KWI Conduit| Volume VI, Number 2 |
Fall 1998
|
Summary of the Friends of Karst Meeting: Karst Processes and the Global Carbon Cycle
KWI Conduit| Volume VI, Number 2 |
Fall 1998
|
Alan Glennon
A joint meeting of the Friends of Karst and The International Geological Correlation Program Project 379: "Karst Processes and the Global Carbon Cycle" took place on September 23rd, 24th, and 25th, 1998, at Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. The conference included two days of presentations on all aspects of karst science with major sections discussing karst’s role in the global carbon cycle. A third day consisted of field trips in and around the Mammoth Cave area. The conference attracted many of the world’s leading karst scientists with one hundred and thirty people in attendance and nineteen countries represented.
Over the years, the Mammoth Cave region has attracted many explorers and scientists, and a significant body of karst science has evolved from studies there. Understanding water-rock interactions provides a common theme of interest for scientists interested in global carbon cycling as well as those who study the development of caves and karst. Traditionally, however, there has been limited interaction between these groups. The purpose of this meeting was to bring together scientists from a variety of disciplines to share ideas and insights developed through a variety of experiences and research paths.
The meeting was kicked off with Art Palmer, Will White, Bet White, Ralph Ewers, Daryl Granger, Nick Crawford, and Chris Groves each discussing the latest developments of karst science in the Mammoth Cave area. For the rest of the presentations, concurrent sessions were held emphasizing the global carbon cycle, resource management, and other aspects of world karst science. Speakers ranged from environmental consultants and cavers to geochemists. During two days of talks, sixty-one presentations were given. American graduate students took advantage of the chance to present their research to an international audience. Graduate students presented from Western Kentucky University, Penn State University, Eastern Kentucky University, Buffalo State University, the University of Georgia, and the State University of New York at Oneonta.
Following the first day’s talks and a dinner at Park Mammoth Resort, over a hundred karst scientists entered Mammoth Cave to follow the Half-Day/Grand Avenue Tour Route. The group talked and argued cave geology with occasional stops by leaders Art Palmer, Will White, Derek Ford, and Ralph Ewers. One participant predicted that if the cave ceiling collapsed, karst science would be set back decades.
The second day was followed with an evening at Lost River Cave in Bowling Green. During the 1920’s, a dance floor was constructed in the cave’s large mouth. For this event, the dance floor was converted to a dining room. Tables and catering allowed for subterranean dining which was followed by underground boat rides down the Lost River.
The last day of the conference was devoted to field trips around Mammoth Cave and Bowling Green. Several groups headed underground inside Mammoth Cave, while two groups stayed above ground. Below ground, Derek Ford and Roger McClure led a ‘Geology and Speleogenesis of Flint Ridge’ trip through the Crystal Cave tourist route and later to the area near the Austin entrance. Steve Worthington, Roger Brucker, and John Mylroie led a similar geology trip to Echo River from the elevator and later to the Crystal Cave tour route. From the Austin Entrance, Art Palmer, Peg Palmer, Richard Zopf, and Tom Brucker led the ‘Geology of the Mammoth-Flint Ridge Connection’ trip. Above ground, Nick Crawford and Al Ogden spent the day focusing on karst problems in the urban setting. The other group, led by Ralph Ewers, the Whites, and Joe Ray, discussed the regional hydrogeology of the Mammoth Cave system. The conference allowed scientists studying all aspects of karst and carbonate geochemistry to meet, interact, and share ideas, all with the backdrop of the world’s longest cave.
To document the conference, the meeting’s web site contains a listing of presentation abstracts, participants, and descriptions of the field trips, as well as links for those interested in international karst research. The web site can be found at: http://www2.wku.edu/www/~grovecg/.
The Center for Cave and Karst Studies would like to thank the participants and sponsors for making the meeting such a success. The conference was hosted by the Center for Cave and Karst Studies and Mammoth Cave National Park with assistance from the Karst Waters Institute, Western Kentucky University, Mammoth Cave National Park, the National Park Service Office of International Affairs, and the Cave Research Foundation.
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.
We wish to thank the National Science Foundation, U.S. Army Research
Office (Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station), and the American
Chemical Society (Petroleum Research Fund) for their financial support.
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:
The Geological Society of China and other scientific communities are planning the 'First International Conference on Sustainable Development in Karst Regions' in August 24-27, 2001, in Beijing, China. The conference is being hosted by over twenty Chinese scientific organizations concerned with geology, geography, agriculture, environmental issues, etc. Primary among these organizations are the Chinese Geological Society, the Chinese Geographical Society, the Chinese Geological Hazard Society, and the China International Conference Center for Science and Technology.
Discussions and presentations at the conference will deal with issues germane to the sustainable development of karst regions. The topics will include:
For More information contact:
Mr. WANG wei, Miss. WANG Yanjun
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF CHINA
NO. 26 Baiwanzhuang
Beijing 100037
P. R. China
Telephone: 86-10-68311539
86-10-68311133 Ext.2248
Fax: 86-10-68311324
E-mail: CAGSDIC@public.bta.net.cn
KWI
Conduit
(c) 1998 Karst
Waters Institute