Aim of the Project

The aim of the proposed project is to increase and improve global understanding of karst and water resources and their effects on ecological health and on human issues which involve water supply, agriculture, and urban development. This will be accomplished through sharing of ideas, experiences and resources in developing solutions to karst water resource challenges.

Objectives and measurable outputs

The objectives of the project are to improve the overall understanding of karst, its functions, and its affects on human and ecological health. These will be accomplished through theoretical and applied research. Theoretical research is critical for understanding the basic characteristics of karst in order to begin to address the complex hardships it places on humans and the environment. Applied research is important in order to understand how to deal with the challenges that are associated with water supply and water-related environmental issues associated with karst. The measurable output of the project will be in the form of publications of theoretical and applied research results in peer-reviewed journals and in working group meetings that foster exchange of ideas and research which will also be published in Project summaries and proceedings.

How the project relates to Geoscience in the Service of Society

As much as 25% of the world's population obtains its drinking water supplies from karst aquifers. (Ford and Williams, 1989). Karst waters are extremely vulnerable to contamination from urban, agricultural, and other types of land uses that introduce contaminants to the subsurface. These travel quickly through karst aquifers which offer no natural filtration and ultimately result in the pollution of water sources. In addition, karst landscapes offer difficult challenges in water supply both with the quantity and quality of water sources. In many case karst waters are not easily accessible from the surface landscape. A better understanding of karst processes both from a theoretical and applied standpoint is necessary before any progress can be made in solving the problems of aquifer contamination and water shortages in karst regions.

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