Compilers	Dr. Leslie A. Melim, Department of  Geology, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL 61455 USA LA-Melim@wiu.edu Dr. Diana Northup, Biology Department, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-1466, USA dnorthup@unm.edu Matthias López Correa, Erlangen University, Loewenichstr. 28, D - 91054 Erlangen, Germany lopez@pal.uni-erlangen.de
Purpose	To survey cave pools worldwide for the distribution of pool speleothems.
Why?	Cave pools show a wide variety of pool speleothems from none to completely filled with pool spar, shelfstone and other features.   Although commonly assumed to be controlled by pure chemistry, there is a growing awareness that some of these features are somehow mediated by microbes. This survey will help us determine the biologic and abiologic controls on pool speleothems. Although no two pools are identical, caves in a given area tend to have pools with similar features. As a result, we think there are probably extrinsic controls, perhaps climatic, on the distribution of pool speleothems.  To test this hypothesis we need to describe a lot of cave pools with worldwide distribution.  This is more than we can accomplish alone, so we are asking the caving community for help.
How Can You Help?	We need descriptions of as many caves as possible.  So the next time you go caving,  take along our simple form and then email or snailmail it back to us. Cave Survey Form (not done yet but I'm working on it...)
Additional information wanted	We are looking for living examples of cave pools with active filaments.  If you find a wet pool with pool fingers, please check carefully for tiny filaments hanging like threads from the ends of the fingers.  We REALLY want to find pools with living filaments for the biologists to study.