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Australian cave studies

Monika Markowska studying cave formations.png
 

ANSTO environmental researchers recently made headlines with research that began eight years ago, to try to understand why rainfall has declined in the South West since the 1970s.
 
The story which appeared on ABC News focussed on the research that uses nuclear techniques to unlock rainfall-sensitive data preserved in the crystallised calcium carbonate.
 
 
Days later stalagmite research featured in the media again, this time with a focus on another study, involving IER Research Scientist,Monika Markowska that could help improve climate change predictions.
 
Published in Nature's open access journal Scientific Reports, the research found that there can be a 1.5 degree Celsius difference between the temperature of the air in the cave and the drip water that forms the stalactite.