There is growing interest in the dynamics of both inorganic and organic carbon in karst systems, and especially in the flux of carbon and nutrients between the surface and subsurface and between different components in the karst subsurface. This upcoming Karst Waters Institute symposium is especially timely because of both the rapid advances in the field and the importance of carbon sequestration in global climate change. It will highlight recent advances in biology, geology, and hydrology that are helping us to understand the dynamics of karst ecosystems, especially with respect to carbon. There will be both invited lectures and contributed posters covering the following topics:

• Fluxes and reservoirs in and through epikarst
• Fluxes and reservoirs in and through the phreatic zone
• Lateral inputs into karst - insurgences
• Lateral outputs in karst - resurgences
• CO2 storage in karst
• Organic carbon sources and carbon quality in karst
• Large scale models and synthesis

The meeting will be co-sponsored by, and held at the new headquarters of, the National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI), in Carlsbad, New Mexico. NCKRI and KWI share a similar mission, and this will be the first co-sponsored meeting by the two organizations.

Post-Conference Publication

All participants will be invited to submit a paper, due at the end of the conference, January 11, 2013. The paper must be in accordance with the style requirements of Acta Carsologica. Each paper will be limited to 5000 words and 8 tables/figures, without prior arrangement with the editor. Review papers are especially welcome. All papers will be subject to peer review and submission does not guarantee publication. There will be a two step acceptance procedure - first acceptance by the Special Editor (David Culver), then by the journal editor (Franci Gabrovsek). The anticipated publication date is October, 2013.

As is the tradition with KWI meetings, the symposium will be aggressively interdisciplinary and international. There will be seven thematic sessions with invited speakers. The program is being developed by the program chair, Daniel Fong and the conveners/chairs for the sessions:

- The Upper Boundary – Epikarst, convened by Dr. Tanja Pipan, Karst Research Institute at ZRC-SAZU, Postojna, Slovenia
- The Lower Boundary – Vadose Phreatic Interactions, convened by Dr. Franci Gabrovsek, Karst Research Institute at ZRC-SAZU, Postojna, Slovenia
- Lateral Inputs, convened by Dr. Kevin Simon, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Lateral Outputs, convened by Dr. Carol Wicks, Department of Geology & Geophysics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- CO2 in Karst, convened by Dr. Janet Herman, Department of Environmental Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
- Sources and Quality of Organic Carbon, convened by Dr. Annette Summers Engel, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee
- Synthesis, convened by Dr. Daniel W. Fong, Department of Biology, American University, Washington, D.C.

In addition to the invited sessions, there will be two evening poster sessions.

Venue

In Carlsbad, the meeting site is close not only to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, but also Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The location is an ideal starting place for a visit to the many parks and features of the desert southwest. The nearest major airport is El Paso, Texas, ~2.5 hours from Carlsbad. Shuttle buses to and from the El Paso airport will be available on January 6 and 12 for a cost of $50 one way. Smaller airports are located in Hobbs and Roswell, New Mexico, ~1 hour’s drive from Carlsbad. Rental cars are available at all airports. There is an U.S. Immigration and Naturalization checkpoint between El Paso and Carlsbad, so be sure to have identification with you.

Mid-Conference Excursion

On Wednesday, January 9, we will have an all-day excursion to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, a World Heritage Site, for a tour of Carlsbad Caverns and either a hike in Slaughter Canyon or a tour of Slaughter Canyon Cave. Carlsbad Caverns National Park is one of three national parks developed around a cave, the other two being Wind Cave and Mammoth Cave. Carlsbad Caverns is specially known for the beauty and extent of its formations, and the large flights of Mexican free-tailed bats that occur in the summer. The park contains excellent examples of southwestern American desert landscape.

Additional details regarding invited speakers, and conference and field trip logistics will be provided soon. Direct immediate questions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

For more details visit this website 

From the KWI e-newsletter, volume 11, issue 2, 2011