Reconstruction of Brooksville Ridge Cave Temperatures from Speleothem Samples

Authors

Amor Elder, University of South Florida

Publication Year

2009

Abstract

A problem was proposed to use an adjusted version of Dorale's speleothem delta function to model the temperature fluctuations in the Brooksville Ridge Cave from the Medieval Warm Period to the present. The temperature values reconstructed by the model can be compared to the known temperature trend during the same selected time period. If the results matched the trend, it indicates that the cave's temperature was the dominant influence. If not, a different variable was the main influence of the cave.

Using δ¹⁸O values gathered from a speleothem, past temperatures of the cave were modeled. Results show that the model's temperature trend did not match the known temperature trend, indicating the main variable affecting the δ¹⁸O values is more likely rainfall than temperature. This conclusion corresponds with the cave's location in Florida. Reconstructions of past climates can be used in modeling future climate changes as well as helping to support or disprove current evidence of hazardous climate changes.

Recommended Citation

Elder, Amor (2009) "Reconstruction of Brooksville Ridge Cave Temperatures from Speleothem Samples," Undergraduate Journal of Mathematical Modeling: One + Two: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 1.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5038/2326-3652.2.1.1
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/ujmm/vol2/iss1/1

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