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Transfer of Environmental Signals From The Surface To The Underground at Ascuns A Cave, Romania
Transfer of Environmental Signals From The Surface To The Underground at Ascuns A Cave, Romania
Transfer of Environmental Signals From The Surface To The Underground at Ascuns A Cave, Romania
Abstract. We present here the results of a 4-year environ- gregated rainfall samples, is similar to the global one, re-
mental monitoring program at Ascunsă Cave (southwestern vealing the Atlantic as the strongly dominant vapor source.
Romania) designed to help us understand how climate infor- The deuterium excess values, as high as 17 ‰, indicate that
mation is transferred through the karst system and archived precipitation has an important evaporative component, pos-
by speleothems. The air temperature inside the cave is around sibly given by moisture recycling over the European conti-
7 ◦ C, with slight differences between the upper and lower nent. The variability of stable isotopes in drip water is simi-
parts of the main passage. CO2 concentrations in cave air lar at all points inside the cave, suggesting that the monitored
have a seasonal signal, with summer minima and winter max- drip sites are draining a homogenous reservoir. Drip rates, as
ima. These might indicate the existence of an organic mat- well as stable isotopes, indicate that the transfer time of water
ter reservoir deep within the epikarst that continues to de- from the surface is on the order of a few days.
compose over the winter, and CO2 concentrations are pos-
sibly modulated by seasonal differences in cave ventilation.
The maximum values of CO2 show a rise after the summer
of 2014, from around 2000 to about 3500 ppm, following a 1 Introduction
rise in surface temperature. Using two newly designed types
of water–air equilibrators, we were able to determine the The large-scale monitoring of karst systems is mainly under-
concentration of CO2 dissolved in drip water by measuring taken from the perspective of water resource management or
its concentration in the equilibrator headspace and then us- conservation (e.g., White, 1988; Ford and Williams, 2013).
ing Henry’s law to calculate its concentration in water. This However, with the use of speleothems as tools for climate re-
method opens the possibility of continuous data logging us- construction came the need for monitoring karst systems at a
ing infrared technology, without the need for costly and less much finer spatial and temporal scale, where water–rock and
reliable chemical determinations. The local meteoric water water–atmosphere interactions have to be taken into account
line (δ 2 H = 7.7 δ 18 O + 10.1), constructed using monthly ag- (Fairchild and Baker, 2012). In speleothem paleoclimatol-
ogy, cave monitoring studies are used as tools for local, case-
by-case calibration of speleothem proxies against climate pa- pCO2 gradients is an important element in cave monitoring.
rameters and were employed throughout the world: Gibraltar While cave air CO2 concentrations are easily measured and
(Mattey et al., 2008), Belgium (Verheyden et al., 2008; Van recorded using infrared technology, dissolved CO2 is usu-
Rampelbergh et al., 2014), France (Genty et al., 2014), the ally modeled using the alkalinity and pH of water (Tooth and
Czech Republic (Faimon et al., 2012), Spain (Smith et al., Fairchild, 2003; Spötl et al., 2005; Riechelmann et al., 2013).
2016; Dumitru et al., 2017), Austria (Spötl et al., 2005), Ger- This approach is time consuming, costly, and offers only spot
many (Riechelmann et al., 2013), USA (Onac et al., 2008; values.
Feng et al., 2014; Meyer at al., 2014), Australia (Jex et al., Here we present the results of an ongoing monitoring
2012) or China (Hu et al., 2008; Duan et al., 2016). Such study started in 2012 at Ascunsă Cave and, for compari-
studies focus mainly on parameters such as cave air temper- son, at the nearby Isverna Cave. This study is designed to
ature and relative humidity, CO2 concentration in drip water help us understand how climate information is archived by
and cave atmosphere, or stable isotope ratios in drip water speleothems at Ascunsă Cave, in preparation for the publica-
and modern calcite. Lately, a series of review papers have de- tion of a series of new, high resolution stable isotope profiles
tailed the systematics of stable isotopes in speleothems (Mc- from Holocene stalagmites from this cave and from several
Dermott, 2004; Fairchild et al., 2006; Lachniet, 2009), while others in the Carpathian region.
the book of Fairchild and Baker (2012) offers an updated and Using isotopic analysis of rainfall, we try to identify the
detailed framework for speleothem paleoclimatology. dominant vapor sources of precipitation, knowing that our
Water is the main carrier of information between surface region falls under the influence of both Atlantic and, to a
climate and speleothems; thus, the most used paleoclimate lesser extent, Mediterranean air masses (Baltă and Geicu,
proxy is δ 18 O. The interpretation of speleothem δ 18 O values 2008). Moreover, we want to detail the seasonal changes
is not usually straightforward because they are influenced by in precipitation δ 18 O, in order to see to what extent the
thermal and hydrological processes both at the surface and drip sites respond to seasonal variability. Further, we check
underground, sometimes in opposing ways. For example, at whether modern calcite is deposited in equilibrium condi-
the surface, the altitude effect could be counteracted by a tions or whether the isotopic values of oxygen and carbon
rain shadow effect, as evidenced in the Andes by Chamber- are significantly modified by kinetic fractionation.
lain and Poage (2000). Seasonal changes in the vapor source An important part of the present study was to develop and
of rainfall or in conditions at the vapor source can modify validate a new method for the more straightforward measure-
the annual δ 18 O values of rain water and represent an im- ment of dissolved CO2 using air–water equilibrators and to
portant issue in speleothem paleoclimate reconstructions. In- open the way for high resolution data logging of drip water
formation on the vapor source is usually inferred based on CO2 using infrared technology.
the meteoric water line and the deuterium excess value in
precipitation (Craig, 1961; Gat, 1996; Pfahl and Sodemann,
2014). When entering the soil-karst system, water can be 2 Materials and methods
subjected to evaporation in the soil, the epikarst or even in
the cave, thus imprinting higher values to calcite than the Ascunsă Cave is situated in the Mehedinţi Mountains (south-
original rainfall (Bar Matthews et al., 1996; Markowska et western Romania, Fig. 1), a region under a temperate-
al., 2016; Dumitru et al., 2017). Finally, during calcite de- continental climate with Mediterranean influences (Bojariu
position, temperature dependent fractionation between drip and Paliu, 2001; Apostol, 2008; Baltă and Geicu, 2008). The
water and calcite δ 18 O rarely follows theoretical estimations, cave is 671 m long and 145 m deep, and its entrance is lo-
hence the need for the determination of fractionation equa- cated at 1080 m above sea level (a.s.l.). This active cave, rich
tions for each speleothem under consideration. in speleothems, is developed mostly on the contact between
While drip water δ 18 O can be modified by evaporation in- wildflysch (mélange) and limestone. A small river enters the
side the cave, another important environmental proxy, δ 13 C, main cave passage at the White Chamber coming through
can be kinetically altered by strong degassing of CO2 from the Tributary Passage, while the outside river was draining
solution when the pCO2 gradient between drip water and inside the cave through the entrance. At the moment, the out-
cave atmosphere is large (Hendy, 1971; McDermott, 2004). side river is redirected along the valley and does not enter the
CO2 concentration in cave air is generally a result of soil CO2 cave anymore. In 2012, a monitoring program was started
input, modulated by cave ventilation (Atkinson, 1977; White, and continuously developed at Ascunsă and Isverna caves,
1988). Higher concentrations of dissolved CO2 are given by the latter situated at an altitude of 450 m a.s.l. and function-
enhanced plant respiration and organic matter decomposi- ing as the main water collector of this karst system.
tion in the soil above the cave. Compared against cave air Inside Ascunsă Cave, several sites were equipped for mon-
CO2 , it helps identify variations in cave ventilation, and pe- itoring (Fig. 2): POM Entr. (25 m from the entrance, −7 m
riods with increased calcite deposition or with increased ki- below the entrance level), POM A (100 m from the entrance,
netic fractionation of δ 13 C (Spötl et al., 2005; Banner et al., −30 m), POM 2 (220 m from the entrance, −80 m) and POM
2007; Mattey et al., 2010). Thus, a careful characterization of B (270 m from the entrance, −90 m). Apart from these, we
Figure 2. Map of Ascunsă Cave with the locations of the monitoring sites (below).
have also monitored the small river inside the cave, at a point 2.1 Air temperature, relative humidity and drip
close to POM A, as well as the outside temperature. counting
In Isverna Cave, a temperature logger was placed at
∼ 200 m from the entrance in the Intermediary Passage, shel-
tered from the possible influence of the large river flowing Since 2014, Tinytag Plus2 temperature and relative humidity
through the lower level of the cave. Air temperature, rainfall loggers as well as a Stalagmate drip counter have been added
amount and the isotopic composition of precipitation were to the monitoring setup. The logger that records outside tem-
also monitored close to the cave (460 m a.s.l.). We note that peratures at Ascunsă Cave (POM Ext.) was first placed in
due to local constraints we did not monitor outside temper- a fissure in the entrance area and then moved in December
ature in standard siting conditions that are required from a 2014 a few meters outside into another fissure and covered
meteorological station. with litter. For this reason, the temperature recorded by it is
only an estimate for atmosphere values; however, it better re-
flects conditions at the surface–subsurface interface.
through the whole water mass either towards or from the cave
atmosphere.
At POM A we used a Type B equilibrator until Novem-
ber 2015, when we switched to Type A. Later, in November
2016, at POM B the Type B equilibrator was replaced with
Type A.
3 Results and discussion perature variability over the whole monitored period at our
site. Annual temperature at Drobeta decreased from an aver-
3.1 Temperature regime of Ascunsă and Isverna caves age of 13.7 ◦ C in 2012 to a value of 13.3 ◦ C in 2014, only
to rise to 14.1 ◦ C in 2015. In 2016 it dropped to 13.6 ◦ C
For better comparison we use data logged continuously be- (Fig. 5). At the seasonal scale, we see a more complex image.
tween February 2015 and February 2017 while all the logs Average winter values increased constantly between 2012
overlap. The external temperature at the two caves has a good (0.5 ◦ C) and 2016 (4.6 ◦ C), while spring temperatures gen-
correlation, Ascunsă values showing lower daily amplitude, erally decreased. Summer and autumn values were coupled,
related probably to its subsurface location and being in a both showing a decrease between 2012 and 2014, a rise in
forested area. The mean value over this period was 6.77 ◦ C 2015, and a large drop in 2016, which resembles the variabil-
(SD = 6.45 ◦ C) at Ascunsă and 14.01 ◦ C (SD = 7.70 ◦ C) at ity of annual temperature. Thus, it appears that the summer–
Isverna. Using temperature values from the European Cli- autumn couple controls the annual temperature values.
mate Assessment (ECA; Klein Tank et al., 2002) for Drobeta- At Ascunsă Cave, POM2 and POM A have a sta-
Turnu Severin meteorological station (average 14.07 ◦ C, ble temperature regime (Fig. 6). While the average at
SD = 9.14 ◦ C), we see that temperature variability in our area POM2 is 7.33 ◦ C (SD = 0.06 ◦ C), at POM A it is 7.05 ◦ C
was similar to the regional one (Fig. 4). (SD = 0.06 ◦ C). At the same time POM Entr. shows higher
Based on the good correlation between our site and the variability (average 5.74 ◦ C, SD = 0.86 ◦ C) due to its prox-
Drobeta meteorological station, we could use data from the imity to the entrance and to the steep morphology of the pas-
latter in order to get more insight into the relative tem- sage, which allows cold air to easily reach this point. Such a
Figure 7. Comparison between monthly precipitation amount at Drobeta, daily precipitation amount at Isverna and POM 2 average daily
drip rate.
Figure 13. Comparison between pool and confined waters: (a) pH,
(b) carbonate hardness and (c) electrical conductivity.
Figure 16. Air mass trajectories reconstructed using the Hysplit 4 model.
September 2013. If these two samples are omitted from the Precipitation (GNIP). The δ 18 O monthly values varied be-
calculation, the value of R 2 is 0.54 (p value < 0.05). tween −15 ‰ in winter and −4 ‰ in summer, while the 2015
weighted mean was −9.36 ‰ at Isverna and −8.31 ‰ at Dro-
3.6 Relevance for speleothem paleoclimate studies beta. These values are comparable to weighted annual means
for this region derived from GNIP data. The local meteoric
Rainfall isotope data presented here show that Ascunsă Cave water line is similar to the global one and deuterium excess
and its surroundings are nowadays mostly influenced by re- values reach up to 16 ‰, much higher than those interpolated
cycled Atlantic moisture, with a reduced Mediterranean con- from GNIP. Modeling of back trajectories shows that most of
tribution. Nevertheless, by analyzing δ 18 O data from stalag- the air masses that were present at our site during rainy days
mite POM 2, Drăguşin et al. (2014) demonstrated that this are of Atlantic origin, with reduced input from the Mediter-
stalagmite recorded during the Holocene millennial scale hy- ranean. This suggests that the elevated deuterium excess val-
drological changes that took place in the eastern Mediter- ues are mostly the result of Atlantic moisture being recycled
ranean. This suggests that calcite at Ascunsă Cave is contin- over the European continent.
uously deposited under different climate settings, thus mak- Drip water δ 18 O from Ascunsă Cave indicates the exis-
ing speleothems from this cave useful for the study of past tence of a single, homogenous reservoir. Two enriched iso-
atmospheric circulation (Cruz et al., 2006; Lachniet, 2009). topic events in August and September 2014, as well as drip
Moreover, the stable microclimate conditions inside the cave logging, indicate that water transfer time at Ascunsă Cave is
indicate that δ 18 O values of speleothems are not kinetically on the order of days, via fracture flow.
altered and are representative of surface climate conditions Farmed calcite stable isotope analysis showed that the
(Baldini et al., 2006; Dreybrodt and Scholz, 2011). POM 2 site is not visibly affected by kinetic fractionation
At the same time, when the difference between drip wa- (as compared to the nearby POM X), making the stalagmite
ter and cave air pCO2 is coupled with slow drip rates, it that formed here a good candidate for regional paleoenviron-
can induce important changes in calcite δ 13 C through de- mental reconstruction.
gassing (Dreybrodt and Scholz, 2011; Riechelmann et al,
2013), as we saw in the case of stalagmite POM X. While
POM 2 and POM X have similar δ 18 O behaviors, POM X Data availability. The Supplement related to this article contains
δ 13 C might prove helpful in extracting information on the the data used to plot Figs. 4 to 15 and 17 to 20.
past kinetic fractionation strength and its controls: cave air
CO2 /ventilation and drip water CO2 /outside temperature.
The Supplement related to this article is available
online at https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-5357-2017-
supplement.
4 Conclusions
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