Event Title
Variable Responses of Mountainous Karst Springs to Seasonal Precipitation
Session Type
Technical Sessions: Conservation Science
Start Date
18-8-2020 12:30 PM
Description
Responses of karst springs to precipitation depend on climate, geologic structure, lithology, land use/land cover, and relief. We contrast the responses of springs in two mountainous, subtropical regions with pronounced wet/dry seasons and similar total annual precipitation (~1100–1300 mm). In the Middle Atlas of Morocco, Zerouka spring is located at ~1616 m asl on a dolomitic limestone plateau. The climate is Mediterranean (dry summers) and the landscape is a forest-rangeland mix. During continuous monitoring from March 2014 to May 2015, water temperature (T) was relatively constant and stage showed a broad minimum in late summer. Stable isotopes of water (deuterium and oxygen-18) fluctuated daily but were typically out of phase with each other except in late winter–early spring. In Guizhou province, China, Maoshuikeng spring is located at ~1212 m asl and drains a cockpit karst basin developed in limestone and dolomite. The climate is monsoonal, with ~80% of precipitation falling from May to October, and land use is marked by small farms and villages. We monitored water T, stage, and chemistry for 46 hours following a June 2018 storm. Minimum water T occurred ~24 hours after the stage peak, while deuterium and oxygen-18 co-varied, appearing to show three pulses of recharge, as indicated by successive drops and rebounds. Weattribute differences in the behaviors of these two springs to the lower intensity of storms and the lesser extent of carbonate weathering in the Middle Atlas.
Recommended Citation
Fryar,, Alan Presenter, "Variable Responses of Mountainous Karst Springs to Seasonal Precipitation" (2020). Conservation of Fragile Karst Resources Proceedings. 19.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/con_karst_res_proc/con_karst_pro_2020/day_one/19
Variable Responses of Mountainous Karst Springs to Seasonal Precipitation
Responses of karst springs to precipitation depend on climate, geologic structure, lithology, land use/land cover, and relief. We contrast the responses of springs in two mountainous, subtropical regions with pronounced wet/dry seasons and similar total annual precipitation (~1100–1300 mm). In the Middle Atlas of Morocco, Zerouka spring is located at ~1616 m asl on a dolomitic limestone plateau. The climate is Mediterranean (dry summers) and the landscape is a forest-rangeland mix. During continuous monitoring from March 2014 to May 2015, water temperature (T) was relatively constant and stage showed a broad minimum in late summer. Stable isotopes of water (deuterium and oxygen-18) fluctuated daily but were typically out of phase with each other except in late winter–early spring. In Guizhou province, China, Maoshuikeng spring is located at ~1212 m asl and drains a cockpit karst basin developed in limestone and dolomite. The climate is monsoonal, with ~80% of precipitation falling from May to October, and land use is marked by small farms and villages. We monitored water T, stage, and chemistry for 46 hours following a June 2018 storm. Minimum water T occurred ~24 hours after the stage peak, while deuterium and oxygen-18 co-varied, appearing to show three pulses of recharge, as indicated by successive drops and rebounds. Weattribute differences in the behaviors of these two springs to the lower intensity of storms and the lesser extent of carbonate weathering in the Middle Atlas.
Comments
This presentation was part of the Technical Sessions on Conservation Science. Presentation topics ranged from cave conservation techniques, environmental education, community engagement, resource protection assessment, and scientific and cultural research from across the globe. Formats vary from traditional PowerPoints to films to story maps and informal interviews.