Unsaturated zone hydrology and cave drip discharge water response: Implications for speleothem paleoclimate record variability

Markowska, Monika; Baker, Andy; Treble, Pauline C.; Andersen, Martin S.; Hankin, Stuart; Jex, Catherine N.; Tadros, Carol V.; Roach, Regina

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.12.044

Cited by 45 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…The combined and fracture flow drip rates are also significantly lower compared to Mt Carmel Cave (2.8 × 10 6 L yr −1 for the intermediate flow to > 10.5 × 10 6 L yr −1 for quick flow (Arbel et al, 2010;Sheffer et al, 2011)). However, our drip discharge variations agree with other studies across Australian cave sites (Cuthbert et al, 2014;Markowska et al, 2015;Treble et al, 2013;Jex et al, 2012).…”

Section: Relation Between Lidar-based Classification and Drip Datasupporting

confidence: 92%

“…LiDAR can also be a handy tool in study sites which already have drip data time series (e.g. Jex et al, 2012;Markowska et al, 2015). We demonstrate that morphological properties of stalactites and drip rate monitoring are a suitable means by which to classify karst flow behaviour at a small scale, and should be the focus of future studies using more spatial LiDAR data and temporal drip logger data, limited only by the size of the cave, and a wider range of limestone geologies.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…Studies incorporating such measurements have increased our knowledge of seepage dynamics. For example, Markowska et al (2015) classified five different drip types at Harrie Wood Cave in south-eastern Australia, suggesting the heterogeneous flow in the unsaturated zone due to the nature of the karst architecture. Jex et al (2012) classified drip behaviour using high-resolution drip time series and employed multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) analyses to cluster the data accordingly.…”

Section: K Mahmud Et Al: Estimation Of Deep Infiltration In Unsaturmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Estimation of deep infiltration in unsaturated limestone environments using cave lidar and drip count data

Mahmud¹,

Mariethoz

Baker³

et al. 2016

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Limestone aeolianites constitute karstic aquifers covering much of the western and southern Australian coastal fringe. They are a key groundwater resource for a range of industries such as winery and tourism, and provide important ecosystem services such as habitat for stygofauna. Moreover, recharge estimation is important for understanding the water cycle, for contaminant transport, for water management, and for stalagmite-based paleoclimate reconstructions. Caves offer a natural inception point to observe both the long-term groundwater recharge and the preferential movement of water through the unsaturated zone of such limestone. With the availability of automated drip rate logging systems and remote sensing techniques, it is now possible to deploy the combination of these methods for largerscale studies of infiltration processes within a cave. In this study, we utilize a spatial survey of automated cave drip monitoring in two large chambers of Golgotha Cave, southwestern Western Australia (SWWA), with the aim of better understanding infiltration water movement and the relationship between infiltration, stalactite morphology, and unsaturated zone recharge. By applying morphological analysis of ceiling features from Terrestrial LiDAR (T-LiDAR) data, coupled with drip time series and climate data from 2012 to 2014, we demonstrate the nature of the relationships between infiltration through fractures in the limestone and unsaturated zone recharge. Similarities between drip rate time series are interpreted in terms of flow patterns, cave chamber morphology, and lithology. Moreover, we develop a new technique to estimate recharge in large-scale caves, engaging flow classification to determine the cave ceiling area covered by each flow category and drip data for the entire observation period, to calculate the total volume of cave discharge. This new technique can be applied to other cave sites to identify highly focussed areas of recharge and can help to better estimate the total recharge volume.

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Section: Relation Between Lidar-based Classification and Drip Datasupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 81%

Section: K Mahmud Et Al: Estimation Of Deep Infiltration In Unsaturmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Estimation of deep infiltration in unsaturated limestone environments using cave lidar and drip count data

Mahmud¹,

Mariethoz

Baker³

et al. 2016

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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show abstract

“…Fuller et al, 2008;Moerman et al, 2014;Riechelmann et al, 2011;Treble et al, 2013;Duan et al, 2016), although the complexity of the response of the speleothem δ 18 O signal to climate is also recognised owing to karst hydrological pathways (Baker and Brunsdon, 2003;, recharge thresholds (Pape et al, 2010;Markowska et al, 2015), and in-cave effects, including disequilibrium during degassing (due to evaporation) and ventilation effects (e.g. Pape et al, 2010;Feng et al, 2012;Deininger et al, 2012;Cuthbert et al, 2014a, b;Riechelmann et al, 2013;Dreybrodt and Deininger, 2014;Rau et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydroclimate of the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation in southern Australia's arid margin interpreted from speleothem records (23–15 ka)

et al. 2017

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Abstract. Terrestrial data spanning the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and deglaciation from the southern Australian region are sparse and limited to discontinuous sedimentological and geomorphological records with relatively large chronological uncertainties. This dearth of records has hindered a critical assessment of the role of the Southern Hemisphere mid-latitude westerly winds on the region's climate during this time period. In this study, two precisely dated speleothem records for Mairs Cave, Flinders Ranges, are presented, providing for the first time a detailed terrestrial hydroclimatic record for the southern Australian drylands during 23-15 ka. Recharge to Mairs Cave is interpreted from the speleothem record by the activation of growth, physical flood layering, and δ 18 O and δ 13 C minima. Periods of lowered recharge are indicated by 18 O and 13 C enrichment, primarily affecting δ 18 O, argued to be driven by evaporation of shallow soil/epikarst water in this water-limited environment. A hydrological driver is supported by calcite fabric changes. These include the presence of laminae, visible organic colloids, and occasional dissolution features, related to recharge, as well as the presence of sediment bands representing cave floor flooding. A shift to slower-growing, more compact calcite and an absence of lamination is interpreted to represent reduced recharge.

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“…Quantitative analysis of such stalagmite drip data has, in the past, used manual observations of cave drips (e.g., Baker et al, 1997). However, the recent development of automatic cave drip loggers (Collister and Mattey, 2008) has enabled generation of high temporal resolution and continuous drip discharge time series (e.g., Jex et al, 2012;Cuthbert et al, 2014;Markowska et al, 2015;Mariethoz et al, 2012), providing new opportunities for quantitative hydrological analysis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrological characterization of cave drip waters in a porous limestone: Golgotha Cave, Western Australia

Mahmud

Mariethoz

Baker³

et al. 2018

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Cave drip water response to surface meteorological conditions is complex due to the heterogeneity of water movement in the karst unsaturated zone. Previous studies have focused on the monitoring of fractured rock limestones that have little or no primary porosity. In this study, we aim to further understand infiltration water hydrology in the Tamala Limestone of SW Australia, which is Quaternary aeolianite with primary porosity. We build on our previous studies of the Golgotha Cave system and utilize the existing spatial survey of 29 automated cave drip loggers and a lidar-based flow classification scheme, conducted in the two main chambers of this cave. We find that a daily sampling frequency at our cave site optimizes the capture of drip variability with the least possible sampling artifacts. With the optimum sampling frequency, most of the drip sites show persistent autocorrelation for at least a month, typically much longer, indicating ample storage of water feeding all stalactites investigated. Drip discharge histograms are highly variable, showing sometimes multimodal distributions. Histogram skewness is shown to relate to the wetterthan-average 2013 hydrological year and modality is affected by seasonality. The hydrological classification scheme with respect to mean discharge and the flow variation can distinguish between groundwater flow types in limestones with primary porosity, and the technique could be used to characterize different karst flow paths when high-frequency automated drip logger data are available. We observe little difference in the coefficient of variation (COV) between flow classification types, probably reflecting the ample storage due to the dominance of primary porosity at this cave site. Moreover, we do not find any relationship between drip variability and discharge within similar flow type. Finally, a combination of multidimensional scaling (MDS) and clustering by k means is used to classify similar drip types based on time series analysis. This clustering reveals four unique drip regimes which agree with previous flow type classification for this site. It highlights a spatial homogeneity in drip types in one cave chamber, and spatial heterogeneity in the other, which is in agreement with our understanding of cave chamber morphology and lithology.

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Unsaturated zone hydrology and cave drip discharge water response: Implications for speleothem paleoclimate record variability

Cited by 45 publications

References 44 publications

Estimation of deep infiltration in unsaturated limestone environments using cave lidar and drip count data

Estimation of deep infiltration in unsaturated limestone environments using cave lidar and drip count data

Hydroclimate of the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation in southern Australia's arid margin interpreted from speleothem records (23–15 ka)

Hydrological characterization of cave drip waters in a porous limestone: Golgotha Cave, Western Australia

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Unsaturated zone hydrology and cave drip discharge water response: Implications for speleothem paleoclimate record variability

Cited by 45 publications

References 44 publications

Estimation of deep infiltration in unsaturated limestone environments using cave lidar and drip count data

Estimation of deep infiltration in unsaturated limestone environments using cave lidar and drip count data

Hydroclimate of the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation in southern Australia's arid margin interpreted from speleothem records (23–15 ka)

Hydrological characterization of cave drip waters in a porous limestone: Golgotha Cave, Western Australia

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Hydroclimate of the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation in southern Australia's arid margin interpreted from speleothem records (23–15 ka)