265-5 How Mountains Breathe: Insights from a High-Elevation Epikarst Cave

Session: New Frontiers in Cave and Karst Science (Posters)

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Cave meteorology is the study of the properties, dynamics, and microclimates of cave atmospheres. The National Park Service considers cave meteorology a “vital sign” for determining adaptive cave management strategies based on long-term, high-resolution cave climate monitoring data. Insulation by surrounding bedrock generally suppresses cave temperature variations to around local average surface temperatures, and relative humidity (RH) normally varies around 100%. Under the right conditions, pressure gradients create inflows and outflows of dense air that can cause significant air movement in cave passages. Site-specific factors that influence cave meteorology include cave setting and structure, number of entrances, hydrology, and the presence of skylights and fractures. The complexity of surface-to-subterranean interconnections via the epikarst make meteorological monitoring difficult, yet caves serve as ventilation mechanisms for mountains and exhibit seasonal patterns of meteorological behavior not widely recognized in ecosystem science.

The focus of this study is to expand basic research on cave meteorology, which is lacking in the central Appalachians, by comparing meteorological characterizations of caves from across the region. We selected three very different caves for comparison and instrumented each with temperature (resolution 0.1^oC), humidity (resolution 0.1%RH), and barometric pressure (resolution 0.005 kPa) data loggers. Seasonal data collected at 15-minute intervals from near-surface Parsons Cave (elevation 713 m) recorded brief, low intensity variations in RH preceding storm events during Fall 2024 through early Spring 2025. In some cases, RH dropped for less than 30 minutes, whereas longer fluctuations (up to an hour) were associated with the approach of larger storm fronts. Compared to the entrance area, negative spikes in RH were not correlated with temperature variations deeper in the cave.  

Data collection continues; however, our research highlights the value in recording cave climate data at short time intervals, especially in the epikarstic zones of deeper cave systems. Further research of this nature will enable a more comprehensive understanding of cave meteorology and the sensitivity of shallow cave atmospheres to climate change and land use activities.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-10645

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