IRCK delegates attend the Workshop of US Geological Survey (USGS) Karst Interest Group and the 8th International “Climate Change: The Karst Record (KR8)” Conference in USA

To implement the guiding principle of the meeting between the heads ofUSGS and China Geological Survey (CGS) in 2015, a special session on Karst inChina was held during the Workshop of USGS Karst Interest Group in May 2017 todiscuss the progress and international cooperation on karst research. Invitedby Prof. Eve L. Kuniansky, chairman of USGS Karst Interest Group Workshop andProf. Jay Banner from the Department of Geological Science, the University ofTexas at Austin, Pu Junbing, associate research professor from IRCK, visitedthe USA from May 15-26, 2017 to attend the USGS Karst Interest Group Workshopand the 8^th International “Climate Change: The Karst Record (KR8)”Conference.

At the special session on Karst and Caves inChina held on May 16, 2017 during the USGS Karst Interest Group Workshop, PuJunbing from IRCK delivered a keynote speech on “Karst research progress ofChina Geological Survey over the recent years”, while Prof. Jiang Xiaozhen,visiting scholar of IRCK, made an oral presentation on “The formation mechanismof extra large-scale karst collapse in Laibin, Guangxi, China”.  The Climate Change: the Karst RecordConference, mainly attended by scholars engaged in global changes related tokarst, is regularly held every 2-3 years. It focuses on the reconstruction ofthe paleoenvironment of karst deposits, global carbon cycle and karst effect. Duringthe KR VIII, Prof. Bu Junbing made a poster entitled “Information on climaterecorded by isotopes of cave drip water and deposits”, and exchanged ideas withscholars on the mechanism of hydrochemical changes of cave drip water, theimpact of forest wildfire on hydrochemistry of cave drip, and cave ventilationeffects. By attending the two meetings, IRCK has demonstrated its latestfindings, expanded its international academic influence, implemented theguiding principle of the meetings between heads of USGS and CGS, and deepenedthe international exchange and cooperation.

Pu Junbing, associate research professor fromIRCK, presents his poster at the meeting