T150 Toward Integrating Cave and Karst Science

Tuesday, 20 October 2009
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
D139/140

DEVELOPMENT OF A KARST FIELD SCHOOL TO CONDUCT INTERDISCIPLINARY EDUCATION AND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES IN THE SOUTHEASTERN APPALACHIAN REGION

Paper number: T150-9
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:50 AM – 10:05 AM

Authors

Abstract

A series of teaching and research activities focusing on "Field Experience in Karst" were developed at East Tennessee State University (ETSU). Eastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia contain many karst features ranging from small seeps, losing streams, and subtle subsidence to world-class springs, caves, sinkhole depressions, natural bridges, and unique karst coves. The motivation of this program is to build an active and sustainable karst field school in the southeastern Appalachian region.

Education and research activities include:

  1. examine karst landforms and the processes that modify karst landscape.
  2. investigate karst feature distributions and assess hazards in karst areas.
  3. study and perform water tracing and sampling techniques to understand the vulnerability of karst aquifers and human impact on fragile karst lands.
  4. conduct both surface and subsurface surveys in modern and paleo- karst areas.
  5. Integrate cave exploration and speleology research to reconstruct paleoenvironmental records from cave deposits.
  6. Use cutting-edge technologies such as Geographical Information System (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), remote sensing, and scientific visualization facilities to collect, analyze, and visualize cave and karst datasets.

Faculty and scientists from 4 universities, and 9 students and karst professionals from Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia participated in the first karst field school in May, 2009. This program is sponsored by the School of Continuing Studies,College of Arts and Sciences, and the Department of Geosciences at ETSU. The long term goal of this program is to reconstruct Neogene paleoclimate, paleoecology, and erosional history of the Appalachian karst region through innovative teaching and research activities. More information for the karst field school can be found at:

http://www.etsu.edu/cas/geosciences/karst/