From sink to resurgence: the buffering capacity of a cave system in the Tongass national forest, USA

Abstract

UDC 551.444(739.8) Melissa R. Hendrickson & Chris Groves: From sink to resur� gence: the buffering capacity of a cave system in the Tongass national forest, USA The Tongass National Forest of Southeast Alaska, USA, provides a unique environment for monitoring the impact of the cave system on water quality and biological productivity. The accretionary terrane setting of the area has developed into a complex and heterogeneous geologic landscape which includes numerous blocks of limestone with intense karstification. During the Wisconsian glaciation, there were areas of compacted glacial sediments and silts deposited over the bedrock. Muskeg peatlands developed over these poorly drained areas. The dominant plants of the muskeg ecosystem are Sphagnum mosses, whose decomposition leads to highly acidic waters with pH as low as 2.4. These waters drain off the muskegs into the cave systems, eventually running to the ocean. In accordance with the Tongass Land Management Plan, one of the research priorities of the National Forest is to determine the contributions of karst groundwater systems to productivity of aquatic communities. On Northern Prince of Wales Island, the Conk Canyon Cave insurgence and the Mop Spring resurgence were continuously monitored to understand the buffering capacity of the cave system. Over the length of the system, the pH increases from an average 3.89 to 7.22. The insurgence water temperature, during the summer months, ranged from between 10 o C to 17 o C. After residence in the cave system, the resurgence water had been buffered to 6 o C to 9 o C. Over the continuum from insurgence to resurgence, the specific conductance had increased by an order of magnitude with the resurgence waters having a higher ionic strength. The cave environment acts as a buffer on the incoming acidic muskeg water to yield resurgence water chemistry of a buffered karst system. These buffered waters contribute to the IzvlečekUDK 551.444(739.8) Melissa R. Hendrickson & Chris Groves: Od ponora do izvira: Pufrska kapaciteta jamskih sistemov v Narodnem gozdu Ton� gass, ZDA Narodni gozd Tongass, na jugovzhodni Aljaski, ZDA, je izjemo okolje za spremljanje vpliva jamskega sistema na kvaliteto vode in z njo povezano biološko produkcijo. Geološko pestro območje vključuje številna območja apnenca z intenzivnim zakrasevanjem. Med zadnjo ledeno dobo so se na karbonatno podlago ponekod odložili ledeniški sedimenti in melji. Tu so se zaradi slabega odvodnjavanja razvila barja (muskegi), na katerih prevladuje šotni mah. Zaradi razpada šotnih mahov iz barij v kras odtekajo zelo kisle vode, z minimalnim pH 2,4. Prostorsko ureditveni načrt območja Tongass med prioritetne naloge uvršča tudi določitev pomena kraških vodonosnikov v produ ktivnosti vodnih združb. Z namenom določitve pufrske kapacitete kraških sistemov smo zvezno na severnem delu otoka Walškega princa opazovali parametre na ponoru v jami Cong Canyon in izviru Mop. Med opazovanima točkama pH v povprečju naraste iz 3,89 na 7,22. Temperatura ponorne vode je v poletnih m...