Linkage of cave-ice changes to weather patterns inside and outside the cave Eisriesenwelt (Tennengebirge, Austria)

Abstract

Abstract. The behaviour of perennial ice masses in karst caves in relation to the outside climate is still not well understood, though a significant potential of the cave-ice for paleo-climate reconstructions could be expected. This study investigates the relationship between weather patterns inside and outside the cave Eisriesenwelt (Austrian Alps) and icesurface changes of the ice-covered part of the cave from meteorological observations at three sites (outside the cave, entrance-near inside and in the middle section of the cave) including atmospheric and ice surface measurements as well as an ablation stake network. Whereas ice loss in summer was a general feature from stake measurements for almost all measurement sites in the cave in 2007, 2008 and 2009 (values up to −15 cm yr −1 ), a clear seasonal signal of ice accumulation (e.g. in spring as expected from theory) was not observed. It is shown that under recent climate the cave ice mass balance is more sensitive to winter climate for the inner measurement site and sensitive to winter and summer climate for the entrance-near site. Observed ice surface changes can be well explained by cave atmosphere measurements, indicating a clear annual cycle with weak mass loss in winter due to sublimation, stable ice conditions in spring until summer (autumn for the inner measurement site) and significant melt in late summer to autumn (for the entrance-near site). Interestingly, surface ice melt did not contribute to ablation at the inner site. It is obvious from the spatial sample of ice surface height observations that the ice body is currently in rather balanced state, though the influence of show-cave management on ice mass-balance could not be clearly quantified (but a significant input on accumulation for some parts of the cave is rather plausible).

Numerical simulation of formation and preservation of Ningwu ice cave, Shanxi, China

“…An ice cave is a rare phenomenon. Among the best known are Eisriesenwelt ice cave, Austria (May et al, 2011;Obleitner and Spötl, 2011;Schöner et al, 2011); Dobšináice cave, Slovakia (Bella, 2006;Lalkovič, 1995); Scȃrisoara ice cave, Romania (Holmlund et al, 2005;Perşoiu et al, 2011); and Monlesi ice cave, Switzerland (Luetscher et al, 2007(Luetscher et al, , 2008. Eisriesenwelt ice cave is the largest in the world.…”

Investigating cold based summit glaciers through direct access to the glacier base: a case study constraining the maximum age of Chli Titlis glacier, Switzerland

“…However, making a straightforward connection between atmospheric warming trends and conditions in the ice cave suffers from a great deal of complexity, connected to the surface mass and energy balance and, in particular, anthropogenic technical measures. Investigation of ice masses in karst caves pointed out that mass and energy balance in cave systems is more intricate (Schöner et al, 2011;Obleitner and Spötl, 2011) than for a glacier without englacial cavities as it would be the case when drilling an ice core. For instance, this potential warming influence is counteracted by ongoing efforts to actively control the air temperature in the ice tunnel and to protect the surface from ablation, which may contribute to keeping the ice frozen to bedrock.…”

Comparing flow-through and static ice cave models for Shoshone Ice Cave

“…a negative ice mass balance for a given year). Indeed, sublimation and melting are the two mechanisms for loss, and research indicates that there can be pronounced interannual variability of the ice mass balance within ice caves (Ohata et al, 1994;Schöner et al, 2011). At certain times of the year, often in late spring and summer, there can be quantities of water on top of the ice (Balch, 1900;Perşoiu et al, 2011b), which will subsequently refreeze later in the year.…”

“…If we restrict our attention to ice caves which have more than one entrance (and in our simplified model, the cave entrances are at the same elevation), it is possible that the interior airflow speeds would be significantly lower than the exterior winds if the entrances are occluded by rock fall. Research by Schöner et al (2011) of the Eisriesenwelt, an ice cave in the Austrian Alps with two open ends, has shown interior airflow speeds to be significantly less than surface winds (depending on the location in the cave, and the cave geometry). Accordingly in this present modeling study we have varied runs with interior airflow speeds ranging from 100% of the exterior wind speeds, down to 1% (explained later).…”

“…At certain times of the year, often in late spring and summer, there can be quantities of water on top of the ice (Balch, 1900;Perşoiu et al, 2011b), which will subsequently refreeze later in the year. The source of a liquid water layer on top of the ice can be percolating water from rain or snowmelt (Perşoiu et al, 2011b;Schöner et al, 2011) or it could be the result of melting of the ice surface within the cave itself (Ohata et al, 1994).…”