Mine drainage refers to the flow of water influenced by mining activities, often characterized by altered geochemistry, including elevated concentrations of dissolved metals, sulfate, and acidity (acid mine drainage) or alkalinity (neutral/alkaline drainage). It arises when excavated sulfide-bearing minerals, such as pyrite, react with oxygen and water, generating sulfuric acid and mobilizing metals. Research on mine drainage encompasses geochemical reaction pathways, hydrological transport processes, microbial catalysis of sulfide oxidation, prediction of drainage quality, and development of mitigation and treatment technologies, including passive and active systems, to prevent or reduce contamination of surface and groundwater systems.
Scientists have identified the two biggest reasons that once-pristine rivers across the Arctic are growing cloudy with toxic orange iron particles that smother insects and suffocate fish.
Earth Sciences
Jun 2, 2026
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Thawing permafrost is rapidly transforming dozens of Arctic streams into acidic, metal-laden waterways, according to new research published in Science. The study shows how thawing permafrost exposes sulfide minerals that ...
Earth Sciences
May 22, 2026
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Perched on the bow of his long-tail fishing boat, 75-year-old Sukjai Yana untangled a handful of small fish from his net, disappointed by his catch and fretting over whether he can sell them.
Environment
Apr 29, 2026
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14
Researchers at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) have used long-term data from the Spree River to discover that aquatic plants can compensate for declining water levels in a drier climate. ...
Environment
Feb 22, 2026
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21
New findings shed light on the mechanisms behind a natural purification process and identify the key microbial "teammates" that enable mosses to remove metals from water. A promising moss species was discovered in abandoned ...
Ecology
Dec 15, 2025
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Scientists from Heriot-Watt and the University of South Africa have developed a method to convert hazardous acid mine drainage into a valuable resource for drinking water treatment, offering hope for communities living near ...
Environment
Dec 3, 2025
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31
For the past 250 years, people have mined coal industrially in Pennsylvania, U.S.. By 1830, the city of Pittsburgh was using more than 400 tons of the fossil fuel every day. Burning all that coal has contributed to climate ...
Earth Sciences
Nov 1, 2025
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According to a study by the Department of Physics and the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), the Mar Menor saltwater lagoon in Murcia, Spain, the largest ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 13, 2025
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Three million gallons of acidic mine drainage flooded into the Animas River basin 10 years ago, turning the southern Colorado river a mustard yellow and making international headlines.
Environment
Sep 1, 2025
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40
Seabed mining could become one of the defining environmental battles of 2025. Around the world, governments are weighing up whether to allow mining of the ocean floor for metal ores and minerals. New Zealand is among them.
Environment
Jun 16, 2025
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