"As for the origin of the CO2, I think that is still an open question. I'm not so sure about soils since there isn't much in central Texas. In small caves it could be organics. But in larger caves, I tend to favor out gassing from the limestone as it is dissolved by water - especially in caves that are connected to an underlying aquifer such as the Edwards where there is lots of water in continual contact with rock."
The soils are where the CO2 is stored; the actual source is plant respiration. It is not the only source of CO2 in cave air. The measured changes in soil that occur when plants become especially active, which have been correlated to changes in caves, show plant respiration is an important factor. How important remains to be better quantified because CO2 in Texas cave air increases not just with plant respiration but as we get into the season where airflow due to barometric changes decreases. Determining how much CO2 is outgassed from the limestone or deeper sources is something I've long wanted to do. I'm glad you're working on it Joe. George --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
