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Characterization and Protection of Water Quality
and Quantity in Karst and Carbonate Terrains

February 8 and 9, 2005
Barrow Conference Room
(Geology Building Room 4.102)

A scientific workshop sponsored by the France-UT Institute for
Interdisciplinary Studies and the Scientific Services of the French Embassy


Key Issues for Karst Aquifers

Purpose of Workshop

Invited Speakers

Agendas & Presentation Titles

Point of Contact for Workshop

Key Issues for Karst Aquifers
Karst and carbonate aquifers supply drinking water to 25% of the global population, and serve as important water resources on virtually every continent. These aquifers are very productive, but they far more susceptible to contamination than those in other geologic media, and their highly anisotropic and heterogeneous hydrogeologic characteristics present challenges for modeling of flow and transport. Better understanding of karst water resources requires contribution from many disciplines, including aqueous and isotope geochemistry, microbiology, geophysics, and hydrogeology. The results are of interest not only to the scientific community, but to uban planners, policy makers, and the general public.

Purpose of Workshop
This workshop brings together scientists from multiple disciplines under the umbrella of karst hydrology to present their research, form collaborations for future investigations, and discuss potential for student exchanges. The workshop will be held at the University of Texas under the auspices of the U.T. Environmental Science Institute, a multi-disciplinary institute for basic scientific research in environmental studies. The workshop is open to the public.

Invited speakers
The workshop includes invited speakers from two noted French institutions: the Maison des Sciences d’Eau (MSE), an affiliate of the University of Montpellier II, and the UMR Center for Coastal and Continental Morphodynamics, an affiliate of the Universities of Rouen and Caen. Speakers from Austin will include researchers from the University of Texas and the U.S. Geological Survey. Participants were chosen with overlapping and complementary research interests in karst issues, and will include:

The workshop will include presentations by the invited participants to which students and faculty are invited. There also will be opportunities for students and faculty to meet the participants in an informal setting to discuss research interests, collaboration possibilities, and exchange opportunities.

Agenda

Tuesday, February 8 (Abstracts linked to each presenters name)

Scientific presentations: U.T. faculty, staff, and students, and the public are invited to attend any part of today’s presentations.

8:30 – 8:45 Jay Banner, Welcome
8:45 - 9:00 Michel Bakalowicz, An overview of research on karst environments and groundwater in France
9:00 - 9:30 Jean-Paul Dupont, Transport of suspended particulate material and bacteria in the Cretaceous chalk aquifer of Upper Normandy (France)
9:30 -10:00 Philip Bennett, Subsurface chemoautotrophy: a microbial origin for karst
10:00 - 10:15 Break
10:15 - 10:45 Jean-Christian Personné, Laboratory and in situ experiments of limestone colonization by aerobic bacteria in karst and preliminary study of populations of rotifers and crustaceans in the site of lowest colonization
10:45 - 11:15 Benoit Laignel, Characterization and erosive dynamics of geosystems on chalk substratum: examples of the Western Paris Basin and North Western Europe
11:15 - 11:45 Jay Banner & MaryLynn Musgrove, Applications of stable and radiogenic isotopes to tracing hydrologic processes in karst terrains
11:45 - 12:15 Nicolas Massei, Investigating hydrodynamic and transport properties of karst aquifers using water level, turbidity, and electrical conductivity time series
12:15 - 1:30 Lunch, Workshop invited participants will lunch next door at O’s.
1:30 - 2:00 Michel Bakalowicz, Coastal karst aquifers and submarine springs: a new scientific and technological challenge for Mediterranean groundwater resources
2:00 - 2:30 John Sharp, Matrix, fracture, and conduit flow in the Edwards aquifer
2:30 - 3:00 Christelle Batiot, Use of natural tracers in the study and characterization of flow in karst systems
3:00 - 3:30 Hervé Jourde, Dynamics and contribution of spring discharge to surface flow during Mediterranean floods
3:30 - 4:00 Barbara Mahler, The case of the anomalous spring: using all the clues to solve a karst mystery
4:00 - 5:00 Bruce Fouke, Microbial diversity and function in hot springs and coral reefs
  KeyNote Lecture, Technical Sessions
5:45 - 7:00 Reception next door at O’s atrium lobby; all workshop participants and attendees invited.
   

Wednesday, February 9

This part of the workshop is limited to invited participants only.

8:30 Welcoming speech, Victoria Rodriguez, Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies
9:00 – 10:15 Discussion of exchange possibilities for students and faculty
10:15 - 10:30 Break
10:30 – 11:15 Break-out group discussions, I
11:15 – 12:00 Break-out group discussions, II
12:15 – 2:00 Lunch at the U.T. Campus Club
2:00 – 6:00 Field trip to the Barton Springs portion of the Edwards Aquifer
For more information on this area, see
6:00 - 7:30 Free Time
7:30 - 9:00 Dinner at the Iron Works Barbeque
   

Point of contact for workshop
Dr. Barbara J. Mahler
U.S. Geological Survey

Email: bjmahler@usgs.gov
Tel: (512) 927-3566
Fax: (512) 927-3590