D. Genty et G. Deflandre, Drip flow variations under a stalactite of the Pere Noel cave (Belgium). Evidence of seasonal variations and air pressure constraints, J HYDROL, 211(1-4), 1998, pp. 208-232
The study of drip rate and seepage water electrical conductivity (hereafter
called conductivity) under one stalactite in the Pere Noel cave (Belgium),
with data produced from an automatic station since 1991, demonstrates seve
ral previously unobserved features: (1) measurement of drop volume shows th
at, for 94% of the time series, drop volume is constant (= 0.14 ml), but wh
en discharge exceeds 48.2 drips min(-1), drop volume decreases, probably be
cause of secondary drop formation; (2) the interannual drip rate variation
is correlated to the annual water excess and its correlant, rainfall (R-2 =
0.98; exponential model); this result introduces a new improvement in the
understanding of the previously investigated relationships between stalagmi
te annual laminae thickness and mean annual rainfall; (3) the drip rate sho
ws a well marked seasonality: it increases abruptly in late fall or early w
inter and decreases slowly during spring, summer and fall. Increased discha
rge is accompanied by an increase in conductivity, which suggests that the
flushed water is more mineralized and was stored in the karst aquifer for s
everal months; (4) superimposed on these seasonal variations, there are two
kinds of flow regimes which are driven by the atmospheric pressure: (i) a
"wiggles regime", whose duration is 1-7 days in length and which is inverse
ly proportional to the air pressure wiggles; it is explained by either a ''
shut-off faucet'' process due to the rock formation stress, or to a change
in the two-phases flow component proportions (air/water); (ii) an "unstable
regime" characterized by abrupt switches (<2 h) or oscillations with varia
ble periodicities, from a few minutes to a few hours. These occur when the
drip rate reaches a threshold (i.e. 240 drops 10 min(-1)); the chaotic beha
viour of this phenomenon is discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All r
ights reserved.