School of Applied and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Federation University Australia, Mount Helen Campus, VIC 3350, Australia.
School of Applied and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Federation University Australia, Mount Helen Campus, VIC 3350, Australia.
Sci Total Environ. 2017 Dec 1;599-600:1740-1755. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.05.096. Epub 2017 May 19.
One of the significant economic benefits to communities around the world of having pristine forest catchments is the supply of substantial quantities of high quality potable water. This supports a saving of around US$ 4.1 trillion per year globally by limiting the cost of expensive drinking water treatments and provision of unnecessary infrastructure. Even low levels of contaminants specifically organics and metals in catchments when in a mobile state can reduce these economic benefits by seriously affecting the water quality. Contamination and contaminant mobility can occur through natural and anthropogenic activities including forest fires. Moderate to high intensity forest fires are able to alter soil properties and release sequestered metals from sediments, soil organic matter and fragments of vegetation. In addition, the increase in post-fire erosion rate by rainfall runoff and strong winds facilitates the rapid transport of these metals downslope and downstream. The subsequent metal deposition in distal soil and water bodies can influence surface water quality with potential impacts to the larger ecosystems inclusive of negative effects on humans. This is of substantial concern as 4 billion hectares of forest catchments provide high quality water to global communities. Redressing this problem requires quantification of the potential effects on water resources and instituting rigorous fire and environmental management plans to mitigate deleterious effects on catchment areas. This paper is a review of the current state of the art literature dealing with the risk of post-fire mobilization of the metals into surface water resources. It is intended to inform discussion on the preparation of suitable management plans and policies during and after fire events in order to maintain potable water quality in a cost-effective manner. In these times of climate fluctuation and increased incidence of fires, the need for development of new policies and management frameworks are of heighted significance.
世界上许多拥有原始森林集水区的社区都能从中获得巨大的经济效益，其中包括提供大量高质量的饮用水。这可以节省全球每年约 4.1 万亿美元的费用，避免了昂贵的饮用水处理和不必要的基础设施建设成本。即使集水区中污染物（特别是有机物和金属）的含量很低，但处于移动状态时，也会严重影响水质，从而降低这些经济效益。污染和污染物的迁移可以通过自然和人为活动（包括森林火灾）发生。中度到高强度的森林火灾能够改变土壤特性，并从沉积物、土壤有机质和植被碎片中释放被固定的金属。此外，降雨径流和强风增加了火灾后的侵蚀速率，促进了这些金属的快速顺坡和下游迁移。随后在下游土壤和水体中的金属沉积会影响地表水的质量，并可能对包括人类在内的更大生态系统产生负面影响。这是一个非常严重的问题，因为全球有 40 亿公顷的森林集水区为全球社区提供高质量的水。解决这个问题需要量化对水资源的潜在影响，并制定严格的火灾和环境管理计划，以减轻对集水区的有害影响。本文综述了当前有关火灾后金属向地表水迁移风险的文献，旨在为制定适当的管理计划和政策提供信息，以在火灾事件期间和之后以具有成本效益的方式维持饮用水质量。在气候波动和火灾发生率增加的时代，制定新政策和管理框架的需求具有重要意义。
