Prof. Christoph Spötl and Dr. Gabriella Koltai examine the layers in a thick bed of ice inside Eisriesenwelt Eishöhle, Werfen (South Salzburg) in Austria. Mountain regions respond sensitively to climate change. Taking advantage of Alpine caves, this team of researchers from the University of Innsbruck are working to understand how permafrost has evolved through time. Ice caves form through a combination of snow intrusion and/or freezing of infiltrating water. Often up to several centuries old, the climate record of this ice remains largely under-studied.
