Understanding long-term hydrometeorological conditions is essential for assessing water resource availability and variability for mining projects. Current practices often rely on conceptual models with empirical relationships and generalized parameters. While these approaches are easier to implement and often have lower data requirements compared to process-based models, they may not perform well outside the conditions for which they were calibrated, limiting their spatial transferability to un-monitored sites and their applicability to changing climate conditions.

This study aims to assess climate change impacts on water availability for a planned mine project in Eastern Canada. A process-based hydrological model was developed to simulate the current and future hydrology of a natural catchment near the mine site. The model was configured with publicly available topographical and meteorological data. Model performance in simulating streamflow was evaluated using the Kling-Gupta Efficiency metric, optimized through the Dynamically Dimensioned Search algorithm. The potential impacts of climate change on catchment hydrology were assessed using an ensemble of CMIP6 simulations for the SSP2-4.5 (moderate) and SSP3-7.0 (high) climate change scenarios.

Kling-Gupta Efficiency for simulating streamflow exceeded 0.8 during both the calibration and validation periods, demonstrating the model's reliability in generating representative hydrographs. The model effectively captures the magnitude and timing of observed snow accumulation and ablation, which is encouraging given that snowmelt runoff largely dominates the streamflow in the region. Projections show an increase in mean annual temperature of 2-4°C by the 2050s and 4-8°C by the 2100s, along with annual precipitation rising by 5-10% by the 2050s and 10-15% by the 2100s. These climatic changes will significantly alter catchment hydrology, with peak discharge projected to decline by approximately 40% and shift from May to April by the 2050s under the high emission scenario. While winter flows are anticipated to increase due to enhanced rainfall and mid-winter melt events, summer water availability is expected to decrease by 20-40%, depending on the emission scenario and projection period.

The outcomes of this study provide essential insights for the planned mine project, highlighting the need for proactive management of water resources. By quantifying anticipated changes in water availability, this study supports the formulation of targeted adaptation strategies, such as optimizing water storage and usage practices, enhancing runoff management in winter, and implementing measures to cope with reduced summer flow. These strategies will be crucial for ensuring sustainable mining operations, maintaining operational efficiency, and minimizing potential environmental impacts in the face of climate variability.

Underwater mine exploration is a challenging task due to confined spaces, the need for high precision, and extreme environmental conditions. Traditional human-based methods are not only risky but also inefficient in submerged environments. This abstract introduces UNEXMIN Georobotics' underwater robotic technology, which provides a safe, non-invasive, and highly efficient alternative to manual exploration, particularly in abandoned, flooded, or hard-to-access mine workings. Our robotic system allows us to collect valuable geological and structural data while substantially reducing human exposure to dangerous conditions. This work is important as it addresses the growing need for cost-effective, automated solutions in the mining industry.

Our approach is centred around a novel underwater robotic platform designed for confined and extreme environments, specifically tight mine shafts that are often submerged and inaccessible by traditional means. The UX robotic technology incorporates advanced navigation systems, including a Doppler Velocity Log (DVL), inertial measurement units (IMU), multibeam sonar, 360° imaging sonar and high-precision laser modules. Our robots are equipped with six cameras and optical cable connection to ensure precise, real-time data acquisition up to 1500 m water depth. What sets our approach apart is the combination of these technologies in a modular, compact egg-shaped design that can access areas as small as 1 meter in diameter.

Our key findings include successful deployments in several test environments and active mine sites, where our robotic system demonstrated its ability to navigate complex underwater environments, collect high-resolution 3D data, and perform tasks autonomously. In 2022, our robot set a world record by reaching 450 meters in depth during a dive in the Hranice Abyss, the world’s deepest underwater cave, showcasing its capability to operate in extreme conditions.

The implications of our work are broad. Our technology can be applied to flooded mine exploration, water management in underground environments, geological surveys, and archaeological missions to preserve submerged historical structures. Additionally, it has the potential to substantially shorten the process of reopening flooded mines by providing detailed, real-time data without the need for dewatering or large-scale manual inspections. This technology enhances safety and efficiency. It offers new avenues for industries and governments to explore submerged environments while decreasing the risk and high cost associated with traditional and mostly non-applicable diving methods. As such, UNEXMIN Georobotics' underwater robots represent a breakthrough in the way we approach and manage flooded and confined spaces in mining and beyond.

A material’s potential to generate acidity is predicted based on the balance of acid-generating and acid-neutralizing minerals. The standard acid-base accounting and depletion calculations assume that pyrite and calcite are the primary reactive phases and that the relative rates of pyrite oxidation and calcite dissolution follow a specific reaction pathway associated with a defined pH and carbon dioxide partial pressure. This paper evaluates the effects of changes in system conditions on acid-base accounting using results from both laboratory-kinetic testing and reactive-transport modeling.

Mine sites throughout the world are similar but different. They have different topography, climate, geology, target minerals, mining methods and processing methods, but mining and processing are always affected by water, and water in the environment is always affected by mining and processing on site. At every stage in the project pipeline, from Conceptual to Order of Magnitude Study (OoM) to Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS), from Feasibility Study (FS) to Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM), from commissioning to operations, and then to expansion and closure studies, there are reasons to consider water management holistically, in an integrated way, to ensure success in operations and to mitigate risks. Simulation modelling can be used to support decisions during design and operations, and with 25 years of evolution of integrated water balance modelling, there are now clear patterns that show when integrated balance modelling is especially useful.