Reconstructing modern stalagmite growth from cave monitoring, local meteorology, and experimental measurements of dripwater films

Baker, Alexander J.; Mattey, D. P.; Baldini, James U.L.

doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2014.02.036

Cited by 38 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 53 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Moreover, the application of multiple proxies contained within speleothems can be used to narrow the range of possible palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental interpretations. The site-specific nature of many reconstructions is reliant on site monitoring, hydrologic modelling, and karst theory (Baker et al, 2014;Fischer and Treble, 2008).…”

Section: Speleothemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low-resolution Australasian palaeoclimate records of the last 2000 years

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Non-annually resolved palaeoclimate records in the Australasian region were compiled to facilitate investigations of decadal to centennial climate variability over the past 2000 years. A total of 675 lake and wetland, geomorphic, marine, and speleothem records were identified. The majority of records are located near population centres in southeast Australia, in New Zealand, and across the maritime continent, and there are few records from the arid regions of central and western Australia. Each record was assessed against a set of a priori criteria based on temporal resolution, record length, dating methods, and confidence in the proxy-climate relationship over the Common Era. A subset of 22 records met the criteria and were endorsed for subsequent analyses. Chronological uncertainty was the primary reason why records did not meet the selection criteria. New chronologies based on Bayesian techniques were constructed for the high-quality subset to ensure a consistent approach to age modelling and quantification of age uncertainties. The primary reasons for differences between published and reconstructed age-depth models were the consideration of the non-singular distribution of ages in calibrated 14 C dates and the use of estimated autocorrelation between sampled depths as a constraint for changes in accumulation rate. Existing proxies and reconstruction techniques that successfully capture climate variability in the region show potential to address spatial gaps and expand the range of climate variables covering the last 2000 years in the Australasian region. Future palaeoclimate research and records in Australasia could be greatly improved through three main actions: (i) greater data availability through the public archiving of published records; (ii) thorough characterisation of proxy-climate relationships through site monitoring and climate sensitivity tests; and (iii) improvement of chronologies through coretop dating, inclusion of tephra layers where possible, and increased date density during the Common Era.

show abstract

Section: Speleothemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low-resolution Australasian palaeoclimate records of the last 2000 years

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Estimation of cave ventilation is possible directly via anemometers, indirectly via measurement of levels of radon gas ( 222 Rn) (Kowalczk and Froelich, 2010;Hakl et al, 1997;Faimon et al, 2006;Oh and Kim, 2011) and other tracer gases (De Freitas et al, 1982), or by studies of air density contrasts and thermal patterns within the cave (Faimon et al, 2012;Smithson, 1991;SanchezCanete et al, 2013). The importance of understanding specific cave ventilation mechanisms has been well highlighted in recent studies (Kowalczk and Froelich, 2010;Cowan et al, 2013;Mattey et al, 2010;Baker et al, 2014), as the distinct nature of ventilation in individual caves can negate general assumptions regarding the seasonality of carbonate precipitation. For example, Mattey et al (2010) identified unusual seasonal ventilation regimes in New St. Michaels Cave, Gibraltar, where the summer season was typified by low cave-air pCO 2 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-resolution monitoring of Yok Balum Cave, Belize: An investigation of seasonal ventilation regimes and the atmospheric and drip-flow response to a local earthquake

Ridley

Baldini

Prufer³

et al. 2015

JCKS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The nature of cave ventilation is of interest to cavers, speleologists, and paleoclimatologists working with stalagmites. Because cave ventilation systematics may change over the growth span of a stalagmite, understanding what factors affect them is critical for determining events that may have affected climate proxies within the stalagmite. Similarly, understanding how the hydrology of the drips feeding a stalagmite evolves through time is key to building robust records of paleoclimate, particularly because stalagmite records have become critical archives of climate change information of the last 500,000 years. Here we present data from an extensive, on-going monitoring effort at Yok Balum Cave, Belize, initiated in 2011, that characterizes high-resolution ventilation dynamics at this site. Clear seasonal ventilation regimes exist, driven by thermally induced inside-outside air density differences. The winter regime is dominated by air inflow into the cave, decreased drawdown from the epikarst into the cave, and a limited diurnal signal. Conversely, summer ventilation is dominated by air outflow from the cave, greater CO 2 drawdown and drip water degassing, and a strong diurnal signal. Active monitoring during a large (M7.4) earthquake in November 2012 provides a unique opportunity to assess the response of the cave atmosphere and hydrology to substantial seismic activity. Cave atmosphere dynamics and hydrology are found to be highly resilient to seismic activity, with no observable disturbance occurring around the earthquake, despite there being considerable evidence of physical disruption in the cave. Monitoring included different kinds of drips, and the earthquake affected none of the monitored drip types. This suggests that stalagmite-derived paleoclimate records are not affected by seismic activity, except in extreme cases where the stalagmite or conjugate stalactite is damaged or reoriented.

show abstract

“…The CO 2 concentration of cave atmosphere is directly linked to the growth rate of stalagmites (Dreybrodt, 2012;Baker et al, 2014). Growth rate variations can bias the speleothem climate record and lead to changes in the incorporation of trace elements into the crystal lattice (Fairchild et al, 2006;Gabitov & Watson, 2006).…”

Section: Diurnal Variations In Temperature Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Growth rate variations can bias the speleothem climate record and lead to changes in the incorporation of trace elements into the crystal lattice (Fairchild et al, 2006;Gabitov & Watson, 2006). Increased cave ventilation leads to lower pCO 2 values in the cave atmosphere and accordingly lower calcium equilibrium concentration which increases carbonate precipitation rates (Baker et al, 2014). Even though it rains more in the summer, speleothems in CL are expected to grow faster during the low pCO 2 winter season, all other things being equal.…”

Section: Diurnal Variations In Temperature Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Deep cave environments exhibit near-constant temperatures over annual and diurnal cycles and relative humidity values close to 100% (Lachniet, 2009;Fairchild & Baker, 2012). Speleothems growing in these conditions make ideal climate archives because kinetic isotope effects and annual variations in the temperature dependent fractionation factor are considered to be extremely low (Kim & Variations in CO 2 partial pressure (pCO 2 ) of the cave atmosphere (Boch & Spötl, 2008;Baker et al, 2014) can affect commonly used paleo-climatic proxies of speleothems e.g., growth rates, stable isotope ratios and trace element ratios (Dreybrodt, 1999;Wong et al, 2011;Deininger et al, 2012;Breitenbach et al, 2015). Thus, it is valuable to investigate cave ventilation patterns prior to analytical work and speleothem paleoclimate interpretation (James et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Seasonal temperature variations controlling cave ventilation processes in Cueva Larga, Puerto Rico

Vieten¹,

Winter²,

Warken³

et al. 2016

IJS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:Two years of cave monitoring investigate ventilation processes in Cueva Larga, a tropical cave in Puerto Rico. The cave is 1,440 m long with a large main passage (about 120,000 m 3 ). Cave air pCO 2 in the main passage varies seasonally, between 600 ppm in winter and 1,800 ppm in summer. The seasonal variability in cave pCO 2 permits the estimation of a cave air exchange time of 36 ± 5 days and a winter ventilation rate of 3,300 ± 1,000 m 3 /day for the main cave passage. Calculations of virtual temperature and differences between cave and surface temperature indicate that the seasonal temperature cycle is the main driver of the alternation between a well-ventilated winter mode and a near-stagnant summer mode. The winter mode is characterized by a positive buoyancy contrast at night leading to maximal cave ventilation, while cave ventilation is at a minimum during summer. Between winter and summer, a transitional mode of partial cave ventilation is observed. On shorter time scales (diurnal to weekly), cave pCO 2 is also influenced by atmospheric pressure but this variation is one order of magnitude lower than the seasonal pCO 2 change. The cave morphology of Cueva Larga including its large volume, tubular shape and the obstructed cave entrance geometry are important boundary conditions for the observed ventilation patterns. Our findings emphasize that cave systems with varying morphology have to be studied individually in order to correctly describe ventilation processes. environmental monitoring, cave ventilation, carbon dioxide, virtual temperature, air exchange time

show abstract

Reconstructing modern stalagmite growth from cave monitoring, local meteorology, and experimental measurements of dripwater films

Cited by 38 publications

References 53 publications

Low-resolution Australasian palaeoclimate records of the last 2000 years

Low-resolution Australasian palaeoclimate records of the last 2000 years

High-resolution monitoring of Yok Balum Cave, Belize: An investigation of seasonal ventilation regimes and the atmospheric and drip-flow response to a local earthquake

Seasonal temperature variations controlling cave ventilation processes in Cueva Larga, Puerto Rico

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About