Scenarios for the Altamira cave CO2 concentration from 1950 to 2100

A data-driven model reveals that CO2 concentrations in the Altamira cave, Spainpeaked dramatically between 1950 and 1972 due to high visitor numbers. The study demonstrates that real-time monitoring of cave CO2 is feasible using satellite observations and meteorological predictions. Projections indicate future CO2 levels will surpass those of the 1980s and 1990s, despite reduced tourism, posing risks to the integrity of cave walls and pigments through micro-corrosion.

Sáez, M., Benavente, D., Cuezva, S., Huc, M., Fernández-Cortés, Á., Mialon, A., Kerr, Y., Sánchez-Moral, S., & Mangiarotti, S. (2024). Scenarios for the Altamira cave CO2 concentration from 1950 to 2100. Scientific Reports, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-60149-9