(PhysOrg.com) -- A University of Arkansas researcher studying
the way caves "breathe" is providing new insights into the
process by which scientists study paleoclimates. Katherine
Knierim, a graduate student at the University of Arkansas,
together with Phil Hays of the geosciences department and the
U.S. Geological Survey and Erik Pollock of the University of
Arkansas Stable Isotope Laboratory, are conducting close
examinations of carbon cycling in an Ozark cave. Caves “breathe”
in the sense that air flows in and out as air pressure changes.
The researchers have found that carbon dioxide pressures vary
with external temperatures and ground cover, indicating a
possible link between the carbon found in rock formations in the
caves and seasonal changes. They presented their findings at a
recent meeting of the American Geophysical Union. The movement
of carbon in cave systems is controlled by the concentration of
carbon dioxide. When conditions are right, this carbon can be
deposited as layers in stalagmites, sta