Summer 2022 research Caving Expedition

This summer, a team of 19 cave researchers and cave scientists will collectively spend 8-weeks on a science expedition in the Tongass National Forest near Craig, AK on Prince of Wales Island.

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How do bacteria respond when humans damage caves?The Tongass National Forest in Alaska contains both damaged and undamaged caves. These caves are homes to a bacteria-rich mineraloid formation called moonmilk. Microbial communities play critical roles in maintaining ecosystem stability. This motivated my of team of cavers and cave explorers to...

Our Trip

Where We're Going

North Prince of Wales Island

Travel information:

Ferry from Ketchikan to Hollis

What We're Doing: Groundwater Studies

Our research seeks to systematically profile the microbial occupants of cave-accessible groundwater in the Tongass National Forest. Karst aquifers are particularly important on Prince of Wales Island as they are the primary source of potable water for the many rural subsistence communities on the island. We are investigating the previously largely unexplored effect of rapid climate change on karst aquifer ecosystems.

What We're Doing: Muskeg Research

Muskegs bogs in Southeast Alaska have a pH between 2-3. Though muskegs are not absent in the continental United States, those in SE Alaska, created by piles of downed spruce trees piling in glacially created divots are unique in that they are so aggressively acidic they sculpt the ground. We are curious about the stability of the environmental conditions (e.g. conductivity, pH, alkalinity) in the alpine and subalpine muskegs. We will also profile the microbial communities that are able to create and survive in such an extreme environments.

What We're Doing: Moonmilk Profiling

Probably the most unique mineraloid feature of the caves in the Tongass National Forest is moonmilk (Aley et al., 1993). This normally-rare mineroid is present in both surprising abundance and a considerable variety of forms. Because microbial communities are central to the cave ecosystem, high-resolution study of microbial communities in caves will increase our understanding of the biological resources present in cave systems and karst areas. We will be able to identify the the microbial occupants of moonmilk (via 16s rRNA), characterize their in-situ metabolic activity in the cave environment (via field-sequencing of RNA), and also study the compounds these microbes are capable of producing (via phenotypic screening).

How We're Preparing

What to Bring

Risk Management

White Nose Syndrome Regulations
Cave safety

Bear safety

Designing Infrastructure

Reading List

Curry et al, 2009, Microbial profiling of moonmilk in the Tongass National Forest
Kaiser et al, 2022, Antibiotic resistance in karst aquifer systems
Harris, 2020 Impacts of Forest Management and Timber Harvest Practices on Karst Processes
Groves and Hendrickson, 2015 Buffering capacity of a cave system in the Tongass National Forest
Barzhagi et al, 2021 Planarians, a Neglected Component of Biodiversity in Groundwaters
DeCelle, 2021 Developing and Applying an Integrated Spatial Karst Evaluation and Management Priority Tool in the Tongass NF
Prussian & Baichtal, 2007 Delineation of a Karst Watershed on Prince of Wales Island