Appendix A - Raw Temperature Data

<i>Figure Captions</i><br>Raw Temperature Data - All temperature data collected from the QPS013 Temperature and Humidity Logger inside Cathedral Cave, Wellington NSW, Australia. These data points range from 1 December 2020 - 14 June 2022. All times also include a unique plot identifier number that was used for arranging the time series data correctly for peak analysis and identify the correct times for temperature peaks.<br><br><i>Abstract</i><br>Show caves are caves that have been made accessible for guided public visits and are a large tourism industry globally, amassing $850 million per year. However, with the increase of people entering these caves, there is an increased concern of the impact that people may have on the condition of the caves. This has brought attention within the caves, as the attraction of tourists can build up and raise the temperature, in comparison to their natural range. To assist in the understanding of human impacts on cave temperature levels, the study compiled temperature data from a probe within Cathedral Cave, Wellington NSW, Australia and compiled into a database, which was used to create a time series for analysis of significant temperature peaks, which was then compared with visitor numbers within the cave system. These comparisons were analysed using several linear regressions and scatter plots, to determine what the major temperature peak trends. The research found that there were three key factors on the change in temperature: the size of a tour, the time of day that a tour takes place in and the tour composition (i.e. the number of adults vs children). These factors were found to display a range of impacts upon how the temperature would change, in comparison to the baseline data that was collected by the same logger which showed no temperature changes in the absence of visitors. Potential new avenues for research includes restrictions of tour sizes, detailed studies into the impacts of children, seasonal variabilities, the value in multiple, more accurate climate loggers and looking at other caves. This can be used to help cave management in the future, balancing displaying the cave’s natural beauty with the health of the cave ecosystem.