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

• Packing List

• Group Gear

Risk Management

• White Nose Syndrome Regulations

• Cave safety

• Bear safety

Designing Infrastructure

• Solar Panel Setup

• Planktoscope - Field Flowscope

• Dremelfuge- Field centrifuge

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

Who Is Helping Us?

Grants

• National Speleological Foundation

• National Speleological Society

• Survival and Flourishing Fund

• Cave Conservancy Foundation

• Experiment Foundation

Institutions

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Harvard University

• New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

• National Cave and Karst Research Institute

• University of California, Santa Cruz

• Western Kentucky University

Corporate Sponsors

• Pigeon Mountain Industries

• MiniPCR Bio

• Bearvault

• Heather's Choice

• Fisher Space Pen

• Hyperlite Mountain Gear

Maybe You?

• Donate directly via Paypal