Detecting dynamics of cave floor ice with selective cloud-to-cloud approach

A significant decrease in cave floor ice volume has been observed in the Silická ľadnica cave, part of the UNESCO-listed Slovak Karst, over a three-year monitoring period. This finding suggests long-term changes in the hydrological-climatic regime of the region. Researchers employed a selective cloud-to-cloud approach using laser scanning technology to map and analyze ice dynamics with ultra-high resolution. By registering point clouds from multiple scanning campaigns into a unified coordinate system, they tracked continuous inter-seasonal changes, including repeated cycles of ice degradation and formation. While the study highlights a notable reduction in ice volume, it underscores the need for extended observations to fully understand the underlying mechanisms driving these changes.

Šupinský, J., Kaňuk, J., Hochmuth, Z., & Gallay, M. (2019). Detecting dynamics of cave floor ice with selective cloud-to-cloud approach. The Cryosphere, 13(11), 2835–2851. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2835-2019