KWI Associate Ingrid Padilla was interviewed on NPR’s All Things Considered about the new hurricane prediction model for storm surges, in particular how storm surges in Puerto Rico can impact public health.
Description: The Karst Waters Institute and the Natural Heritage Karst Program of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation will be hosting a pre-convention cave biology workshop in Front Royal, Virginia. The Cave Conservancy Foundation is a cosponsor of this event. Participants will receive classroom instruction in cave biology, including an overview of the invertebrate cave fauna commonly encountered in the Central Appalachians, cave ecology, field observation and collection methods, permitting and legal issues, specimen preservation, and molecular techniques. Field exercises will be conducted in local horizontal caves and at other surface karst sites (e.g., springs, sinkholes) to learn how to recognize habitats and try out some of the field collection methods. Under the guidance of the instructors, participants will sort and label specimens from field exercises for distribution to taxonomists, and students will be co-listed as collectors along with permitted instructors.
2021 William L. Wilson and Diane C. Wilson Scholarship in Karst Science winner Ryan Dapkus published his research on using a proxy to predict bacterial contamination of groundwater in karst:
Dapkus et al., 2023, Utilization of Tryptophan-like Fluorescence as a Proxy for E. coli Contamination in a Mixed-Land-Use Karst Basin, Hydrology, 10, 74 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology10040074)
Congratulations, Ryan!
Written by Neven Kresic, author of several best-selling books on groundwater, Hydrogeology 101 is a college textbook introducing basic concepts in groundwater science and engineering with 16 lectures, the duration of a typical one or two-semester course at American universities. With hundreds of full color figures and photographs, it covers Introduction to Hydrogeology, Groundwater Use, Porosity and Hydraulic Characteristics of Porous Media, Groundwater Flow, Aquifers and Aquitards, Groundwater Recharge and Discharge including Springs, Flow in Unsaturated Zone, Groundwater Chemistry, Groundwater Contamination and Remediation, Field Investigations, Groundwater in Water Supply, and Groundwater Drought in California Case Study by Alex Mikszewski.The Karst Waters Institute is sad to report that Bob Gulden, 2022 recipient of the KWI award for contributions to karst science, passed away in November, 2022. Bob had kept the database for long and deep caves of the world since 1976. Over the years he maintained the list and expanded the searchable catagories to include deep pits, largest rooms, gypsum and salt caves, and underwater caves. This online resource has been an important tool for karst researchers from around the world. Bob was also an accomplished cave surveyor and cartographer who excelled at producing detailed maps of complex and significant cave systems.
His award acceptance talk is below.
The William L. Wilson and Diane C. Wilson Scholarship in Karst Science recognizes the significant contributions of the late William (Bill) L. Wilson, who tackled some of the most difficult karst science questions in Florida and elsewhere through his consulting company, Subsurface Evaluations, Incorporated. To stimulate the development of new, energetic, motivated, and creative karst scientists and to remember Bill Wilson and his dedication to karst science, the scholarship was established by Diane C. Wilson in his memory. The scholarship includes a one-time award of $2,000.
The scholarship is open to any student who is currently enrolled in, or has been accepted into, a master’s degree program at an institution of higher education in the United States. This year’s deadline for all application materials is February 15, 2023. Information on how to apply can be found at http://karstwaters.org/scholarship/. Additional information can be had through email to Dr. Janet S. Herman (jherman@virginia.edu).
KWI is pleased to share upcoming opportunities for abstract submissions for the 2022 Geological Society of America Meeting in Denver, CO:
Session Description
This session will consider how managing the public health risks from natural hazards and contaminants are addressed differently than manmade contaminants. Available resources, policy, and educating the public are all handled differently. Share your successes.
Session Rationale
Manmade contaminants gain public attention in the press. Federal programs provide insight and oversight to delineate plumes, clean up contaminants, and provide affected residents with clean air, water, and earth. Many geologists are employed by environmental consultants to deal with these contaminants. Yet
according to USGS (DeSimone, 2009), the most common well water contaminants are naturally occurring. In 2013 Wake County, NC implemented a program to notify private well users about risks of man-made contamination, and in the ensuing 6 years tested several hundred wells for the synthetic organic
contaminants associated with such sites. The county’s 2016 review of a decade of well testing found that over 10% of tested wells exceeded the drinking water standard for uranium, while only about 1% exceeded drinking water standards for manmade contaminants. Comparison of the uranium testing data to detailed geologic mapping revealed that 20-30% of the wells in an area covering ½ the county, an area underlain by Pennsylvanian granitic intrusions, were likely to be contaminated with uranium or other radionuclides, a finding in accordance with DeSimone and others, 2009.
The fact that these contaminants are naturally occurring complicates and limits the ability of well users to mitigate their health risks. Wake County is not alone. It is estimated that approximately 15% of the US population obtain their drinking water from private wells (U.S. Census Bureau (USCB), 2009). Taking the USGS and USCB estimates together, approximately ten million people in the US are currently exposed to unsafe levels of naturally occurring contaminants in their drinking water, yet there are no federal programs to provide resources to educate or assist these users of unregulated wells. Well water is not the only pathway of exposure to contamination from naturally occurring contaminants. Session proponents would like to learn from others who have dealt with natural hazards or contaminants and the following: limited resources while managing public health risks; risk relative to public investment in resolving natural vs. manmade contaminants and hazards; models from natural disasters such as flooding and earthquakes; successful policy responses; outreach campaigns; and lessons learned.
Whether you’re an amateur or a professional photographer, you can help us illustrate karst features and processes for a wide audience including technical professionals, educators, and citizens wishing to learn more about karst. Dive into your collection of photographs from karst regions around the world and submit your best images to our first-ever Karst Waters Institute (KWI) Karst Photo Contest. Your images (with full attribution) could be featured on our web site at https://karstwaters.org/educational-resources/ or in social media or other KWI communications intended to help others understand, appreciate, and protect karst resources. Our goal is to use images to illustrate and, therefore, better communicate facts about karst. We seek imagery to illustrate the karst landscapes (geomorphology), geology, hydrology, biology, and cultural history of karst systems.
Enter your photos until midnight February 15, 2022.
Prizes
The winners will be contacted via the email address provided during entry. Public announcement of the winners will be made at the KWI Annual Awards Ceremony in late March 2022.
Selected photos will be displayed as part of a slide show at the KWI Annual Awards Ceremony.
Rules
Judging
Photographs will be anonymously judged based on the quality of the image as an illustration of the karst feature or process being documented. A component of the quality of the submission is the clear explanation in words of what the image illustrates. Judges will be five members of the KWI Board of Directors and three non-affiliated colleagues with experience in photo-judging competitions.
Successful photographs will be those showing technical excellence (well focused, sharp, well exposed) and compositional choices that make the photograph memorable and those that clearly illustrate the karst feature or process being described.
Winners will be announced at the KWI Annual Awards meeting in March 2022.
Submission
This is a great accessory for all kinds of fieldwork and can also be used as a mask.
Each buff is $20, with shipping fees of $4.50 USD. International shipping fees as well as shipping for bulk purchases may higher.
To purchase, click here: KWI Buffs
KWI Board Member Dave Decker models the KWI 30th anniversary buff.
The William L. Wilson and Diane C. Wilson Scholarship in Karst Science recognizes the significant contributions of the late William (Bill) L. Wilson, who tackled some of the most difficult
karst science questions in Florida and elsewhere through his consulting company, Subsurface Evaluations, Incorporated. To stimulate the development of new, energetic, motivated, and creative
karst scientists and to remember Bill Wilson and his dedication to karst science, the scholarship was established by Diane C. Wilson in his memory.
Information on how to apply can be found at http://karstwaters.org/scholarship/. Additional information can be had through email to Dr. Janet S. Herman (jherman@virginia.edu).