Understanding cryoturbation through Svalbard karst caves, RiS ID 11364

Cryoturbation is one of the most important processes in the Arctic carbon cycle, however, it remains poorly understood until today. Karst caves are favourable locations for patterned ground, which forms due to processes related to cryoturbation. Stable walls, absence of snow and absence of trampling make karst caves natural laboratories for studying cryoturbation and offer a possibility for a breakthrough in understanding this process. Known karst caves on the Blomstranden area will be visited and the suitable will be used for cryoturbation monitoring. The caves will be surveyed using structure-from-motion technique and ground and air temperatures will be established. This work will present a baseline for long-term measurements, which will provide input and validation data for cryoturbation model.