Geospatial modeling of potential contamination exposure to abandoned or inactive mine sites and trash dumps on the Crow Nation
Topics: Indigenous Peoples
, Geographic Information Science and Systems
, Hazards and Vulnerability
Keywords: Multi-criteria decision analysis, Abandoned or inactive mines, Trash dumps, Environmental risk mapping, Crow Nation, Weighted linear combination, Forest based classification and regression, Analytic hierarchy process
Session Type: Virtual Poster Abstract
Day: Sunday
Session Start / End Time: 2/27/2022 02:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/27/2022 03:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 38
Authors:
Theodros Mentesinot Woldeyohannes, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of New Mexico
Yan Lin, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of New Mexico
Joseph Hoover, Department of Social Sciences and Cultural Studies, Montana State University Billings
Daniel Beene, Community Environmental Health Program, College of Pharmacy, Health Sciences Center, University of New Mexico
Zhuoming Liu, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of New Mexico
Christopher Girlamo, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of New Mexico
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Abstract
The Crow Nation (CN), a sovereign indigenous tribal nation in the Mountain West United States, is home to over 400 abandoned or inactive mines (AIMs). Additionally, municipal solid waste infrastructure is lacking, leading to unregulated trash dumps (TDs) and widespread burning of waste. Previous health studies have documented numerous associated health risks related to exposures from AIMs and TDs on tribal lands. Limited geospatial modeling has been performed regarding this risk, frequently relying on single factors of potential risk instead of considering multiple environmental vectors of exposure. Recently, established geospatial and computational methods have been applied to this kind of risk assessment. We adopted such methods to develop sophisticated risk maps illustrating the potential for AIM and TD contamination on the CN, in the form of a GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis (GIS-MCDA). Model sensitivity was assessed using the one-at-a-time method, and statistical validation was conducted using environmental data fit to a geographically weighted regression (GWR). The sensitivity analysis indicated reliability of the models, including a strong model fit (R^2=0.82) as indicated by the GWR. The models classify 1.8% of the CN as being at a higher risk for AIM contamination, while 19.3% of the CN is classified at higher risk for TD contamination. This study can be considered as a novel application of modeling techniques related to environmental risk mapping on the CN. This study has the potential to inform future epidemiological research and public policy efforts and further highlights the health risks and infrastructure needs of rural indigenous communities.
Geospatial modeling of potential contamination exposure to abandoned or inactive mine sites and trash dumps on the Crow Nation
Category
Virtual Poster Abstract
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