Ice Caves in Greece

Pennos, Christos; Styllas, Michael; Sotiriadis, Yorgos; Vaxevanopoulos, Markos

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-811739-2.00018-8

Cited by 6 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Cryospheric processes in karst systems are heavily under-researched, despite evidence of a rather dramatic ice loss documented in glaciated caves worldwide (Kern and Perşoiu 2013). A prominent karst region is southeastern Europe where numerous cavities host perennial ice and snow accumulations (Barović et al 2018; Buzjak et al 2018; Nešić and Ćalić 2018; Pennos et al 2018; Temovski 2018). However, only very few data are available on the age of the cave ice deposits of this region (Horvatinčić 1996; Paar et al 2013; Staut et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radiocarbon-Dated Vegetal Remains from the Cave Ice Deposits of Velebit Mountain, Croatia

2018

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Organic material and a few tree trunks have been recovered from the shrinking ice deposits of Velebit Mountain, Croatia. Ten radiocarbon (14C) dates, seven new measurements and three recalibrated ones, from three cave ice deposits were evaluated. The new data argue for the preservation of a ~1000-yr-old deposit in the Kugina Ice Cave and a <500-yr-old accumulation in the Ledena Pit. A 14C age suggests that the ice in the lower section of Vukušić cave ice deposit is very likely older than 3500 yr. The work is in progress to verify this suggestion. Evaluation of the temporal distribution of the calibrated ages of the 14C-dated vegetal remains allowed constraining the accumulation and ablation history of cave ice in the northern and central Velebit. Periods lacking vegetal remains in these cave ice deposits (before the 11th century and in the 15th century) tend to match with similar patterns from other cave ice deposits from the Eastern Alps and the Swiss Jura Mountains, suggesting large-scale coherence regulating European cave ice mass balance changes over the past ~1200 yr.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radiocarbon-Dated Vegetal Remains from the Cave Ice Deposits of Velebit Mountain, Croatia

2018

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“…The degradation of relict ice and permafrost has been also detected in other Iberian high mountain environments glaciated during the LIA, such as in the Pyrenees and the Cantabrian Mountains . Similarly, evidence of degradation of perennial ice deep in the ground has also been reported in several karstic environments across the Mediterranean region: recent studies have reported shrinkage of the ice volume stored in ice caves as well as a decrease in the extent of permanently frozen ground existing in these sporadic permafrost environments in the Cantabrian Mountains, Pyrenees, Italy, Croatia and Greece, among others.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Monitoring permafrost and periglacial processes in Sierra Nevada (Spain) from 2001 to 2016

Gómez‐Ortiz

Oliva

Franch

et al. 2019

Permafrost & Periglacial

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Outside the Alps, the Sierra Nevada is probably the best studied European massif with respect to its past and current environmental dynamics. A multi‐approach research program started in the early 2000s focused on the monitoring of frozen ground conditions in this National Park. Here, we present data on the thermal state and distribution of permafrost and seasonal frozen ground in different sites across the highest areas of the massif. New results confirm the absence of widespread permafrost conditions, with seasonal frost prevailing above 2500 m. Small permafrost patches have been only detected in glaciated areas of the Veleta and Mulhacén cirques during the Little Ice Age at elevations of 3000–3100 m. The remnants of those glaciers are still preserved under the thick debris layer covering the cirque floors. Geomatic and geophysical surveying of a rock glacier existing in the Veleta cirque, together with the monitoring of soil temperature at different depths, have revealed permanently frozen conditions undergoing a process of degradation. In the rest of the massif, a seasonal frost regime prevails, even at the highest plateaus at 3300–3400 m, where annual soil temperatures average 2.5°C. The monitoring of soil temperatures in other different periglacial features has also revealed positive average values ranging between 2°C (inactive sorted‐circles) and 3–4°C (inactive and weakly active solifluction lobes). Consequently, we conclude that the present‐day climatic regime does not allow the existence of permafrost in the Sierra Nevada, and environmental dynamics is controlled by the intensity and duration of seasonal frost in the ground.

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“…CC BY 4.0 License. just 6 m below the cave entrance (Pennos et al, 2018) and thus the glacier responds to climatic variability in a manner similar to surface glaciers. The thermal inversion layer inside this shallow entrance shaft was easily destroyed during the 260 prolonged warm spell, triggering he rapid melt of the surface and sides of the glacier.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Falakro, hereafter Chionotrypa (Falakro), 41°17′39.9′′ N, 24°05′24.2′′ E) is a 111 m deep alpine cave located at 2080 m a.s.l. in the Rhodope Mountains, Northern Greece (Pennos et al, 2018). The entrance of the cave is through a 50 m wide, 65 m deep shaft that allows for a large amount of snow to accumulate at its base in winter.…”

Section: Glaciers In Central and South-eastern Europementioning

confidence: 99%

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Unprecedented loss of surface and cave ice in SE Europe related to record summer rains in 2019

Perşoiu

Buzjak

Onaca

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Abstract. Glaciers worldwide are shrinking at an accelerated rate as the climate changes in response to anthropogenic influence. While increasing air temperature is the main factor behind glacier mass loss, changing atmospheric circulation patterns and the distribution of precipitation also plays a role, though these are not as well understood. Furthermore, while the mass balance of surface glaciers (from large polar ice sheets to small alpine glaciers) is relatively well documented and continuously monitored, little to nothing is known about the response of cave glaciers (perennial ice accumulations in rock-hosted caves) to atmospheric warming. In this context, we present the response of cave and surface glaciers in SE Europe to synoptic conditions in summer 2019. Our investigation shows that extreme precipitation events occurring between May and July 2019 led to catastrophic loss of ice at levels unprecedented during the last century. As climate models predict that such extreme precipitation events are set to increase in frequency and intensity, the presence of cave glaciers in SE Europe and the paleoclimatic information they host may be lost in the near future. Moreover, the same projected continuous warming and increase in precipitation extremes could pose an additional threat to the Alpine glaciers in southern Europe, resulting in faster than predicted melting.

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Ice Caves in Greece

Cited by 6 publications

References 21 publications

Radiocarbon-Dated Vegetal Remains from the Cave Ice Deposits of Velebit Mountain, Croatia

Radiocarbon-Dated Vegetal Remains from the Cave Ice Deposits of Velebit Mountain, Croatia

Monitoring permafrost and periglacial processes in Sierra Nevada (Spain) from 2001 to 2016

Unprecedented loss of surface and cave ice in SE Europe related to record summer rains in 2019

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