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 ice-surface 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).
Highlights
Ice fillings are eye-catching features in several karst caves worldwide
Whereas static ice caves feature a much simpler air circulation system and related cave climate, dynamic ice-caves are characterized by an interconnected system of highly structured cave passages with at least two interacting entrances, resulting in a complicated air flow system
In this paper the ice dynamic of the Austrian ice cave Eisriesenwelt was quantified from analysis of extensive meteorological and glaciological measurements for the period 2007–2009
Summary
Ice fillings are eye-catching features in several karst caves worldwide. The ice is formed mainly from refreezing of percolation water and, with much less contribution, from deposition of cave-air water vapour. In general static and dynamic ice-caves are to be distinguished (Luetscher and Jeannin, 2004), where the classification refers to the relationship between ice-formation and air circulation in the cave. In order to meet this aims the project included sampling of cave ice from coring and the investigation of the relationship between ice body mass balance and the weather and climate patterns inside and outside the cave. With such an approach it was aimed to understand both the formation of a possible layered structure of the ice body as well as the seasonal reference of the supposed cave-ice climate proxy signal. – linkage of coring site ice mass balance to other parts of the cave as well as to inside and outside cave atmosphere circulation patterns (this paper)
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