WAKULLA COUNTY, FL — Researchers are using cutting-edge technology to get a closer look at what lies beneath Wakulla Springs — and what it means for the region's freshwater future.
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A robot called Sunfish is being deployed at the Emerald Sink, a sinkhole that leads to a large cave system, to create 3D maps of the underwater passages that span nearly 45 miles through Leon and Wakulla counties.
The research is funded through a $2.5 million grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Ming Ye, a professor at Florida State University and principal investigator for the project, is leading the effort to study groundwater sources in the Wakulla Springs Basin and map the cave system.
The research aims to answer critical questions about the region's water supply: How much freshwater is available? Will saltwater intrude into the basin, and to what extent? How much water remains accessible during drought conditions?
"We need to have a good number how much water we have fresh water," Ye said.
Ye said the research will also help scientists understand how human activity affects the springs.
"We need to understand we're part of the system. So every contamination we put on the system, like a plastic bottle, you probably can find it in the subsurface, because of the sinkholes in the plastic bottle comes the sinkhole comes the conduit and probably goes somewhere in the subsurface. Is we're part of the system, so we are responsible to protect what resources we have," Ye said.
The technology gives researchers an unprecedented look at the cave system.
"So with this technology, we finally get a chance. It's a very unique opportunity. Probably in the country, we can see the conduit, what it look like in 3d and how water flows, and what water look like in terms of water quality and geochemistry," Ye said.
FSU, the University of South Florida, the Woodville Karst Plain Project, and Sunfish are working together on the study. The effort involves both human divers and the Sunfish robot, which can descend as deep as 300 feet to map the cave.
Vicki Siegel, Field Operations Director for Sunfish, explained how the robot works.
"This little system can spin around and flip upside down and turn side to side, and that allows it to point that sonar sensor in any direction that it chooses. So it can map the walls up above its head down below it, all the way around, and then, using that map, it sees where there's a wall, it sees where there's an open space, and it can choose to go into that open space and spin around and gather more data and continue exploring and mapping as it goes," Siegel said.
A key advantage of using the robot is that it does not require oxygen or decompression time, the way human divers do.
"We're not putting humans at risk. So we've been able to safely do a lot of the dives and explore the system and get basic surveys of where the passages are. But with a robot, we're able to get much more detailed, three-dimensional maps of those passages that all lead to Wakulla Springs," Chris Werner, Project Director of the Woodville Karst Plain Project, said.
Researchers also noted that current drought conditions have made the cave water unusually clear, making the mapping process easier.
The project is currently in its first year of a four-year study.
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