Hydrology question

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Whatever is responsible for this karst event is probably also tied into the waterfalls we've seen on the floating islands of Pandora.

[phillip1]

oops sorry was not paying attention, it is regular black soil but not very thick more like loose potting soil, there is a very dense rain forrest type jungle (in it's natural state were there is no deforestation due to construction. farming etc) with huge trees, a lot of very very big trees actually. in the cave itself the silt was very fine light brown and the viz was about 3-4 meters.

[floridakid]

It could be recharging from other areas of higher elevation on the island. Are there other nearby mountians or, even better, plateaus that could be the source of all that water?

[Skorpiov]

Water can flow up for some distances. Ever siphoned gas out of a car? I experience this phenominon every couple of months when I do a water change on my aquarium. Could this be in play somehow?

[graepaep]

You said the water in the canyon had a higher flow than the spring you entered. Is it the same amount of water through a smaller passage or a lot more water all together?

My questions would be if there is more water flowing through the canyon than out of the spring then where is the rest of it going?

[phillip1]

there are 2 more springs about 40-60 meters further down (I power snorkeled those and they have a lot of flow and same freezing water, unusually cold for here) the same canyon that all connect and create the river, there are no mountains in the area, this is almost at the top of one which is why it's weird.

[floridakid]

there are no mountains in the area, this is almost at the top of one which is why it's weird.

What about outside the immediate area, are there any higher elevation mountains or plateaus anywhere on the island? Water can travel huge distances. Many of our springs are ultimately supplied by rainwater in Alabama and Georgia that is in many cases for than 100 miles away.

[PfcAJ]

Water can flow up for some distances. Ever siphoned gas out of a car? I experience this phenominon every couple of months when I do a water change on my aquarium. Could this be in play somehow?

The siphon effect you describe stops working when the vertical column of water exceeds about 33ft. The atmosphere is whats pushing the water (or gas) up the tube.

[phillip1]

What about outside the immediate area, are there any higher elevation mountains or plateaus anywhere on the island? Water can travel huge distances. Many of our springs are ultimately supplied by rainwater in Alabama and Georgia that is in many cases for than 100 miles away.

there is a higher plateau directly behind this spring but it is only about 200meters higher and basically vertical. in other words it does not extend up for a gradual but long slope but rather straight up behind the spring. I drove down down from the top and there is less than 3 kilometers from the spring to the top of the mountain, now I can understand when it rains the water flows down etc.. but this spring discharges water 365 days a year and at a minimum as much as when we dove there 2 days ago (which was a lot)

[Greenwood_60]

The siphon effect you describe stops working when the vertical column of water exceeds about 33ft. The atmosphere is whats pushing the water (or gas) up the tube.

That's incorrect. That would require there to be a 1 ATM difference in air pressure, which is tough since we only have 1 ATM of pressure. The weight of the water flowing downward in what pulls the water upward. You need just enough difference it the height of the surface and outlet to overcome losses, and flow fast enough to not break siphon. If this were the case, you would see periodic surges as the upper reservoir filled and emptied.