We would like to call your attention to two sessions on karst hydrogeology proposed for the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting 2011.

The AGU Fall Meeting is the largest worldwide conference in the geophysical sciences, attracting nearly 20,000 Earth and space scientists, educators, students, and policy makers. And even better, the meeting is held in beautiful San Francisco, California, perhaps one of the world's most beautiful cities. The meeting takes place 5-9 December 2011. For more details click here.

Abstract submissions open on 8 June, and the deadline to submit an abstract is 4 August.

The two sessions address different aspects of karst groundwater systems -- one focuses on geochemical and water-quality aspects and one on hydrogeological and geomorphological aspects. Accordingly, they are proposed for separate sections, the first in the Biogeosciences section and the second in the Hydrology section. We encourage you to consider presenting the results of your research on karst at one of these sessions.

Best regards,

Barbara J. Mahler, Ph.D., P.G.

Research Hydrologist
U.S. Geological Survey
1505 Ferguson Ln., Austin, TX 78754
(512) 927-3566

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New Approaches for Investigating Biological and Geochemical Processes and Contaminant Transport in Karst Systems
Conveners: Barbara Mahler, Nicolas Massei, Corinne Wong
Biogeosciences Section

Karst aquifers represent a vital water resource on a global scale, providing drinking water for an estimated 40% of the world?s population and critical habitat for numerous endemic and endangered species. Karst systems are inherently vulnerable to contamination and challenging to study. Understanding the controls on biological and geochemical processes and contaminants is critical to a sustainable future for karst systems. This session brings together hydrologists, biologists, ecohydrologists, environmental and aqueous geochemists, and modelers who have developed tools or approaches to interpreting biological, geochemical, and hydrologic data in karst settings with an emphasis on environmental geology.


Hydrological and geomorphological processes in karst aquifers
Conveners: Matt Covington, Jason Gulley, Katrina Koski
Hydrology Section

Hydrological and geomorphological processes in karst aquifers In the past, research in karst aquifers has largely been considered to be descriptive and qualitative. Recent workers have built upon this earlier knowledge base and integrated advancements from other fields to make significant progress in quantifying hydrogeological, geomorphological and geochemical processes in karst aquifers. To promote interaction between the sub-disciplines of karst studies, we solicit abstracts for quantitative studies investigating karst aquifer processes, including, but not limited to: flow and transport, speleogenesis, groundwater/surface water interactions, records of landscape evolution and novel field or modeling techniques.