16 Flow through Karst Aquifers and Reservoirs (Posters)

Tuesday, 22 March 2016
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Riverview B

THE POTENTIAL INFLUENCE OF BATS ON CO2 DYNAMICS OF KARST SYSTEMS

Paper number: 16-2
Program: Theme Sessions
Time: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Authors

Abstract

Dissolution rates of limestone in a karst aquifer are largely controlled by concentrations of CO2 in the system, where increasing levels of CO2 result in more aggressive waters, allowing greater amounts of calcite to be taken into solution. Temporal distributions of CO2 may vary as a result of seasonal microclimatic shifts, and caves with geometry supportive of advective airflow may experience more exaggerated fluctuations as seasonal differences between surface air and cave air result in patterns of airflow reversal. Activity of bats inhabiting the cave may also affect CO2 levels if a colony is sizeable enough to produce significant amounts of CO2 either directly, through respiration, or indirectly, by providing a thriving microenvironment in bat guano. To characterize potential variations of CO2, continuous CO2 monitoring was performed throughout a year in War Eagle Cavern in Arkansas.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 48, No. 1

doi: 10.1130/abs/2016SC-273440

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