Cave & Karst Science (ISSN 1356-191X)

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Contents of Cave & Karst Science 50(2)

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Cave and Karst Science (iv + 48pp) (PDF 15.4MB)        Individual articles may be available below

GUNN, John and David LOWE (eds.). (2023). Cave and Karst Science 50(2). Buxton: British Cave Research Association. ISSN 1356-191X. iv + 48pp, A4, with photos, maps and diagrams.
This issue has a cover date of 2023 (August) and was published in August 2023.

The Transactions of the British Cave Research Association.

The PDF files comprising this issue are at a high resolution and have been assembled using an RGB colour space. The single file containing the entire issue (see above) is at a lower resolution, suitable for screen-reading.

Front cover photo (page i) (PDF 3.3MB)     

by Chris HOWES.
Judith Calford, looking at biogenically modified phreatic scalloping of the Melinau Limestone in the roof of the main passage of Racer Cave, during the most recent (November 2022) expedition to Sarawak's Gunung Mulu National Park. The caves of Mulu seem to have an unusual secondary speleogenesis that could be attributed to the aggressive chemistry of the swiftlet guano found in these caves. If these findings are correct, they could open up a new understanding of some of the unique post-speleogenetic erosion features seen in these caves. (Photo: Chris Howes).

 

Notes for Contributors (page ii) (PDF 620KB)     

 

Contents (p49) (PDF 940KB)     

 

Editorial (p50) (PDF 4.0MB)     

by John GUNN and David LOWE.

 

Tributes to Alexander Borysovych Klimchouk, 29 August 1956 – 11 May 2023 (pp51-54) (PDF 4.3MB)     

Late in the evening of 11 May 2023 the world lost one of the greatest cave explorers and one of the most influential cave and karst scientists of the past half century. Alexander Klimchouk, more commonly known to his friends as Klim and sometimes as Sasha, was also a huge personality, who made an impression on all he met, even those who disagreed with some of his views! In the following pages John Gunn provides some personal recollections and outlines some of Klim's key achievements. This is followed by tributes from others who knew him: Paolo Forti, George Veni, Art and Peggy Palmer, David Drew, Cathy Hollis, Alessandro Mangione and David Lowe.

 

Additional tufa sites on Lismore Island, Argyll, Scotland (pp55-62) (PDF 27.7MB)     

by Trevor FAULKNER.
Although tufa deposits are uncommon in Scotland, they are ubiquitous on the calcareous island of Lismore in Loch Linnhe, Argyll, especially as exotic varieties on the coasts and in littoral cave entrances and indentations, as previously reported. This paper reports 76 additional sites of cool freshwater tufa deposits on Lismore that have been observed since 2018. This almost doubles the number of known sites, with nearly half of the raised beach on the Main Rock Platform having now been searched for tufa. Tufa is also known in littoral karst caves and notches in other parts of the world, for which recent relevant literature is discussed.
Classification: Paper.
Date: Received: 01 May 2023; Accepted: 14 June 2023.
Keywords: littoral caves; Main Rock Platform; metalimestone; raised beaches; speleothem.

Bibliograph: FAULKNER, Trevor. (2023). Additional tufa sites on Lismore Island, Argyll, Scotland. Cave and Karst Science 50(2), pp55-62.

 

Notes on some factors influencing the caves in the World Heritage Gunung Mulu and Buda National Parks, Sarawak, Malaysia (pp63-68) (PDF 18.7MB)     

by David W GILL.
During 37 years of cave exploration and related observations within two of Sarawak's National Parks, it has become apparent that various long-term effects related to vegetation, biodiversity, bats, swiftlets, guano, and atmospheric conditions impact upon cave development and related scientific studies. Notes are presented based upon these years of random observations. Continuation of currently active investigations, augmented by targeted follow-up scientific studies, is recommended, and encouraged.
Classification: Report.
Date: Received:03 September 2022; Accepted: 01 June 2023.
Keywords: bat guano, bell holes, biodiversity, cave pinnacles, histoplasmosis, phytokarst, swiftlet guano, Weil's Disease.

Bibliograph: GILL, David W. (2023). Notes on some factors influencing the caves in the World Heritage Gunung Mulu and Buda National Parks, Sarawak, Malaysia. Cave and Karst Science 50(2), pp63-68.

 

Acquisition and analysis of greyscale data from stalagmites using ImageJ software (pp69-78) (PDF 3.1MB)   Open Access  

by Sebastian F M BREITENBACH and Norbert MARWAN.
To reconstruct past climate conditions from speleothems, palaeoclimate researchers utilize a variety of advanced but expensive methods, including various stable isotope ratios and trace element analyses. Greyscale changes can be related to growth and matrix density variations in stalagmites, which in turn are probably dependent on drip rate and dripwater Ca-supersaturation, among other factors. Greyscale analysis is particularly helpful where annual layers are found in stalagmites as the greyscale data can be used to build layer-counting chronologies, similar to varve counting in lacustrine and marine sediments. Greyscale information can further be used as a valuable palaeoclimate proxy. Depending on stalagmite growth rate a spatial resolution of less than five micrometres can be obtained, which might translate to seasonal temporal resolution. Here, we present a low-cost and high-resolution method for acquisition and analysis of greyscale data from speleothems by means of the free ImageJ software. We show how greyscale data can be acquired and visualized and describe how proxy time series can be constructed and proxy record uncertainties estimated using numerical methods. Finally, we provide an example for the application of ImageJ for greyscale analysis on stalagmites. The methodology outlined might be of use to geoscientists working on laminated sediments, and speleothems in particular.
Classification: Paper.
Date: Received: 01 June 2023; Accepted: 23 July 2023.
Keywords: greyscale analysis; layer counting; palaeoclimate; palaeoenvironment; proxy data; seasonal growth; stalagmite chronology.

Bibliograph: BREITENBACH, Sebastian F M and Norbert MARWAN. (2023). Acquisition and analysis of greyscale data from stalagmites using ImageJ software. Cave and Karst Science 50(2), pp69-78.

 

Functional role of Mikri Gourna Cave in the karstic system of Mount Olympus (Greece) (pp79-82) (PDF 6.1MB)     

by Georgios LAZARIDIS and Despoina DORA.
Mikri Gourna Cave lies at 40° 4′ 8.05′ and 22° 19′ 58.47′E, in the neighbourhood of the Christaki refuge on the northwestern slope of Mount Olympus, at an altitude of 2,386m asl (above sea level). The cave, which is part of a karst depression in a cirque valley that feeds into the Xerolakki drainage basin, was investigated and monitored for four successive years (2014–2017). Although Mikri Gourna Cave has formerly been considered an ice cave (Lazaridis et al., 2018), fieldwork has since shown that firn accumulation at its deepest point melts during the early autumn. This excludes it from the list of ice caves in Greece and supports an assumption that the annual firn accumulation is a transient aspect of the current climatic regime. Karstic dissolution forms, including scallops, inside the cave indicate an inward flow direction. Scallop analysis suggests a maximum flow velocity of 1.57m/s, which corresponds to the maximum discharge/recharge velocities that occur in a conduit (e.g., Lauritzen, 1989).
Classification: Report.
Date: Received: 23 January 2023; Accepted: 08 May 2023.
Keywords: alpine cave, ice cave, caves in Greece, scallops, subterranean geomorphology, karst depression, Olympus.

Bibliograph: LAZARIDIS, Georgios and Despoina DORA. (2023). Functional role of Mikri Gourna Cave in the karstic system of Mount Olympus (Greece). Cave and Karst Science 50(2), pp79-82.

 

Report on the 2022 excavations at Wogan Cavern (Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, UK) (pp83-91) (PDF 8.2MB)     

by Rob DINNIS, John BOULTON, Martin BATES, Andrew T CHAMBERLAIN, Jesse DAVIES, Robert HOPKINS, Elodie-Laure JIMENEZ, Edouard MASSON-MACLEAN, Jonquil MOGG, Simon PARFITT, Naomi PAYNE, Catriona PICKARD, Chris STRINGER, Elizabeth A WALKER, Dee WILLIAMS and Jennifer C FRENCH.
In a previous article in this journal (Dinnis et al., 2022), we described the first season of archaeological excavations at Wogan Cavern (Pembroke, southwest Wales). Although based on excavation of a very small volume of deposits, we suggested that the sediments in Wogan Cavern may have very good potential for preserving archaeological remains. Specifically, an intact early Holocene archaeological layer and underlying, bone-bearing Pleistocene deposits encouraged us to believe that the cave might be an important early prehistoric site. Here, we provide an update on our previous work, detailing the findings of the 2022 excavation season. The 2022 work identified several phases of historic and prehistoric activity. The early Holocene archaeological layer containing diagnostic Mesolithic artefacts, found previously in the eastern part of the cave, was shown to extend towards the centre of the cave. Stratigraphically lower deposits dating to the Pleistocene, previously demonstrated close to the cave's eastern wall, were also shown to extend towards the cave's centre. Excavation of the Pleistocene deposits close to the cave's eastern wall revealed evidence for human occupation, with one and possibly two Upper Palaeolithic layers present. The archaeological assemblage(s) from these lower deposits bear similarities to the Palaeolithic stone tool assemblage from the famous Paviland Cave, located c.30 miles (c.50km) to the east. Overall, our 2022 work confirms that Wogan Cavern is an early prehistoric site of national, and potentially international, significance.
Classification: Paper.
Date: Received: 06 June 2023; Accepted: 02 July 2023.

Bibliograph: DINNIS, Rob; John BOULTON, Martin BATES, Andrew T CHAMBERLAIN, Jesse DAVIES, Robert HOPKINS, Elodie-Laure JIMENEZ, Edouard MASSON-MACLEAN, Jonquil MOGG, Simon PARFITT, Naomi PAYNE, Catriona PICKARD, Chris STRINGER, Elizabeth A WALKER, Dee WILLIAMS and Jennifer C FRENCH. (2023). Report on the 2022 excavations at Wogan Cavern (Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, UK). Cave and Karst Science 50(2), pp83-91.

 

Correspondence: Gunung Mulu and Buda National Parks, Sarawak, Malaysia (pp92-93) (PDF 755KB)     

by Martin LAVERTY and David GILL.
Classification: Forum.

 

Notes for Authors: Writing an article for publication: some constructive suggestions for cavers, geologists, and geomorphologists (pp93-95) (PDF 713KB)     

by Stephen K DONOVAN.
I have ten simple rules that support and inform my scientific writing. They may be useful for any author. Always carry a notebook; it can catch that fleeting thought that would otherwise be lost. Turn up for work; organize your writing time and adhere to your timetable rigidly. Protect the time and space in which you write; answering e-mails and listening to music is not writing. Read lots; let other authors inform your writing vocabulary, ideas and style. Proceed with care; read multiple drafts and be your own greatest critic. The way to write is actually to write; let your excitement for your subject inform and infuse your writing. Keep a diary and use it to plan your writing. If you get stuck, get away from the desk; give yourself space to think problems through. Editing is everything; follow the format of your target journal and be your most critical editor. Finish what you're writing: if not, why bother.
Classification: Forum.
Keywords: planning, editing, time management, reading, completion.

 

Caves of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast. Part 1: an introduction (p96) (PDF 2.8MB)     

by Martin LAVERTY.
Classification: Photo Feature.

Bibliograph: LAVERTY, Martin. (2023). Caves of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast. Part 1: an introduction. Cave and Karst Science 50(2), p96.

 

Research Fund and Grants (page iii) (PDF 643KB)     

 

Back cover photos (page iv) (PDF 5.2MB)     

Six images related to aspects of the research career of the late Alexander Klimchouk, widely known as Klim, whose life and immense contributions to cave and karst science are celebrated by a series of tributes in this Issue.