Naslov
Geographical distribution and ice cave types in Croatia

Autori
Buzjak, Nenad ; Bočić, Neven ; Paar, Dalibor ; Dubovečak, Vinka

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
International Workshop on Ice Caves, Program guide and abstracts / Mihevc, Andrej - Postojna : Karst Research Institute - ZRC SAZU, 2016, 37-38

ISBN
978-961-254-907-7

Skup
7th International Workshop on Ice Caves

Mjesto i datum
Postojna, Slovenija, 16.05.2016. - 22.05.2016

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Pozvano predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
ice caves; Dinaric karst; climate; Croatia

Sažetak
Dinaric karst belt in Croatia is besides other karst phenomena, known for caves with permanent, perennial or seasonal ice, firn and snow deposits even there is not high mountain areas with glacial environments. It is also interesting that they occur on not so high but orographically isolated karst plateaus and mountains near the Adriatic coast. The main factors that control ice caves distribution and characteristics are elevation, karst topography, cave morphology and microclimate, and atmospheric circulation that transport humid air from Atlantic and Adriatic region as well as cold air from NE Europe and Siberia important for low air winter temperatures. The occurrence of ice caves is therefore limited to geomorphological region of Dinaric Mountain Belt. It is the area of karst plateaus, large karst depressions and mountains (1.000-1.831 m a. s. l.) between Pannonian and Adriatic region. Its higher zone includes mountains around and above 1500 m a. s. l. (Risnjak, Kapela, Plješivica, Dinara, Velebit and Biokovo) characterized by Df climate type (after Köppen–Geiger climate classification system) and periglacial environments with good potential for ice caves occurrence. Besides elevation, the abundant precipitation (2000-3900 mm/year) with high contribution of snow and large depressions with temperature inversion provide good conditions for the accumulation of ice and snow in karst dolines and caves. This area occupy 4.2% of total Croatian karst area with high density of caves. The most data about ice caves in this zone is from northern part of Velebit Mt. where cavers explored 150 caves that contains snow or/and ice deposits of various duration and forms. Even large vertical caves typical for North Velebit (like 1431 m deep Lukina jama-Trojama system) contains ice and firn deposits that spanning at depths between 50 m to almost 560 m below entrance level. In this area static, dynamic and statodynamic ice caves are present. According to the origin of ice, there are both types recorded: exogenic and endogenic. The second zone where ice caves occur is a hypsometrically lower area of karst plateaus and poljes, hills and lower mountains (1.000-1.500 m a. s. l.) of Gorski kotar and Lika regions with temperate humid climate (Cfb). Local microclimate is highly modified by the distribution of ridges and depressions like karst poljes and deep shady dolines. They retains colder air that allows accumulation of snow and ice in caves even during whole year. According to written records from the last two centuries, many ice caves in the past were source of ice for food conserving and preparation and some of them lost ice infilling that could be a sign of climate variations/changes. Recent research projects in several ice caves of Velebit and Risnjak Mts. focus on the microclimate, geomorphological processes, dating and isotope studies for obtaining information on climate changes in karst.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Fizika, Geografija

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