Projects

 

Cave Minerals of the World Database (CAMIDA) is a collaborative project of the USF Libraries, UISs Cave Minerals Commission, the Karst Information Portal, -Emil Racovita- Institute of Speleology (Romania), and the Karst Research Group at University of South Florida. CAMIDA is an open-access collection of geological, mineralogical, crystallographical, and protection/conservation information on all minerals discovered in caves around the world.

Sea-level reconstructions using cave deposits from littoral caves in Mallorca (Spain) and Sardinia (Italy). These coastal caves contain carbonate encrustations over pre-existing speleothems that have grown over tens of thousands of years at the sea-level. These sea-level markers are available in many caves at different elevations (below, at, and above present sea-level position) and can precisely be dated by U-series methods

The ecology of phreatic cave biofilms in Sulphur Springs. Determine if biofilms play a chemolithoautotrophic role in the Sulphur Springs Cave trophic structure, quantify surface-subsurface connectivity in the Sulphur Springs system, and characterize the food-source quality of different Sulphur Springs Cave biofilms by analyzing carbon stable isotopic ratios, nutrient content, and whole- metagenomes of biofilms.

Blue hole investigations in San Salvador (Bahamas). For this study, conduit discharge, dissolved oxygen concentration, tidal height variation, temperature, salinity, pH, and oxidation reduction potential in two blue holes were measured, as both a function of depth and time.  In addition, the oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition of water from these two blue holes were analyzed, in order to evaluate the combined roles of tidal groundwater pumping and evaporation on the water chemistry.

Radon studies in caves from San Salvador (Bahamas) and Florida. Touristic and non-touristic caves were investigated with the aim to provide a reliable distribution of their radon levels and evaluate the occupational exposure and associated effective doses. These very important as they pose potential health hazards upon cave guides, cavers, and scientists.

San Salvador (Bahamas) Cave Inventory the goal of this long-term project is to prospect, discover, survey, and document the cavities in the Sandy Point area and elsewhere on the island. This projects is related to the Karst Geology field class taught around the New Years Eve at the Gerace Research Center in San Salvador, Bahamas.

Karst Oral History Several interviews were conducted at the USF Libraries in Tampa with some of the leading names in karst science in a variety of fields including exploration, cave mapping, paleoclimate, vulcanospeleology, and applied ecology. The purpose of the karst oral history project is to preserve for future researchers the experiences, thoughts, and insights of such prolific karst researchers and authors as Alexander Klimchouk, Derek Ford, Henry Schwarcz, Bill Halliday, and William White. The complete audio recordings of these interviews are available for download, along with a written transcript for each.