Impact of visits on microclimate of caves – An analytical approach

Abstract

The theoretical basis for describing natural steady-state conditions in caves as well as for their changes in time that follow from the simple advection-diffusion equation, is given. The impacts of visits to caves – direct impacts due to anthropogenic emissions of heat and CO2, as well as indirect ones, such as illumination and possible drafts when opening the door to the cave – are estimated in dependence to the number of visitors and the size of the cave: the size with which the effects of the visits are below the detection threshold is estimated. It is shown that the sources cause linear responses, while the consequences of the exchange with the walls of the cave or with the exterior depend on time exponentially. Characteristic times for linear as well as for exponential responses are roughly estimated.