UW-Oshkosh students explore caves and island hydrology:
Heidi (L) and Laura (R) swimming in Grotto Bay cave. The water is fresh but cold at the surface, and warm and salty below. The cold water is a fresh water lens supplied by rain that floats on seawater fed by passages to the ocean. Our water tests showed very high phosphorus and nitrogen levels in this cave. |
Heidi bravely went into the cave water first and found that it was cooler (about 60 degrees F) than the seawater outside. |
Great stalactites and stalagmites in Crystal Cave. The cave is formed in the Walsingham limestone (ca. 800 Ka). |
More stalactites in Crystal Cave. You can see stalagmites under the seawater here where they represent a "fossil" vadose zone. The tidal range in the cave is about 1.5 meters! |
Massive stalagmite in Crystal Cave. The walkway in the background floats to accommodate the daily tidal changes. |
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