Glacier Cave Research Articles

Rapid evolution of salt glacier caves on a mountain diapir in a semiarid climate

Salt caves occur mostly in hyperarid and arid climates and are typically a few thousand years old. There is little data on the evolution of salt caves in semiarid climates, and no data on caves developed in salt glaciers, i.e., salt masses spreading under their own weight, similar to ice glaciers. The age of salt caves and the incision rates of cave streams were studied on a salt glacier of the Jahani diapir in a semiarid climate, Zagros Mts., Iran. Wood fragments from 3 caves sampled 0–11.3 m above the present streambed were dated by AMS 14C. The cave passages accessible today were developed during the last ~600 years at the Jahani. The cave level 5–6 m above the present streambed was formed 1520–1660 CE or slightly earlier, then the stream incised upward and reached its highest level between 1690 and 1920 CE or slightly earlier. Then, the downward incision started. This indicates that caves in semiarid climates evolve extremely rapidly. The maximum vertical incision rate of the cave stream on the semiarid Jahani diapir is 20–110 mm/yr, which is faster than 0.4–25 mm/yr in caves in hyperarid climates. The incision rate of the cave stream at the Jahani exceeds the denudation rate of the thick cap soil surface, being comparable to the denudation rate of salt exposures. The persistence of the steep longitudinal profiles of the integrated salt caves at the Jahani is probably caused by the transport of very coarse sediment. Aggradation was probably caused either by blocking of cave passages by earthquakes or by more intense erosion of the cap soil. The salt glacier at the Jahani is moving slowly (<10 mm/yr); claims that this glacier is the fastest on Earth (velocity in the range of m/yr) are based on a study that did not follow geodetic standards and are in strong disagreement with the age of the caves and other lines of evidence.

Acoustic Panels Inspired by Nature

The article presents the approach to the design process of acoustic panels based on the scientific research. This approach is based on combining the technical and the design competences to develop the innovative product value for the concept of acoustic panels. The article presents the concepts of two new acoustic panels – an absorbing and scattering panel and a panel reflecting sound waves. The first part of the article presents the starting point for the presented project – the acoustic research and the inspiration for both types of presented solutions. Next, the materials possible to use were discussed, which could reproduce the natural acoustic properties of the lava and glacier caves. The next part presents consecutive stages of the product development in a modern form, ensuring the expected acoustic properties. The last part of the article presents a fully functional solution and proposes further research and development directions.

MOLISENS: MObile LIdar SENsor System to exploit the potential of small industrial lidar devices for geoscientific applications

Abstract. We propose a newly developed modular MObile LIdar SENsor System (MOLISENS) to enable new applications for small industrial lidar (light detection and ranging) sensors. The stand-alone modular setup supports both monitoring of dynamic processes and mobile mapping applications based on SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) algorithms. The main objective of MOLISENS is to exploit newly emerging perception sensor technologies developed for the automotive industry for geoscientific applications. However, MOLISENS can also be used for other application areas, such as 3D mapping of buildings or vehicle-independent data collection for sensor performance assessment and sensor modeling. Compared to TLSs, small industrial lidar sensors provide advantages in terms of size (on the order of 10 cm), weight (on the order of 1 kg or less), price (typically between EUR 5000 and 10 000), robustness (typical protection class of IP68), frame rates (typically 10–20 Hz), and eye safety class (typically 1). For these reasons, small industrial lidar systems can provide a very useful complement to currently used TLS (terrestrial laser scanner) systems that have their strengths in range and accuracy performance. The MOLISENS hardware setup consists of a sensor unit, a data logger, and a battery pack to support stand-alone and mobile applications. The sensor unit includes the small industrial lidar Ouster OS1-64 Gen1, a ublox multi-band active GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) with the possibility for RTK (real-time kinematic), and a nine-axis Xsens IMU (inertial measurement unit). Special emphasis was put on the robustness of the individual components of MOLISENS to support operations in rough field and adverse weather conditions. The sensor unit has a standard tripod thread for easy mounting on various platforms. The current setup of MOLISENS has a horizontal field of view of 360∘, a vertical field of view with a 45∘ opening angle, a range of 120 m, a spatial resolution of a few centimeters, and a temporal resolution of 10–20 Hz. To evaluate the performance of MOLISENS, we present a comparison between the integrated small industrial lidar Ouster OS1-64 and the state-of-the-art high-accuracy and high-precision TLS Riegl VZ-6000 in a set of controlled experimental setups. We then apply the small industrial lidar Ouster OS1-64 in several real-world settings. The mobile mapping application of MOLISENS has been tested under various conditions, and results are shown from two surveys in the Lurgrotte cave system in Austria and a glacier cave in Longyearbreen on Svalbard.

The thermal impact of tourism on a Svalbard glacier cave (Short Communication)

Glacier cave visits are an important tourism activity on Svalbard with increasing popularity. This study investigates the thermal effect of touristic visits on the air temperature of a glacier cave on Longyearbreen, a small high-Arctic glacier. Short-term temperature perturbations of up to 1.59°C (42% local temperature increase) can be linked to human visitors. It is, however, unlikely that the local heat input from touristic visits is high enough to cause a lasting effect on the thermal regime of glacier caves and the surrounding ice.

Glacier caves: a globally threatened subterranean biome

Caves and cave-like voids are common features within and beneath glaciers. The physical environment is harsh and extreme, and often considered barren and devoid of life. However, accumulating evidence indicates that these caves may support a diverse invertebrate fauna with species endemic to each region. As glaciers continue to disappear at an alarming rate due to global warming, they take their largely unknown fauna with them. Thus, glacier caves may harbor one of the most endangered ecosystems globally, and yet their biodiversity is among the least studied or known. Faunal surveys and ecological studies are urgently needed before all examples are lost.

Acoustic analysis of the glacier caves in Svalbard

Glacier caves are unique and spectacular wonders of nature that can be found in very few places in the world. They have different shapes, capacity or wall structures that most often form anew every winter season. The article explores an interesting aspect of glacier cave acoustics as these spaces have never been investigated in that respect. The paper shows the methods and results of spatial impulse measurements in four different glacier caves of the Svalbard archipelago located near the city of Longyearbyen. The basic room acoustic parameters together with Sound Pressure Levels have been measured or calculated together with parametric statistical analysis. The results show the diversity of acoustical climates inside the glacier caves that strongly depends on the morphology and dimensions of the caves. The analysis of measurement locations (within particular caves) shows the strong influence on sound absorption by the snow located at the entrance of the caves. The conducted research shows the potential of acoustical measurements in the process of monitoring the cave morphology and therefore climate changes as well.

Dating glacier ice of the last millennium by quantum technology

Radiometric dating with 39Ar covers a unique time span and offers key advances in interpreting environmental archives of the last millennium. Although this tracer has been acknowledged for decades, studies so far have been limited by the low abundance and radioactivity, thus requiring huge sample sizes. Atom trap trace analysis, an application of techniques from quantum physics such as laser cooling and trapping, allows us to reduce the sample volume by several orders of magnitude compared with conventional techniques. Here we show that the adaptation of this method to 39Ar is now available for glaciological applications, by demonstrating the entire process chain for dating of alpine glacier ice by argon trap trace analysis (ArTTA). Ice blocks as small as a few kilograms are sufficient and have been obtained at two artificial glacier caves. Importantly, both sites offer direct access to the stratigraphy at the glacier base and validation against existing age constraints. The ice blocks obtained at Chli Titlis glacier at 3,030 m asl (Swiss Alps) have been dated by state-of-the-art microradiocarbon analysis in a previous study. The unique finding of a bark fragment and a larch needle within the ice of Schaufelferner glacier at 2,870 m asl (Stubai Alps, Austria) allows for conventional radiocarbon dating. At both sites the existing age information based on radiocarbon dating and visual stratigraphy corroborates the 39Ar ages. With our results, we establish argon trap trace analysis as the key to decipher so far untapped glacier archives of the last millennium.

Climatologic studies inside Sandy Glacier at Mount Hood Volcano in Oregon, USA

Previous investigations of climatic conditions of glaciers primarily focused on the glacier’s surface or on the moulin as the entrance to the glacier’s interior. Many glaciers, however, contain far-reaching cave systems inside the ice that have been understood and investigated as drainage systems for meltwater. Until now, there have been no comprehensive climate studies inside a glacier cave. Thus, the climatic conditions, as well as their effects on the glacier, are unknown. The first climatologic investigations inside the cave system of Sandy Glacier on Mt. Hood in Oregon (USA) in June 2015 have shown that both thermic activity of the volcanic subsurface and chimney effects between the glacier snout at the base of the glacier and higher opening of the moulin can cause drastic melting inside the glacier. Those processes lead to considerably stronger melting from the inside than observations at the surface suggest and can cause an unexpected collapse over a distance of several hundred meters. We will present and assess the first measuring results of both the thermic and flow conditions inside Sandy Glacier.

Volcano-Ice Interaction as a Microbial Habitat on Earth and Mars

Volcano-ice interaction has been a widespread geological process on Earth that continues to occur to the present day. The interaction between volcanic activity and ice can generate substantial quantities of liquid water, together with steep thermal and geochemical gradients typical of hydrothermal systems. Environments available for microbial colonization within glaciovolcanic systems are wide-ranging and include the basaltic lava edifice, subglacial caldera meltwater lakes, glacier caves, and subsurface hydrothermal systems. There is widespread evidence of putative volcano-ice interaction on Mars throughout its history and at a range of latitudes. Therefore, it is possible that life on Mars may have exploited these habitats, much in the same way as has been observed on Earth. The sedimentary and mineralogical deposits resulting from volcano-ice interaction have the potential to preserve evidence of any indigenous microbial populations. These include jökulhlaup (subglacial outflow) sedimentary deposits, hydrothermal mineral deposits, basaltic lava flows, and subglacial lacustrine deposits. Here, we briefly review the evidence for volcano-ice interactions on Mars and discuss the geomicrobiology of volcano-ice habitats on Earth. In addition, we explore the potential for the detection of these environments on Mars and any biosignatures these deposits may contain.

Relative Incidence of Ascomycetous Yeasts in Arctic Coastal Environments

Previous studies of fungi in polar environments have revealed a prevalence of basidiomycetous yeasts in soil and in subglacial environments of polythermal glaciers. Ascomycetous yeasts have rarely been reported from extremely cold natural environments, even though they are known contaminants of frozen foods. Using media with low water activity, we have isolated various yeast species from the subglacial ice of four glaciers from the coastal Arctic environment of Kongsfjorden, Spitzbergen, including Debaryomyces hansenii and Pichia guillermondii, with counts reaching 10(4)CFUL(-1). Together with the basidiomycetes Cryptococcus liquefaciens and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, these yeasts represent the stable core of the subglacial yeast communities. Other glacial ascomycetous species isolated included Candida parapsilosis and a putative new species that resembles Candida pseudorugosa. The archiascomycete Protomyces inouyei has seldom been detected anywhere in the world but was here recovered from ice in a glacier cave. The glacier meltwater contained only D. hansenii, whereas the seawater contained D. hansenii, Debaryomyces maramus, Pichia guilliermondii, what appears to represent a novel species resembling Candida galli and Metschnikowia bicuspidata. Only P. guilliermondii was isolated from sea ice, while snow/ice in the fjord tidal zone included C. parapsilosis, D. hansenii, P. guilliermondii and Metschnikowia zobellii. All of these isolated strains were characterized as psychrotolerant and xero/halotolerant, with the exception of P. inouyei.

Glacial Karst, Why It is Important to Research

Glacial karst (GK) is combination of phenomenon and processes as a result of which specific surface forms and cavities inside ice are formed. Hummocky relief with abundance of lakes, channels and reservoirs inside ice and on ice-rock contact are typical for GK. GK development occurs under acting of physical process of ice melting instead of limestone dissolution in classical karst. However processes directivities and arising forms in both cases are similar at system level. As karst processes in ice origin very fast it is give possibility to use them as physical models for limestone karst. Vice-versa, we can understand GK better if we use results of limestone karst investigations. However in both cases only general regularity can be used because some specific features are typical for each kind of karst. GK shows in development of such forms in ice: internal drainage systems (moulins, shafts, cascades, vadose galleries and phreatic channels, siphons, griphons) and under ice (vadose and phreatic channels), dry and water fill dolines on clean ice and on ice covered by moraine (debris-covered glaciers), glacier caves. Stages of GK development completely correspond to stages of limestone karst development. But because of glaciers motion it is possible to observe all stages of GK development on the surface of the same glacier from decrepit (at glacier tongue) up to early (in upper part of ablation zone). GK has large significance in glaciers evolution. GK is widely spread in all temperate and polythermal glaciers of the world. The accelerated glaciers degradation in present time gives a task of mandatory analysis of GK because of many glaciers can disappear very soon.

New data concerning the age of Mesozoic limestone from Scarisoara (Bihor Mountains)

Microfacies and micropalaeontologic studies on some limestone samples collected within the Scarisoara Glacier Cave are presented. The investigation pointed out that the age of the limestone around Scarisoara Cave is of Upper Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) age and not Triassic as it was considered in most of the studies.

Use of the term “glacier cave”

Use of the term “glacier cave”

Use of the term “glacier cave”

Use of the term “glacier cave”