IGCP379/1999/part2.htm

I suppose it was a couple of years ago, Chris Groves and I were discussing some fine points of karst research (I feel pretty safe that this much is true), when we got to talking about the Friends of Karst, and how it's been a while since we've got together, and about how probably nobody wanted to host a meeting -- for fear of paling in comparison to the great times that John Mylroie and Albert Ogden gave us on the last few. Well, figuring a good time was guaranteed, since John and Al would come anyway, we decided it was high-time to pick up were they left off. Mammoth Cave and Western Kentucky University seemed like the logical place to meet. After all, we live here.

Even more so than many of the past Friends of Karst meetings, we have the honor of hosting a great many karst scientists from around the world here in Southcentral Kentucky this week. By a bit of serendipity, early in the (conceptual) planning stages for the meeting, Chris met Professor Yuan Daoxian, Director of the Karst Institute in Guilin, China. They discussed common research interests, focussing on the behavior of CO₂ in karst settings, and pretty soon Professor Daoxian brought up UNESCO's International Geological Correlation Program (IGCP), Project 379: "Karst Processes and the Global Carbon Cycle", of which he is the director. One thing led to another, the Mammoth Cave research program got thrown in with Project 379, and eventually we decided to mix it all up and just have one big party. With many international hydrogeologists being in the U.S. for the XXVIII Congress of the International Association of Hydrogeologists in Las Vegas in September of 1998, we scheduled for the week before, and here we all are.

For decades, The Southcentral Kentucky karst has been a remarkably fertile place for North American karst research. No further proof is needed than to look around this meeting and see those in attendance. These are the men and women who have helped shape our understanding of the karst landscape, the forces that form it, the creatures that call it home. This gathering begins with a celebration of this landscape and its great caves, as well as these people and what they have taught us about karst.

As you can imagine, there is no possible way that Chris and I could pull this off alone. We had plenty of help from the students and faculty of Western Kentucky University, especially Dr. Ken Kuehn of the Department of Geography and Geology, the meeting's program coordinator, without whose well-honed coordinative skills we would be sitting in a dusty parking lot wondering what's for lunch. Dr. Fred Siewers, a geologist with the department, and Dr. Nick Crawford, Director of Center for Cave and Karst Studies, also became active with organization of student help, fieldtrips, the abstract proceedings and other details. We also thank Deana Groves, Beth Meiman, Darlene Anthony, Whit Crawford, Ginnie Steenbergen, Wayne Hoffman, Phil Myers, Larry Funke, Ashley Yaeger, and Mary Ann Davis for valuable and well done assistance with the meeting's web page, parties and food, finances, and other important details. We owe special thanks to Crawford & Associates for printing these proceedings. There are a bunch of other folks who you'll see helping out at the meeting, including the field trip leaders, and undergraduate and graduate students from the Department of Geography and Geology. We appreciate now what it takes to put on such a deal, and without all of these efforts things would not have come together.

We'd very much like to especially thank the following organizations for financial support:

Karst Waters Institute, sponsor for the Lost River Cave party on Thursday night;

Western Kentucky University, for support of undergraduate and graduate student attendance at the meeting;

The National Park Service Division of International Affairs, for support of travel for foreign scientists to attend the meeting;

The Cave Research Foundation, also for support of travel for foreign scientists to attend the meeting, and

The Petroleum Research Fund of the American Chemical Society, also for support of travel for foreign scientists to attend the meeting.

Lastly, the whole reason for a meeting like this is for people interested in karst to sit and gab about karst. This will be a group that has never been together at one place at one time before. It was a chance meeting between Chris and Yuan that really got this whole ball rolling, who knows what chance meetings here might lead to? We thank all of the participants for coming here, it's our shared experiences that this meeting is about.

A joint meeting of Friends of Karst and The International Geological Correlation Program Project 379: "Karst Processes and the Global Carbon Cycle" took place on September 23, 24, and 25, 1998, at Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, USA. The meeting preceeded the XXVIII Congress of the International Association of Hydrogeologists , scheduled for the following week in Las Vegas, Nevada. The program included two days of scientific presentations on all aspects of karst science and the role of atmosphere-landscape interactions in carbonate terrains. A third day consisted of field trips, which visited a variety of sites in and around the Mammoth Cave System. At a current surveyed length of over 560 km, Mammoth Cave is the world's most extensive known cave system. The region has over the years attracted many explorers and scientists and significant body of karst science has evolved from studies there.

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 was to bring together scientists from a variety of disciplines, to share ideas and insights developed through a variety of experiences and research paths.

Mammoth Cave is located in South Central Kentucky, about 140 km north of Nashville, Tennessee and a similar distance to Lousville, Kentucky further to the north. Accomodations in the area include both hotels and camping. Airport shuttle service is also available from the Nashville airport. Sessions were held at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky, 45 km to the south of the National Park.

For further information. Please contact:
Joe Meiman
Division of Science and Resource Management, Mammoth Cave National Park
Mammoth Cave, KY 42259 USA
email: joe_meiman@nps.gov
502-749-2508
or
Chris Groves
Center for Cave and Karst Studies
Department of Geography and Geology
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY 42101
email: chris.groves@wku.edu
502-745-5974
This meeting was hosted by the following:

Time	Title	Author(s)
1:30	Carbonate (karst) aquifers may present monitoring and remediation environments which are superior to most granular aquifers	Ralph O. Ewers, Peter J. Idstein & Edward G. Mingus, Eastern Kentucky University, USA
1:45	The use of wells as compliance points for groundwater monitoring in karst terranes	Peter J. Idstein & Ralph O. Ewers, Eastern Kentucky University, USA
2:00	Nitrogen isotope analysis for identification of animal waste contributions to a karst aquifer	Douglas G. Boyer, US Department of Agriculture, West Virginia, USA
2:15	Hydrological considerations in remediating sinkholes	David A. Hubbard, Jr, Virginia Division of Mineral Resources, USA
2:30	Water resources studies, geologic mapping, and dye-tracings employed to develop a model of interbasin recharge, Buffalo National River, Arkansas	David N. Mott, National Park Service, Arkansas, USA; Mark R. Hudson, US Geological Survey, USA; Tom Aley, Ozark Underground Laboratory, USA
2:45	Ground water tracing results at the Murfreesboro Old City Dump in Rutherford County, Tennessee	Albert E. Ogden, Middle Tennessee State University, USA
3:00	BREAK
3:15	Unit Base Flow of karst drainage basins, a useful groundwater tracing tool	Joseph A. Ray, Kentucky Division of Water, USA; Joe Meiman, Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, USA
3:30	The use of discharge balancing to determine the assimilative capacity of a karst aquifer	Geary Schindel, Eckenfelder Inc., Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Dan Lovingood, Knoxville Tennessee, USA; Steve Worthington, McMaster University, Canada
3:45	A quantitative method for assessing the risk of groundwater pollution through karst features	George Veni, George Veni & Associates, San Antonio, Texas, USA
4:00	Hydrogeologic investigation of the groundwater flow from Barton and Williamson Creeks through the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer	Nico Hauwert, Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, Texas, USA; David A. Johns, City of Austin Drainage Utilities Division, Texas, USA; Tom Aley, Ozark Underground Laboratory, Missouri, USA
4:15	Seasonal chemical denudation modeling in karst terrain: Cumberland Plateau, south central Tennessee	Shaw-wen Sheen, University of Georgia, USA
4:30	Characterization of a karst aquifer modified by continental glaciation, east-central New York	Paul Woodell, State University of New York, Oneonta, USA
4:45	Hillslope form and process on tower karst in Guilin, southwest China	Tao Tang, Buffalo State College, New York, USA

Time	Title	Author(s)
1:30	Carbon dioxide in soil air of Slovenia and China	Zhang Shouyue, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
1:45	Speleothem stable isotope composition, Rats Nest Cave, Alberta, Canada: The Paleoenvironmental significance of d¹³C	Chas J. Yonge, Alberta Karst Consulting, Canada; Yavor Y. Shopov, University of Sofia, Bulgaria
2:00	Carbonate dissolution due to riverine organic matter oxidation in a karst aquifer	Patrick Alberic, Laboratoire de Geochimie Organique, Universite d'Orleans, France
2:15	Carbonate chemistry of interstitial fluids within cave stream sediments	Kevin Vaughan & Chris Groves, Western Kentucky University, USA; Joe Meiman, Mammoth Cave National Park, USA
2:30	Carbon dioxide fluxes in karstic caves (Altamira and Tito Bustillio Caves, Northern Spain)	M. Hoyos & S. Sanchez-Moral, Museo Nac. Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, Spain; J. C. Canaveras, Universidad de Alicante, Spain; E. Sanz-Rubio, Museo Nac. Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, Spain; V. Soler, Instituto de Productos Naturales, Tenerife, Spain
2:45	Short-term decline in soil carbon dioxide concentrations caused by burning of secondary vegetation in the karst of Belize	Michael Day, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA
3:00	BREAK
3:15	Seasonal changes in the geochemical evolution of a karst flow system: Logsdon River, Mammoth Cave, Kentucky	Darlene Anthony & Chris Groves, Western Kentucky University, USA; Joe Meiman, Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, USA
3:30	Isotopic stratigraphy of a last interglacial stalagmite from north-western Romania: Correlation with the deep-sea record and northern-latitude speleothem	Stein-Erik Lauritzen, University of Bergen, Norway; Bogdan Petroniu Onac, Speleological Institute "Emil Racovita", Romania
3:45	The evolution of the geochemical signal of speleothem-forming drip waters	Anna F. Tooth, Keele University, UK
4:00	Genesis of karst proto-conduits: Influence of hydrodynamic factors	Darko Simic & Pierre-Yves Jeannin, University of Neuchatel, Switzerland
4:15	The influence of regional geologic structure upon the inception and evolution of cave systems in the Cuilcagh Karst	Leslie Brown, David J. Lowe & John Gunn, University of Huddersfield, UK
4:30	Hydrochemistry and sulphur isotopes in the Cuilcagh Karst, Northern Ireland	Neil Webber & John Gunn, University of Huddersfield, UK; Simon H. Bottrell, University of Leeds, UK
4:45	A mixing model for Strontianite precipitation in carbonate rocks	Joshua C. Rubinstein, State University of New York, Oneonta, New York

The Karst Dynamics Laboratory hosted an 11 day IGCP 379 (UNESCO/IUGS) and the KDL funded Advanced Seminar on KARST PROCESSES AND THE CARBON CYCLE for international audience. The objective of the Seminar is to bring together scientists interested in karst processes with those interested in carbon cycle and global change. The Seminar consisted of a series of lectures, discussions, and field demonstrations in the Guilin Karst Experimental Site and some caves near Guilin.

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Dreybrodt, who is a distinguished physist and geochemist from Bremen University of Germany, gave 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, also gave lectures on global karst, carbon cycle related to karst, paleoenvironment reconstruction, and element movement relevant to karst ecology respectively.

Field activities included one day visit in the Guilin Karst Experimental Site (mainly visiting the observation sites to reveal karst processes and the relevant carbon cycle, such as soil CO₂ observation site, limestone denudation observation site, and spring discharge-chemistry observation site), one day sightseeing along Li River by boat and by bus, and one day visit in Fengyu Cave, a very famous tourism cave, about 100 km away from Guilin.

Hydrochemical, geomorphological and biological controls on travertine deposition in the barkly karst, northern Australia ----Dr. R. Drysdale

b) Karst evolution and morphology on two-dimensional percolation nets.
----Prof. W. Dreybrodt

Two kinds of karst dynamic system and their contribution to atmospheric CO₂ sink
----Dr. Zaihua Liu

Carbon transfer dynamics from bomb-¹⁴C time series of a laminated stalagmite from SW-France ----Dr. D. Genty

An estimation on CO₂sink in karst processes-A case study in semiarid area
----Prof. Jinbo Zhao

The annual variation of grey level of microlayers in stalagmite from Shihua Cave, Beijing

Environmental effect of reversed evolution of karst dynamic system in back water area of large reservoir----Dr. Xiaoguang Qin

Pattern and characters of stalagmite microlayers in North China
----Dr. Xianfeng Wang

Isotopic records of 44000 years B.P stalagmites in Guilin and its environmental explanation ----Prof.Qin Jiaming

Discussion on synchronous theory and different stage theory on development of tropic karst landforms. ----Prof.Liu Jinrong

Comparison of Geochemical features and the significance of environment between south China and north China.----Dr.Liu Zaihua

Carbon-water-calcium cycle of forest environments and effective phase of elements in soils in Nongla, Guangxi----Dr.Jiang Zhongcheng

U series age of stalagmites in Guilin and the paleoclimatic change
---Mr.Zhang Meiliang

Measurement results of carbon cycle in Guilin Experimental Site and feedback of the environmental information----Mr.He shiyi

Tendency and strategy of rock desertification in Bijie city, Guizhou----Mr.Mo Yuanfu

Preliminary analysis on Baiyandong underground river system in Baojin, Hunan
----Mr.Pei Jianguo

Mistake in exploitation of karst water resources in poverty rock desertification areas of south China and significance of science and technology in countryside----Mr.Xie Yunqiu

Some preliminary understandings on how to study micro-laminae of stalagmites
----Mr.Zhang Cheng

Seasonal sampling of the Logsdon River, Mammoth Cave System, Kentucky combined with continuous monitoring of chemistry at key points in the flow system has been used to evaluate the geochemical evolution and transport of CO₂and dissolved species through nearly 10 km of the south-central Kentucky karst aquifer. Passage configuration and morphology influence overall changes in water chemistry with regard to carbon transport. Relatively high P_CO2values at the upstream sampling site create undersaturated conditions with respect to calcite dissolution. Rapid outgassing of CO₂, a function of stratigraphic attributes, creates oversaturated conditions for several thousand meters, resulting in rimstone accumulation. A boost in P_CO2 roughly halfway through the flow path returns the water to slightly undersaturated conditions. A general decline in Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and HCO₃^- concentration over the distance reflects the precipitation of travertine and possibly dilution by localized inputs. Although values for all geochemical parameters are greater in summer than winter, the evolutionary trends are similar during both seasonal extremes, suggesting that in-cave organic decay may be the source of the additional CO₂.

Karst is widespread in Croatia, covering more than one third of the country. The Dinaric Alps, stretching in NW-SE direction along the Adriatic from Italy to Montenegro represent the largest karst area in the region. Our investigations were focused on the travertine deposits of the Plitvice Lakes and Krka River region. Specifically, we have investigated the following phenomena:

Systematic physico-chemical measurements of freshwater properties (temperature, pH, concentration of CO₂, Ca and Mg) showed that this process is largely controlled by the flux of CO₂ in water, resulting in a change of the pH value. The saturation index of calcium carbonate must exceed 3 to start travertine precipitation. Concentration of dissolved organic carbon in excess of 10 mg /L inhibits travertine precipitation.