https://ogma.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Index en-au 5 https://ogma.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:31161 Tue 03 Dec 2019 16:32:38 AEDT ]]> https://ogma.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:52766 Mon 29 Jan 2024 18:40:13 AEDT ]]> https://ogma.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:40174 18O of two coeval modern speleothems from Cathedral Cave, Wellington, in semi-arid SE Australia are compared to the instrumental record to assess its efficacy as a proxy of past hydrological variability. Stalagmite δ¹⁸O was modulated by the frequency of recharge events and epikarst evaporation of storage water. Prolonged intervals between recharge events, such as droughts, resulted in higher stalagmite δ¹⁸O. Conversely, periods with more frequent recharge events and a positive water balance, resulted in lower δ¹⁸O. Disequilibrium cave processes are likely to be enhanced during dry conditions, although it is argued that these will modulate δ¹⁸O_spel in the same direction as epikarst evaporation, effectively amplifying the response of δ¹⁸O_spel. Extreme events, such as floods and droughts, were also captured in the stalagmite records, although potentially with a lag of several years. We verify that modern speleothems from semi-arid regions can be used to reconstruct hydroclimate due to variations in δ¹⁸O_spel modulated by karst processes. Such records are archives of past changes in recharge rather than precipitation amount or surface temperature, as is commonly applied to speleothem records from non-water-limited regions.]]> Fri 22 Jul 2022 13:55:20 AEST ]]>