FIRST CIRCULAR
We are happy to announce the 4th CAVE MONITORING WORKSHOP that will take place in SW-France, Les Eyzies (Pôle d’Interprétation de la Préhistoire, PIP), Dordogne,
SW-France, 6 and 7 May 2025.
Cave monitoring science has substantially expanded over the past decade in the wake of cave heritage preservation, speleothem-based paleoclimatology, hydrology and climatic change. Progress in the accuracy of sensors, in the automatization of measurements, and new developments coupled with new data reporting possibilities has opened large perspectives for a better understanding of underground processes, especially cave climate modeling and rainfall infiltration.
Topics
The 4th CMW will provide the opportunity to present new research on methodology, innovative sensor developments, new technology and data reporting, best practice protocols for monitoring the hydrology and meteorology of cave systems. We will also focus on techniques ensuring data accuracy and long-term continuity.
Who should attend?
The workshop is designed for researchers who are expert in the field of cave monitoring. Although not intended as a training workshop (this is the role of the speleothem summer school), PhD students and early career scientists who are embarking on a research project involving cave monitoring will also be considered subject to space.
Format
The format of the workshop will be centered around informal presentations interspersed with discussion and exchange of knowledge regarding best practice.
Field trips, after the presentation day, will present monitoring equipment in local Caves (Villars, with possibility of doing a short speleological expedition to see monitoring stations in the wild and muddy galleries with a limited number of persons) and, eventually in farer sites in the Pyrenees, where some more developed monitored equipment can be found, like in the Esparros and Gargas caves.
Outline Schedule
6th May
9H-12H : arrival of participant at the PIP; presentations and discussion
12H-14H : lunch and exchanges
14H-18H : presentations and discussions, end
20H : diner
7th May (will change depending of participants)
9H-17H field trip to Villars Cave and back to the PIP, eventually by bus and/or personal vehicles
9H : field trip to the Pyrénées (Esparros, Gargas), eventually by bus and/or personal vehicles
Back to Les Eyzies on the 8th May, end of afternoon.
Venue
The meeting will be held in SW-France, in the Dordogne area, at Les Eyzies, referred to as “Capitale de la Préhistoire”, where many famous archeological sites can be visited.
We will plan one or two field trips in the Pyrenees (Gargas, Niaux) and/or in the Dordogne (Villars, Tourtoirac). This will be fixed on the second circular.
Organisers
Dominique Genty : dominique.genty@u-bordeaux.fr
Ludovic Devaux : ludovic.devaux@u-bordeaux.fr
Stéphane Konik: stephane.konik@culture.gouv.fr
Bruno Lartiges : Bruno.LARTIGES@get.omp.eu
François Bourges : fbourges@orange.fr
