KWI Conduit| Volume VI, Number 1 |
Spring 1998
|
KWI Conduit| Volume VI, Number 1 |
Spring 1998
|
Megan Porter
The current trends and future directions of karst biology be the focus of two full days of talks at this years NSS Convention (http://www.caves.org/nss98) in Sewanee, Tennessee. Caves in the Sewanee area harbor the most diverse cave animal fauna in the contiguous United States. Thus, it is fitting that in addition to the regular contributed papers session, biospeleology will be highlighted with two special symposia. The first symposium, 'New Frontiers in Biospeleology', focuses on research that adds depth to the knowledge of cave ecosystems through the use of molecular techniques, microbial investigations, and interdisciplinary studies. Topics range from the phlogenetic relationships and biodiversity of troglobites to the abundance, transport, and primary productivity of microbial communities in karst aquifers. The second symposium, 'Taxonomy and Systematics of Cave Organisms in the 21st Century: A look ahead', contains talks that examine the current state of cave animal taxonomy and its use in exploring speciation, constructing databases, and mapping biodiversity. There also will be presentations by several European colleagues, adding an international perspective to the meeting. More information about what promises to be a notable forum on biospeleological thought can be obtained by contacting Megan Porter (portermn@email.uc.edu).
Joe Meiman
A joint meeting of Friends of Karst and The International Geological
Correlation Program Project 379 : "Karst Processes and the Global Carbon
Cycle" will take place on September 23, 24, and 25, 1998, at Mammoth Cave,
Kentucky, USA. The meeting will precede the XXVIII Congress of the International
Association of Hydrogeologists, scheduled for the following week in Las
Vegas, Nevada. We currently anticipate a program that will include two
days of scientific presentations on all aspects of karst science and the
role of atmosphere-landscape interactions in carbonate terrains. A third
day is planned for field trips, which will be offered to a variety of sites
in and around the Mammoth Cave System. At a current surveyed length of
over 560 km, it is the world's most extensive known cave system. The region
has over the years attracted many explorers and scientists and a significant
body of karst science has evolved from studies there. We have received
40 abstracts and eagerly anticipate the finest gathering of karst scientists
in recent memory.
Understanding water-rock interactions that occur within carbonate rock
terrains provides a common theme of interest for scientists interested
in global carbon cycling as well as those who study development of karst
landscapes and aquifers. Traditionally, however, there has been limited
interaction between these groups. The purpose of this meeting is to bring
together scientists from a variety of disciplines, to share ideas and insights
developed through a variety of experiences and research paths.
More details can be found at the meetings web site at http://www2.wku.edu/www/~grovecg/.
Zaihua Liu
The Karst Dynamics Laboratory (KDL) will host an 11 day Advanced Seminar on Karst Processes and the Carbon Cycle funded by IGCP 379 (UNESCO/IUGS) and the KDL. The seminar will be held 05-15 October 1998. The objective of the seminar is to bring together scientists from all over the world who are interested in karst processes with those interested in the carbon cycle and global change. The Seminar will consist of a series of a series of lectures, discussions, and field demonstrations in the Guilin Karst Experimental Site and some caves near Guilin.
Dr. Wolfgang Dreybrodt, who is a distinguished physicist and geochemist from Bremen University, Germany, will give lectures on carbonate chemistry, dissolution kinetics, and cave development.
Prof. Daoxian Yuan (leader of IGCP 379 and the director of the KDL), Dr. Zaihua Liu, Dr. Bin Li, and Dr. Zhongchen Jiang will give lectures on global karst, the carbon cycle as related to karst, paleoenvironment reconstruction, and element movement relevant to karst ecology, respectively.
Field activities will include a one day visit to the Guilin Karst Experimental Site to view the soil CO2, limestone denudation, and spring discharge-chemistry observation sites. Other excursions will include a one day sightseeing trip along the Li River by boat and bus, as well as, a one day visit to a famous tourist cave, Fengyu Cave, located approximately 100 km away from Guilin.
Participation in the conference is strongly encouraged and lectures on karst are warmly welcome. Participants will be responsible for all travel, accommodation, and subsistence expenses. There will be small amount of funding available from the IGCP 379 and the KDL to support some participants’ registration fees or accommodations during the Seminar. However, support is unavailable for international travel costs.
Those wishing to inquire about support or registration information should contact Dr. Zaihua Liu at the address below. The deadline for registration is the end of August 1998.
Contact:
Dr. Zaihua Liu
Institute of Karst Geology
40 Qixing Rd.
541004 Guilin, Guangxi
China
Fax: 0086-773-5813708
zliu@mailbox.gxnu.edu.cn
Arthur N. Palmer
Hydrologic and land-use problems in karst are difficult to solve even by those with considerable understanding of karst processes. And yet, professionals are frequently asked to solve these problems regardless of their background in the subject. Traditional geologic and hydrologic procedures developed for non-karst regions usually produce bogus results, and no approach is more susceptible to flawed interpretations than computer modeling.
Do computer groundwater models work in karst? Most karst specialists would answer with an emphatic "no." But karst modeling extends far beyond computer analysis, and computer models themselves have many more applications than predicting the future. Karst modeling must begin with a conceptual view of the origin, nature, and distribution of karst porosity.Such conceptual models provide the greatest step toward attacking karst problems. Digital models have little value as predictive tools in karst, because too little is known about local porosity to make them work properly. But even these models can clarify the behavior of idealized karst phenomena. Specialized models can examine the evolution of karst aquifers and the hydrochemical processes that control their development. Finally, digital models can be used to test the feasibility of assumptions made about the distribution of karst porosity.
To explore these topics, the Karst Waters Institute will host a symposium entitled "Karst Modeling," which will bring together specialists in several complementary fields: traditional groundwater modelers from government agencies, private consulting firms, and universities; karst specialists concerned with dissolution processes, field applications, and statistical quantification of karst features; and professionals who are faced with the task of solving karst problems.
The goal of the symposium is to provide a framework within which the many confusing and sometimes conflicting bits of field data can be organized. Presentations will not attempt to focus on the cutting edge of esoteric techniques, but instead to draw together what we know about karst modeling in a coherent and easily accessible form. The proceedings volume will consist of extended abstracts or short papers arranged in a logical progression so that professionals can use it as a guide to future field problems. Keynote presentations will be given by invited specialists on the following subjects:
A field trip to the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia and West Virginia will provide an opportunity to examine and discuss the complexities of karst modeling. In case of inhospitable weather, most of the field trip will be underground.
The symposium will be held at the Omni Charlottesville Hotel, in Charlottesville, Virginia, February 24-27, 1999. Estimated cost will be $200 (including registration, field trip, symposium volume, and banquet). A lower student rate will be available. For further information, contact either of the co-chairs: Arthur N. Palmer (palmeran@oneonta.edu) or William K. Jones (wjones@intrepid.net), or write:
Karst Waters Institute
P.O. Box 490
Charles Town, WV 25414-0490.
FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT & CALL FOR PAPERS
The Seventh Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst™ will be held 10-14 April 1999, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. An introductory course on the practical aspects of karst hydrogeology will be offered during the first day of the conference followed by a field trip the next day. Three days of technical sessions will follow the short course and field trip. Papers on all practical aspects of karst geology, hydrogeology, and engineering geology are welcome. For further information visit the conference website at http://karstwaters.org/sinkhole/7th.html or contact:
Ms. Gayle Herring
P.E. LaMoreaux and Associates, Inc.
106 Administration Rd., Oak Ridge, Tennessee
T: 423-483-7483 F: 423-483-7639
E-mail: pela@icx.net
Conference Schedule and Paper Deadlines:
KWI
Conduit
(c) 1998 Karst
Waters Institute