The understanding of karst systems is of paramount importance for protecting and valorizing these unique environments. In this framework, multidisciplinary studies are important to investigate the possible interconnection between karst features and their interactions with groundwater system. The present work summarizes the results of hydrogeological and speleological investigations carried out on a karst area located in the southern part of the Martani chain (Central Italy), a hydrogeological structure which feeds a regional aquifer draining towards the high discharge and salinity Stifone springs. Seven caves have been mapped on the karst area, three of which are located in the upper part of the system, which is characterized by the outcropping of the Calcare Massiccio Formation, often exploited in the past for quarrying. After a comprehensive temperature and humidity monitoring carried out on a lower cave during summer/autumn 2009, the present work presents the results of a new monitoring campaign started in autumn 2014 which has been extended to the five main caves of the limestone massif: in detail, nine Universal Serial Bus (USB) thermo-hygrometers with integrated data-logger, and occasionally air flow measurements by hot-wire thermo-anemometer were used. The analysis of thermo-hygrometric data collected into the caves (at different depth) and those from external meteorological stations, may be useful to identify the timing of the airflow inversion occurring on late winter/early spring and summer/early autumn. Despite the complexity of the morphology of caves and of air flow patterns, thermal variations observed by using the data available up to now, seem to indicate that the underground environments - although small in size - could be interconnected with a considerably wider cave system which stabilizes the air temperature into the caves by withdrawing the cool/warm air from other entrances. The recent discoveries (e.g., "GIS" cave identified in an abandoned limestone quarry in 2002 and the continuation of the "Arnolfi" cave discovered in July 2013), coupled with the new measurements and future speleological explorations, may be useful to individuate the possible interconnection pathways between such caves, necessary to protect the karst area and to better planning the environmental restoration of quarries in the future.
Understanding karst environments by thermo-hygrometric monitoring: results from the Martani chain karst system (Central Italy).
DI MATTEO, Lucio;
2015
Abstract
The understanding of karst systems is of paramount importance for protecting and valorizing these unique environments. In this framework, multidisciplinary studies are important to investigate the possible interconnection between karst features and their interactions with groundwater system. The present work summarizes the results of hydrogeological and speleological investigations carried out on a karst area located in the southern part of the Martani chain (Central Italy), a hydrogeological structure which feeds a regional aquifer draining towards the high discharge and salinity Stifone springs. Seven caves have been mapped on the karst area, three of which are located in the upper part of the system, which is characterized by the outcropping of the Calcare Massiccio Formation, often exploited in the past for quarrying. After a comprehensive temperature and humidity monitoring carried out on a lower cave during summer/autumn 2009, the present work presents the results of a new monitoring campaign started in autumn 2014 which has been extended to the five main caves of the limestone massif: in detail, nine Universal Serial Bus (USB) thermo-hygrometers with integrated data-logger, and occasionally air flow measurements by hot-wire thermo-anemometer were used. The analysis of thermo-hygrometric data collected into the caves (at different depth) and those from external meteorological stations, may be useful to identify the timing of the airflow inversion occurring on late winter/early spring and summer/early autumn. Despite the complexity of the morphology of caves and of air flow patterns, thermal variations observed by using the data available up to now, seem to indicate that the underground environments - although small in size - could be interconnected with a considerably wider cave system which stabilizes the air temperature into the caves by withdrawing the cool/warm air from other entrances. The recent discoveries (e.g., "GIS" cave identified in an abandoned limestone quarry in 2002 and the continuation of the "Arnolfi" cave discovered in July 2013), coupled with the new measurements and future speleological explorations, may be useful to individuate the possible interconnection pathways between such caves, necessary to protect the karst area and to better planning the environmental restoration of quarries in the future.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
