Perhaps no other ecosystem is as closely linked to others as cave and karst ecosystems. Environmental impacts on surrounding land and water resources can have far-reaching effects even if the systems themselves are not directly impacted.
Karst ecosystems are created by the dissolution of limestone, creating sinkholes, caves, and underground streams. Good water quality, therefore, is essential to the health of these ecosystems.
Because of the three-dimensional aspects of environmental management, GIS is an important tool for resource managers to visualize and model the influence of external influences.
Mapping Caves With GIS
Cave structure is often complex, with lengths varying from a few feet to over 300 miles as mapped within Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. Using GIS, resource managers can map the network of passages. Identification of entrances and blowholes allows managers to pinpoint areas of vulnerability from outside sources.
In addition to passages, mapping of subterranean landscapes and underground water flow patterns provide additional information for modeling and predicting which areas may be impacted from external events.
Watershed Management and GIS
Watershed management is vital to cave management. What happens above ground has a direct impact on cave ecosystems. For example, waters contaminated by agricultural runoff will percolate down into caves over time. Within a cave, concentration of contaminants can occur, compounding the effects of water pollution.
Mapping of water flow and land use data within the watershed identifies possible sources of contamination. Additional data such as transportation and elevation data give resource managers the tools necessary to uncover relationships between the landscape and the cave environment.
According the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), agricultural runoff is the primary source of water pollution in U.S. streams and rivers. Overlaying agricultural land and water flow identifies problem areas and can influence agricultural management decisions.
Land Development
GIS assists government and land managers in development. With GIS, possible impacts of road construction or other land improvement can be modeled. Using elevation and topographical data, scientists can predict water flow and possible runoff issues, enabling them to pinpoint sources of nonpoint source pollution (NSP).
GIS has other applications. Digitization of cave and sinkhole data provides city planners with information that can direct development and identify possible environmental hazards.
With GIS, resource managers can manage cave and karst ecosystems more effectively. Identification of the relationships between these ecosystems and the overlying surface is possible. Cave systems are sensitive to outside influence. Negative environmental effects can be avoided with GIS modeling technology.
Sources:
Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.: GIS for Cave and Karst
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Protecting Water Quality from Agricultural Runoff
