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The International Journal of Speleology is the official journal of the Union Internationale de Spéléologie since 1978 and was founded in 1964. It is a double-blind, peer-reviewed, international scientific journal that publishes research and review articles concerning all sciences involved in karst and caves, such as geology, geomorphology, hydrology, archeology, paleontology, (paleo)climatology, cave meteorology, (geo)microbiology, environmental sciences, physics, chemistry, mineralogy, etc. IJS is published three times per year.
Articles are open access at http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/ijs. The journal is abstracted and indexed in the following services: Directory of Open Access Journals, ISI Thomson Services (Science Citation Index-Expanded including the Web of Science, ISI Alerting Service, Current Contents/Physical, Chemical and Earth Sciences), Bibliography & Index of Geology (GeoRef, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, EarthScienceWISE (Oxmill Publishing), EBSCO publishing, Geobase, Speleological Abstracts (UIS), Ulrich’s Periodical Directory ™, BIOSIS Zoological record, SCOPUS (Elsevier), and SCImago Journal and Country Rank.
LATEST IMPACT FACTOR 2025: 1.3
In Journal of Citation Reports®, Thomson Reuters 2025
Current Issue: Volume 55, Issue 2 (2026)
Articles
Assessing the impact of lampenflora growth on invertebrate distribution and food resource use in Ryusen-do Cave, Japan
Kazuhide Nakajima, Kanato Ando, Shuji Watanabe, and Masuo Komukai
- Invertebrate species distribution varies with bat feces and tourism-induced disturbance
- Bat feces and guano are key factors influencing invertebrate distribution in Ryusen-do Cave
- Lampenflora growth may negatively affect troglomorphic invertebrates, but may benefit non-troglomorphic species
- Lampenflora impacts were evident even in a well-managed show cave
Drainage proximity and sinkhole occurrence in Sivrihisar (Central Turkey): A comparative analysis of linear, Poisson, and negative binomial regression models
Bilge Bingül, Emrah Pekkan, and Resul Çömert
- Sinkhole frequency increases significantly with proximity to drainage networks
- Data overdispersion invalidates standard Poisson models
- Negative Binomial Regression outperforms linear and Poisson models
- Hydrochemistry reveals dolomite dissolution, not gypsum
- First comprehensive inventory maps 104 cover-collapse sinkholes
Light-driven zonation and community structure of aerophytic microalgae in a tropical limestone cave (Gua Tempurung, Malaysia)
Wan Maznah Wan Omar, Mohammad Basri Eshak, Luthfiana Aprilianita Sari, Zulaihat Hamza Abdullahi, and Yusuf Abdullahi
- Light gradients, structure zonation and diversity of aerophytic algae in caves
- Community assembly reflects hierarchical filtering by light and moisture
- Transition zones form ecological bottlenecks shaping microalgal diversity patterns
- Moisture limitation can override the benefits of increased light availability
- Artificial lighting promotes novel microalgal assemblages in tourist caves
Vertebrate diversity in cave systems of Colombia: an approach based on environmental DNA metabarcoding analysis
Rita Daniela Martinelli Marín, Carlos Andres Lasso, Francesco Sauro, and Susana Josefina Caballero
- eDNA revealed 110 vertebrate species across 21 Colombian cave systems
- Fish diversity: 49 species, mainly Siluriformes and Characiformes
- Tetrapods: 61 species, with Anura, Rodentia, and Chiroptera most common
- El Cóndor, Sara’s, and Cascada del Hayal caves showed highest diversity
- eDNA proved effective for detecting hard-to-sample cave vertebrates
Wavelet-based multiscale analysis of cave CO₂ concentration in response to short-term high-intensity tourism activities: spatiotemporal heterogeneity and lag characteristics
Mingda Cao, Wenwen Song, Yan Zhang, Jie Zhang, and Zhiqiang Yao
- Tourist respiration dominates cave CO₂ diurnal variation
- Cave ventilation controls spatial heterogeneity of CO₂
- Semi-diurnal CO₂ period appears during peak tourist period
- Lag time of CO₂ behind tourists is 3-6 h during peak period
- Full-period average lag (54-72 h) is controlled by memory effect
Sedimentary dynamics in tubular sandstone caves, Porto União, Southern Brazil
Leandro Bianchini and Julio Cesar Paisani
- Infill dominated by high-density sediment flows
- Mainly allochthonous sediments derived from slopes
- Dynamics since ~107 kyr, with aggradation-incision cycles
- Discontinuous and heterogeneous sediment storage
- Results contradict classical models of fluvial caves
Technical Note
Riki&Dolphin: real time data transmission from the bottom of a cave to a website
Luca Tringali, Giacomo Canciani Dr., Tecla Tripari, Alexander Debenjak, and Caterina Bearzotti
- Dolphin sensors can be placed hundreds of meters deep in a cave
- Riki board can be placed outdoor, powering Dolphin with a 12 V battery for months
- Main maintenance can be performed only on Riki and Dragino (outside the cave)
- Data transmission through LoRaWAN, optional datalogging on a SD card placed outdoor
- Modular customizable design, with support for analog, digital, I2C, serial sensors
