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Volume 51, Issue 1 (2022)

Articles

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Low impact sampling of speleothems – reconciling scientific study with cave conservation
Claire L.V. MacGregor, John C. Hellstrom, Jon D. Woodhead, Russell N. Drysdale, and Rolan S. Eberhard

  • Low impact method for speleothem sampling
  • Cave conservation best practice

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Speleogenesis in a lens of metamorphosed limestone and ankerite: Ochtiná Aragonite Cave, Slovakia
Pavel Bella, Pavel Bosák, Petr Pruner, Helena Hercman, Katarína Pukanská, Karol Bartoš, Ľudovít Gaál, Dagmar Haviarová, Peter Tomčík, and Šimon Kdýr

  • Carbonic acid speleogenesis enhanced due to ankerite oxidation
  • Solution flat ceilings and inward-inclined smooth facets in a limestone cave
  • Solution facets developed in flat-roofed passages as well as in vaulted halls and passages
  • The Brunhes/Matuyama boundary and Jaramillo magnetozone recorded in cave sediments
  • Slow depositional rate of cave sediments determined from magnetostratigraphy data

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Monitoring photosynthetic activity using in vivo chlorophyll a fluorescence in microalgae and cyanobacteria biofilms in the Nerja Cave (Malaga, Spain)
Yolanda Del Rosal, Juan Muñoz-Fernández, Paula S.M. Celis-Plá, Mariona Hernández-Mariné, Félix Álvarez-Gómez, Salvador Merino, and Félix L. Figueroa

  • Monitoring of in vivo Chl a fluorescence is an efficient tool to prevent biodeterioration processes
  • Photosynthetic activity is related with values of temperature, relatively humidity and CO2 in the air
  • The biofilms could survive under stress environment
  • Higher environmental values probably alleviate the photoinhibition as a supply in the system Irradiance is not an adequate key factor to control microorganism growth in the Nerja Cave

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Guano-derived morphologies and associated minerals found in Cova de sa Guitarreta, Llucmajor, Balearics
Antonio Merino Juncadella, Joan J. Fornós, Antoni Mulet, and Joaquín Ginés

  • New method for measuring unreachable morphologies and utilization of thermograph camera
  • Bat-derived morphologies: Biomechanical erosion and features related to guano deposits
  • Microclimate constraints on the genesis of bell holes and deposition of phosphates
  • Description of guano-related cave minerals. Dichotomy between struvite and newberyite
  • Acidic profiles, pH, and guano-related mineral genesis

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Anthropogenic impacts on the Glowworm Cave, Waitomo, New Zealand: a microclimate management approach
Chris Hendy, David J. Merritt, and Shannon Corkill

  • Waitomo Glowworm Cave is prone to anthropogenic carbon dioxide build-up
  • Climatic monitoring has led to an understanding of the cave ventilation process
  • Chimney-effect ventilation is managed by opening or closing an upper-level door
  • Ventilation is promoted when visitors are in the cave
  • Ventilation is suppressed when cool, dry external air could negatively impact the glowworms

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Modeling air pressure propagation through Wind Cave and Jewel Cave: How can air pressure signals inside barometric caves be predicted from surface pressure measurements?
Annika K. Gomell and Andreas Pflitsch

  • A quantitative model is developed to predict air pressure inside barometric caves
  • The model can explain up to 99.7% of observed pressure variations
  • Identified speleoclimatological processes comprehensively describe pressure dynamics
  • Analysis reveals the effect of morphological characteristics on pressure propagation
  • Results provide an explanation for observed differences in airflow dynamics