Transfer of climatic variables by dripwater: a case study from Kateřinská Cave (Moravian Karst)

Hydrological/hydrochemical properties of drip points in Kateřinska Cave (Moravian Karst) were studied with focus on their relation to climatic variables, especially rainfall and temperature. The discharges of two drips (marked as meteorologically sensitive drips) showed statistically significant positive correlations with rainfalls with respective lags of −5 and −2 days. In addition, the discharges showed statistically significant positive correlations with specific electrical conductivity, pH, and supersaturation with respect to calcite. Other drips in the same cave (marked as meteorologically insensitive drips) did not show these correlations. Because the climatic conditions are identical, the drip types must differ in their reaction/flow paths. This indicates that the paths may control some proxies possibly preserved in speleothems, which should be taken into consideration for paleoenvironmental reconstructions. In case of the speleothems formed by the meteorologically sensitive drips, we believe that it would be possible to distinguish the intra-annual climatic events via individual laminas and their composition.