Schoonover Jon E, Crim Jackie F, Williard Karl W J, Groninger John W, Zaczek James J, Pattumma Klairoong
Southern Illinois University, 1205 Lincoln Drive, Carbondale, IL, 62901-4411, USA,
Environ Manage. 2015 Sep;56(3):618-29. doi: 10.1007/s00267-015-0523-z. Epub 2015 May 15.
Sedimentation dynamics were assessed in sinkholes within training areas at Ft. Knox Military Installation, a karst landscape subjected to decades of tracked vehicle use and extreme soil disturbance. Sinkholes sampled were sediment-laden and behaved as intermittent ponds. Dendrogeomorphic analyses were conducted using willow trees (Salix spp.) located around the edge of 18 sinkholes to estimate historical sedimentation rates, and buried bottles were installed in 20 sinkholes at the center, outer edge, and at the midpoint between the center and edge to estimate annual sedimentation rates. Sedimentation data were coupled with vegetation characteristics of sinkhole buffers to determine relationships among these variables. The dendrogeomorphic method estimated an average accumulation rate of 1.27 cm year(-1) translating to a sediment loss rate of 46.1 metric ton year(-1) from the training areas. However, sediment export to sinkholes was estimated to be much greater (118.6 metric ton year(-1)) via the bottle method. These data suggest that the latter method provided a more accurate estimate since accumulation was greater in the center of sinkholes compared to the periphery where dendrogeomorphic data were collected. Vegetation data were not tightly correlated with sedimentation rates, suggesting that further research is needed to identify a viable proxy for direct measures of sediment accumulation in this extreme deposition environment. Mitigation activities for the sinkholes at Ft. Knox's tank training area, and other heavily disturbed karst environments where extreme sedimentation exists, should consider focusing on flow path and splay area management.
在诺克斯堡军事基地训练区域内的岩溶漏斗中评估了沉积动力学，该岩溶地貌历经数十年的履带车辆使用和极端的土壤扰动。所采样的岩溶漏斗充满沉积物，其作用类似于间歇性池塘。利用位于18个岩溶漏斗边缘的柳树（柳属）进行树轮地貌分析，以估算历史沉积速率，并在20个岩溶漏斗的中心、外缘以及中心与边缘之间的中点处埋设瓶子，以估算年沉积速率。将沉积数据与岩溶漏斗缓冲区的植被特征相结合，以确定这些变量之间的关系。树轮地貌方法估算的平均堆积速率为1.27厘米/年，这意味着训练区域的沉积物流失速率为46.1公吨/年。然而，通过瓶子法估算的向岩溶漏斗的沉积物输出量要大得多（118.6公吨/年）。这些数据表明，后一种方法提供了更准确的估算，因为与收集树轮地貌数据的周边区域相比，岩溶漏斗中心的堆积量更大。植被数据与沉积速率没有紧密关联，这表明需要进一步研究，以确定在这种极端沉积环境中直接测量沉积物堆积的可行替代指标。诺克斯堡坦克训练区域以及其他存在极端沉积的严重扰动岩溶环境的岩溶漏斗缓解活动，应考虑侧重于径流路径和扇状地管理。
