Doron Nof, PhD - Physical Oceanography at Florida State University

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Cave Research

I am interested in the manner that the fresh water flows from the surface to the aquifer (which contains sinkholes, caves and tunnels), and from the aquifer to the rivers via the springs and ultimately to the ocean. In Florida, this happens in what is called a karstic environment, which is a system involving a maze of tunnels as well as regions containing the familiar porous media consisting of sand and clay.

This kind of medium was first found in Europe. Early on, the process was referred to by various names but, ultimately, the international scientific community has settled on karst, the German name for Kras, a region in Slovenia partially extending into Italy, where it is called "Carso" and where the first scientific research of a karst topography was made. This particular environment is created because over geological time, the ground water gradually dissolves the bed rock or limestone.

How the flow is divided between the traditional porous media and the tunnels is essentially unknown. This challenging field is relevant to only a few places around the globe. The most notables are some parts of Europe, The Yucatan and Florida.