Summary
Investigations into the thermal regime of a cave in the Peak District of Derbyshire show a strong seasonal variation. In summer the main chamber of the cave has an almost uniform temperature with a slight increase with height above the cave floor. Its value of 7°C is close to the mean annual temperature recorded at a standard climatological station nearby. Whenever the outside temperature falls below about 7°C, density currents slowly flow into the cave bringing cooler temperatures into the lowest part of the cave. Winds blowing directly into the cave also affect the temperature regime through forcing external air into the system. The nature of the association between outside and interior temperatures is investigated by correlation analysis.
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Smithson, P.A. Inter-relationships between cave and outside air temperatures. Theor Appl Climatol 44, 65–73 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00865553
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00865553