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From Sink To Resurgence: The Buffering Capacity Of A Cave System In The Tongass National Forest, Usa, Chris Groves, Melissa Hendrikson
From Sink To Resurgence: The Buffering Capacity Of A Cave System In The Tongass National Forest, Usa, Chris Groves, Melissa Hendrikson
Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications
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 …
Storm Response And Water Balance Of Temperate Rainforest Karst Watersheds: Tongass National Forest, Alaska, Johanna Kovarik
Storm Response And Water Balance Of Temperate Rainforest Karst Watersheds: Tongass National Forest, Alaska, Johanna Kovarik
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
The Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska contains 2,176 square kilometers of karst. As part of the evolving Tongass Land Management Plan, research into the function of karst systems is crucial in understanding how forest management affects not only karst areas but also surrounding ecosystems. Dye trace and water balance results in two watersheds on the north end of Prince of Wales Island demonstrate the difficulty in containing the effects of management, as water can enter karst catchments from unknown sources at different flow regimes. A dye trace was conducted in Windgate and Canyon Block watersheds. Two sinking streams were …