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

Hydrogeochemical properties of drips 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 lag 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 this correlation. Because the climatic conditions are identical, the drip types must differ in their reaction/flow paths. It 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 even intra-annual climatic events via individual laminas and their composition.