Development and implementation of virtual field teaching resources: two karst geomorphology modules and three virtual capstone pathways

During the summer of 2020, many geology field camps were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the karst geomorphology field course I was scheduled to co-teach through Western Kentucky University. When the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT), in collaboration with the International Association for Geoscience Diversity (IAGD), began the project of supporting working groups to create online field experience teaching materials, this presented an opportunity. This paper describes the development of two activities derived from that field camp curriculum that are now freely available as peer-reviewed exemplary teaching activities on the Science Education Resource Center (SERC) Online Field Experiences repository under “Karst hydrogeology: a virtual field introduction using © Google Earth and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)” and “Karst hydrogeology: a virtual field experience using © Google Earth, GIS, and TAK [Topographic Analysis Kit].” Each product includes a student handout, an instructor workflow reference, a grading rubric, and NAGT-established learning objectives. The introductory activity is the more basic of the two, is expected to take about an 8 h workday to teach, and walks students through all the steps, as well as providing global examples of karst landscapes that can be virtually explored. The other activity, “Karst hydrogeology and geomorphology”, assumes student familiarity with © Google Earth, GIS, and karst drainage systems and is expected to take about twice as long as the introductory activity to teach. To make these learning opportunities financially accessible, all software required for the activities is open source, and alternative workflows for the introductory module are provided so that the entire exercise can be completed using a mobile device. Addressing this need for virtual capstone options during the pandemic, and providing a virtual alternative for years to come, these karst activities, along with a subset of other SERC activities, were assembled into three learning tracks, each one providing learning hours equivalent to a traditional field camp, that have been added to the course offerings at the University of Cincinnati Department of Geology. In addition to providing online capstone activities in the time of a pandemic, these learning materials provide alternative experiences to traditional field camps that are inclusive for all geoscience students.

In memoriam to Professor Jean Nicod (1923-2021)

With pain and sadness, we have received news about the death of Prof. Jean Nicod. Prof. Jean Nicod was Dr. Litt., retired Professor Emeritus of Physical Geography at the University Aix-Marseille, Institute of Geography, Aix-en-Provence, honorary doctor of the University of Silesia (1994), and Corresponding member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (2003). Prof. Nicod was an outstanding geographer, geomorphologist, researcher of karst phenomena and Mediterranean geomorphology, the founder of the French school of karst geomorphology, and of Association Française de Karstologie (French Association of Karstology), its first president (1977-1986), later its honorary president. Additionally, he was president of Commision de Phenomène Karstique du Comité National de Géographie (Commission of karst phenomena at the National Geographic Committee), and the founder and editor of the journals Karstologia and Méditerranée.

Tracer vertical movement and its affecting factors in karst soil profiles using the simulated leaching method

<p>Soil erosion is a severe issue in Southwest China due to complex karst geomorphology and excessive farming activities. It is also difficult to observe and evaluate using traditional research methods. Fortunately, as a supplement to traditional methods, the <sup>137</sup>Cs tracing technique has strong potential to monitor and evaluate soil loss in karst regions. However, <sup>137</sup>Cs might move downward with tiny particles under adequate rainfall conditions. This is critical because it directly affects accuracy of using the <sup>137</sup>Cs conversion model to evaluate soil erosion. Thus, in our study, in order to explore whether tracers actually moved vertically and to evaluate the movement distance and the factors influencing the movement, magnetic powder (Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>) and rare earth oxides (CeO<sub>2 </sub>and La<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) were used as the substitute tracers under different conditions (rainfall and leaching area) of a simulated leaching experiment, which possess similar properties as <sup>137</sup>Cs and have no toxicity problems in humans and the environment. The results showed that tracers moved downward 6 cm when water was added to simulate 1-10-year rainfall conditions and 8 cm when water was added to simulate 15-20-year rainfall conditions. The movement distance of tracers increased slowly with increasing water input, and the concentration of the tracers that moved related indirectly to the leaching area. Tracer movement at the edge of the simulated profile was affected by tracer type and concentration since there was no transition layer between soil and plastic column. Our field observations in two karst watersheds showed that ignoring the vertical movement of tracer can cause the overestimation of soil loss amount by 6.90% and 22.22% respectively. This study proved that in the karst area of Southwest China with abundant rainfall, <sup>137</sup>Cs would move vertically, and the soil loss will be overestimated if the vertical movement distance of the tracer is ignored.</p>

An Analytic Solution of Stress Distribution Around a Shallow Buried Hollow Cylinder Karst Cave in Limestone Strata

The chief objective of the article is to learn the spatial characteristics of stress distribution around a shallow buried cylinder karst cave in limestone strata. Firstly, taking into account the geometry of limestone formations, and the characteristics of karst geomorphology in China, a spatial axial-symmetrical hollow model was established. Concurrently, combing available work and the concept of elasticity, the boundary conditions are determined. Subsquently, Love displacement method was introduced, in addition to the expressions of stress components were gained. The diagram characteristics of each stress component are summarized, which are affected by various influencing factors. Finally, in order to prove the rationality of the general solution, a numerical simulation was carried out on the basis of practical engineering, and the maximum error is less than 5%. Thus, the analytical solution could represent the spatial characteristics of stress distribution around a shallow buried cylinder karst cave in limestone strata.

From Field to Phone: A Karst Camp Chronicle

During the summer of 2020, many geology field camps were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Karst Geomorphology field course I was scheduled to co-teach through Western Kentucky University. When the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) in collaboration with the International Association for Geoscience Diversity (IAGD) began the project of supporting working groups to create online field experience teaching material, I saw an opportunity. From my field camp syllabus, I created two activities that are now freely available as peer-reviewed Exemplary Teaching Activities on the Science Education Resource Center (SERC) Online Field Experiences repository: Karst Hydrogeology: A virtual field introduction using © Google Earth and GIS and Karst Hydrogeology and Geomorphology: A virtual field experience using © Google Earth, GIS, and TAK [Topographic Analysis Kit]. Each product includes a student handout, an instructor workflow reference, a grading, and NAGT-established learning objectives. The introductory activity is the more basic of the two, is expected to take about one 8-hour day to teach, and walks students through all the steps, as well as providing global examples of karst landscapes to virtually explore. The other activity, Karst Hydrogeology and Geomorphology, assumes student familiarity with © Google Earth, GIS, and karst drainage systems, and is expected to take about twice as long as the introductory activity to teach. To make these learning opportunities financially accessible, all software required for the activities is open-source and alternative workflows for the introductory module are provided so that the entire exercise can be completed using a smartphone. In addition to providing online capstone activities in the time of a pandemic, these activities provide alternative learning experiences to traditional field camps that are inclusive for all geoscience students. In my home department of the University of Cincinnati, I had been contacted by students needing to find capstone experiences when their field camps were cancelled. Responding to this need and providing a virtual alternative for years to come, I reviewed all SERC activities that had been generated during the NAGT/IAGD joint effort. I selected a subset of those to assemble into three learning tracks, each one providing learning hours equivalent to a traditional field camp, that have been added to the course offerings at the University of Cincinnati Department of Geology.

Karst geomorphology in the Oštarije–Tounj area and its significance in the geomorphological evolution of the broader area

The Oštarije–Tounj area lies in the contact zone of two large geomorphological units: the Ogulin-Plaški basin and the Una-Korana plateau, along the northern edge of Dinaric karst in Croatia. This is a highly karstified landscape, with numerous surface and subterranean karst forms. The objective of this study was to determine the significance of the karst relief and the processes of its formation, with the aim of examining the interaction of these two large units during their geomorphological evolution. General and specific digital geomorphometric analyses were used, with geomorphological mapping. Within the morphogenetic approach, the morphostructural conditions of karstification, spatial distribution and significance of karst, and fluviokarst relief forms were analysed. Several dry valleys were established, indicating that this area was the important corridor for surface runoff from the Ogulin-Plaški basin towards the Una-Korana plateau. Tectonic up-lifting of the narrow zone between these two units created an orographic barrier, which hindered any further surface runoff and created the conditions for the development of karst subterranean watercourses. This paper provides a proposal of the morphogenesis model of the Ogulin-Plaški basin, summarised with the description “flattening and closure”.

Jennings’ Karst (1971, MIT Press) and current critical zone science

Karst, written by J.N. (Joseph Newell) Jennings in the series entitled An Introduction to Systematic Geomorphology, provided a systematic introduction to the geomorphological features of karst and the processes by which it is formed. The many distinctive features of karst geomorphology are formed by the unusual solubility of the bedrock. Understanding the special nature of karst geomorphology is an important foundation for current critical zone studies that are aimed at comprehending the sophisticated linkage between lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and atmosphere in a karst region.