The Wind Cave System is being used as a model to understand the energy flow and the carbon cycle in cavern systems as an analog to caverns on other planetary bodies. Using a combination of field spectroscopy (fluorescence, water quality analysis, and XRF) and laboratory techniques (GCMS, UV-Vis). The goal is to be able to map the flow of nutrients (Fulvic Acids, Humic Acid) from the decay of prairie roots at the surface and their pathway into the subterranean lakes. Collecting samples from the flowstone and drip lakes found in the cave system, in order to better understand the flow of the caverns, and how they work. The goal is also to study microorganisms and understand the survival of them in extreme conditions. In order to understand how bacteria might be able to survive in other planetary bodies.

Understanding the flow of organic compounds through the Wind Cave system in South Dakota

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.