The Ox Bel Ha cave system is helping to answer more questions about the aquafer of Quintana Roo and MCEP divers are proud to have helped with Chelsi's recent publication and ongoing studies.

 

The effect of seasonal rainfall on nutrient input and biological productivity in the Yax Chen cave system (Ox Bel Ha), Mexico, and implications for μXRF core studies of paleohydrology. Read more

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CINDAQ / MCEP

 SCIENCE PROJECT- APRIL 2018

The latest Science project hosted by CINDAQ A.C. and MCEP from April 23-27, 2018 was a great success! Although smaller and a little more relaxed than previous projects we still managed to collect a lot of great data.

 Read more

 

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CINDAQ / MCEP

Science / Cave survey May 1-5 2017

From May 1-5, 2017 twenty GUE divers from 7 different countries participated in the Science and Survey Project organized by MCEP (Mexico Cave Exploration Project) & CINDAQ (Centro Investigador del Sistema Aquifero de Quintrana Roo).
 Read more

 

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CINDAQ / MCEP

MARCH 2016 EXPLORATION REPORT

Another exciting few days of exploration in the Ox Bel Ha cave system for CINDAQ & MCEP divers.

 

CENOTE COOPER

 

This very unassuming entrance was discovered early this year and has proved to be a real gem. The restricted muddy opening leads to increasingly larger passage culminating in a huge room measuring 150 meters / 500 feet wide! It is here where Cenote Cooper was connected to the main OBH cave system in February. Read more

 

 

 

Late Holocene mangrove development and onset of sedimentation in the Yax Chen cave system (OX BEL HA)

Dr Shawn Collins has just published an interesting science article on Late Holocene Mangrove development and onset of sedimentation in the Ox Bel Ha cave system just south of Tulum. A great example on how GUE divers can contribute to the understanding of the underwater realm. Read more

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Reconstructing Yucatan Cave Environments using Microfossils

Thecamobians and foraminifera are testate amoeba that inhabit fresh to marine water environments around the world. They have exploited every aquatic niche from the deep sea to lakes and marshes. These organisms produce a shell (microfossil) which are about the size of a grain sand, and are found in abundance in the sediment, with a tablespoon often containing thousands of specimens. Read more

 

 

 

Science Report - From August 2000 to December 2004

From August 2000 to December 2004, a team of multi-discipline scientists and divers conducted studies related to the overall distribution of water properties within the coastal karst aquifer of the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Dr. Christopher Werner, Kris Esterson and others with the collaboration of local GUE divers, Fred Devos, Chris Le Maillot, and Daniel Riordan along with Alex Alvarez and Sam Meacham placed instruments into several underwater cave systems. Read more

 

 

 

Fun with Foraminifera in Yucatan Caves

While walking along a Caribbean tropical beach, one typically admires the color and texture of the sand: whether it is porcelain white or baby pink. However, a micropaleontologist, such as myself, knows that the color and texture of the sand reflects the colors of the shells of millions of tiny, unique shelled animals called foraminifera or forams. We have known and studied these microorganisms for centuries, but for the very first time we have discovered that they also live in the perpetual darkness and isolation of Yucatan caves. Read more

 

 

 

Science Report - September 2009

We have now collected (in April and Sept 2009) and analyzed two  systems, Carwash (Aktun Ha) and the lower reaches of the Yax Chen/Ox Bel Ha Cave system.  We have collected and analyzed close to 60 surface sediment samples and 6 sediment cores from these caves and we have conducted Hydrolab water chemistry profiles as well. Read more