Natural and Anthropogenic Impacts on Cave Climates

Natural and Anthropogenic Impacts on Cave Climates: Postojna and Predjama Show Caves (Slovenia) presents an analysis of continuous time-series data for show caves in Slovenia and their significance to understanding cave microclimates globally. An unprecedented insight into the relationship between cave microclimates and human interaction is gained from 10-years of hourly field observation data of air temperature monitoring in two show caves (Postojna and Predjama Caves) in Slovenia, along with selected periods of CO2 measurements. The book presents detailed guidelines and procedures for conducting temperature and CO2 measurements in caves and uses Slovenian caves as a detailed case study to demonstrate their application. Critical interpretations of these temporal series provide the reader with specific indicators of the conditions for water condensation to occur and CO2 thresholds and how to apply them to different cave systems. Direct comparisons are made between microclimate data from caves with varying levels of tourism, and the linkage between the number of visitors and microclimate changes is discussed in detail. This book is a unique reference on cave meteorology for Climate Scientists and Meteorologists, Geologists, Microbiologists, Environmental and Conservation Scientists, and Cave Managers. Presents and analyses an exceptional 10-year record of hourly time-series meteorological data of karst cave systemsProvides methods and guidelines for conducting meteorological measurements in caves with detailed case studiesDemonstrates the impact anthropogenic influences have on cave microclimates through real-time data analysis