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Jaskinia Lodowa w Ciemniaku (Ice Cave in Ciemniak), Western Tatra, Poland - over a century-long investigations of climate warming-caused degradation of subterranean ice mass
Jaskinia Lodowa w Ciemniaku (Ice Cave in Ciemniak), in the Tatra Mountains (Tatry), is believed to host the largest subterranean ice mass in Poland. It has been known for over a century, however, the onset of its scientific investigations dates back to 1922, when Tadeusz and Stefan Zwoliński mapped it. Since then, it has become one of the best-known caves in Poland. It was described in over a hundred scientific and popular science papers. They include findings of international importance, e.g. works related to radioisotopes, ice-mass balance and age. However, some of the questions asked a century ago are still partly unanswered. One may wonder if they will be delivered before climate warming causes the largest ‘cave glacier’ in Poland to disappear.
Ice Caves as Emerging Research Objects of the Climate‐Crisis Era
ABSTRACTIce caves remain relatively underexplored as climatic archives. Due to the rapid loss of ice mass that is observed worldwide as a result of global climate warming, we are losing this record year by year. This trend has likely prompted scientists from all over the world to expand and accelerate their research on perennial cave ice. In this study, using bibliometric analysis, we demonstrate how ice caves have become increasingly popular subjects of scientific research, especially within the past two decades. The article reveals that climate change has recently become a significant topic in speleological research. However, relatively few articles are directly focused on this issue, and the keyword is more commonly used as a connection between other areas of geoscience research. Many studies emphasize the urgent need for interdisciplinary collaboration to address the challenges facing this fragile ecosystem. Although the increasing number of published scientific studies resembles a race against time to explore as much as possible before this unique underground world disappears.