecological footprint in two Irish urban areas: Limerick and Belfast

The ecological footprint is now a widely accepted indicator of sustainable development. Footprinting translates resource consumption into the land area required to sustain it, and allows for an average per capita footprint for a region or nation to be compared with the global average. This paper reports on a project in which footprints were calculated for two Irish cities, namely Belfast in Northern Ireland and Limerick in the Republic of Ireland for the year 2001. As is frequently the case at sub-national scale, data quality and availability were often problematic, and in general data gaps were filled by means of population proxies or national averages. A range of methods was applied to convert resource flows to land areas. Both footprints suggest that the lifestyles of citizens of the cities use several times more land than their global share, as has been found for other cities.

Evidence for the Presence of Quaternary Loess-Derived Soils in the Burren Karstic Area, Western Ireland

Quaternary loess-derived soils are found in many mid-latitude countries. Extensive loess deposits have not been described from Ireland except in unpublished reports of possible loessic soils (“stone-free drift”) on karstic terrain in die Burren, Co. Clare. The objective of this study is to verify or discount the presence of loess-derived soils in the Burren. Data on particle size, mineralogy and bulk geochemistry are presented for 14 soil samples from 12 sites, including 6 from areas which unpublished studies had identified (in map form) as covered by stone free drift. Most samples comprise silly clay soils (up to 58% sill) with low carbonate contents and low organic carbon contents. With regard to the carbonate-poor samples, XRD and XRF analyses enabled two groups to be distinguished. Group A soils show characteristics consistent with weathered till, while Group B soils show characteristics consistent with weathered loess. All sites falling within areas mapped as possible loess in previous studies provid...

A comparative analysis of the application of sustainability metric tools using Tipperary Town, Ireland, as a case study

Purpose – The paper aims to assess two sustainability metric methodologies, material flow analysis (MFA) and integrated sustainable cities assessment method (ISCAM), as applied practically to an Irish settlement, in order to compare utility and transparency for stakeholders and policy makers.Design/methodology/approach – Both methods were applied to an Irish settlement, namely Tipperary Town, with MFA measuring efficiency of resource usage, as measured by urban metabolic efficiency, and the ISCAM method simulating alternative scenarios as well as calculating the divergence or otherwise of current or business as usual (BAU) trends from more sustainable scenarios.Findings – It was found that both methods have high data requirements, presenting a need for proxy analysis and disaggregation, with the ISCAM method requiring data functionally matched to a time series and over a long time framework. The ISCAM method may also require more advanced extrapolation methods than the simple linear extrapolation employed...