RT Journal Article
T1 Coronavirus pandemic: an opportunity to study the anthropogenic impact on micro-climate conditions and CaCO3 crystal morphology in the Nerja Cave (SE Spain)
A1 Liñán-Baena, Cristina
A1 Jiménez de Cisneros, C.
A1 Benavente, J.
A1 Vadillo-Pérez, Iñaki
A1 Rosal, Y. del
A1 Ojeda, Lucía
K1 Cueva de Nerja (Málaga)-Conservación
K1 Hombre- Efectos ambientales
K1 Evaluación ecológica (Biología)
AB Following the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Spanish Government restricted non-essential movements of all citizens and closed all public spaces, such as the Nerja Cave, until May 31, 2020. This particular condition of the closure of the cave provided a unique opportunity to study the micro-climate conditions and carbonate precipitation in this tourist cave without the presence of visitors. Our results show the significant effect of visitors on the air isotopic signature of the cave and on the genesis of the extensive dissolution features affecting the carbonate crystals formed in the tourist sector of the cave, alerting us to the possible corrosion of the speleothems located there. The movement of visitors within the cave also favours the mobilisation of aerial fungi and bacterial spores and their subsequent sedimentation simultaneously with the abiotic precipitation of carbonates from the drip water. The traces of these biotic elements could be the origin of the micro-perforations previously described in the carbonate crystals formed in the tourist galleries of the cave, but they are subsequently enlarged due to abiotic dissolution of the carbonates through these weaker zones.
PB Elsevier
YR 2023
FD 2023
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10630/26426
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10630/26426
LA eng
NO iñán C, de Cisneros CJ, Benavente J, Vadillo I, Del Rosal Y, Ojeda L. Coronavirus pandemic: An opportunity to study the anthropogenic impact on micro-climate conditions and CaCO3 crystal morphology in the Nerja Cave (SE Spain). Sci Total Environ. 2023 Apr 24:163693. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163693.
NO It is financed by the Nerja Cave Foundation, co-ordinated by its Research Institute and authorized by the Consejería de Cultura (Junta de Andalucía). This study is also a contribution to the Research Groups RNM-308 and RNM-126 of the Junta de Andalucía and to the Projects PID2021-125619OB-C21, PID2021-125619OB-C22, TED2021-130549B-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBUA.
DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga
RD 5 mar 2026