Cave weather

Explore one of China’s most stunning cave systems to learn why it has developed its own microclimate

Cut off from the Sun, rain and wind that we experience on the surface, you might assume meteorological conditions in caves never change. However, the reality is that their climates do vary significantly – not only from location to location, but within individual caves over time. Indeed, some examples, like the Er Wang Dong cave system in Chongqing Province, China (main picture), even host their own weather. Ultimately this is because very few caves are 100 per cent cut off from their surroundings. In the case of Er Wang Dong, it all comes down to an imbalance in the local topology. There are several tunnels around the cave system’s perimeter where wind can blow in. Once trapped underground air from outside gains moisture, pooling into huge chambers like Cloud Ladder Hall…

You're reading a preview of

How It Works Book of Incredible Earth (Digital) - 1 Issue, How It Works Book Of Incredible Earth 6th Edition

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.