ПРОЕКТИ НА ФОНДАЦИЯ ТОЧНИ НАУКИ
Scientific Cave Art
Bulgarian exhibition at the Cave Expo 2002 is dedicated to
exhibit the integrity of the science and the art in cave research:
The Art
Caves are excellent source of ideas and inspiration for artists
with their unusual forms and shapes, speleothems and crystals.
Even much more colourful and abstract is speleothem luminescence
(glow of the cave minerals under illumination with high energy
beams (UV, X-ray, electron beams, etc.), Most of the methods
of excitation of luminescence were destructive until our team
(Shopov and Grinberg, 1985) from the Speleological Society at
University of Sofia developed a new method for field photography
of phosphorescence (glow of the cave minerals after irradiation
with UV light). It can be used directly in caves without any
destruction of the speleothems. The amazing graphic and colour
impact of the obtained photos allow the team of the Art@Net
International Gallery to create an
Unique art style- "Crystal Zoomorphism"
Our artists created and unique art style- "Crystal Zoomorphism"
in 2002. This is a brand new amazing style of art and photography
using highly technical scientific photos with high artistic
and aesthetic value. These are photos of phosphorescense, fluorescence
(under short- and long-UV light), UV photography and cathodoluminescence
microscopy (under electron beam excitation) of cave minerals
and speleothems. Such photos are used to create fantastic compositions
with graphic and colour appearance, which can not be produced
by fantasy of any artist. The exact definition of this style
is "A World of Fantasy Formed by Water and Time".
Now this art style is developing extremely rapidly and is very
prospective for significant impact on art. There are several
patented apparatus (made by us) which are necessary to make
such photos, therefore only we future such works so far. Art@Net
International Gallery offers wide variety of such limited edition
art affordable by anyone. Such photos have not only great artistic
and aesthetic value, but also great scientific value, giving
important information about past climates and solar activity.
The Science
The science behind these photos became even more significant
after the discovery that such photos of speleothem luminescence
can be used to reconstruct precisely past climates and solar
activity (Shopov, 1987). Speleothems appear to be the best archives
of the global change (UIS Workshop 2002). Their solid crystal
structure and pure composition allows resolution of the luminescence
paleoclimatic records (Shopov et al, 1994) to reach 6 hours
(for ages of thousand years ago). Some such records can present
the climatic history for a million years.
Luminescence and Paleoclimate
Calcite speleothems usually display luminescence, which is produced
by organics derived from soils above the cave. These organics
are released by the decomposition of humic matter. Rates of
decomposition depend exponentially upon soil surface temperatures
that are determined primarily by solar infrared radiation if
the cave surface is not covered by forest, or by the air temperature
if the cave is covered by forest (Shopov, 1997). So the microzonality
of luminescence of speleothems can be used as an indirect Solar
Activity (SA) index (Shopov et al., 1990), or as a paleotemperature
index.
Luminescence, Past Solar Radiation, Sea Level and Global Change
Solar radiation records are necessary to estimate the influence
of the solar variability on Earth's climate, Sea level (Shopov
et al, 1999) and Global change. So far experimental records
of the solar radiation can be derived only from luminescence
of speleothems, by photometry of photos of luminescence of polished
sections of speleothems (Shopov et al., 1999b). So this way
scientific studies of speleothems can provide unique information
of major importance for understanding and qualitative assessment
of the Global change and management of the sustainable development
of coastal regions. Solar radiation variations cause major changes
of the global sea level, because of the melting of polar ice
caps by the solar radiation. As far as it is recorded by speleothem
luminescence they can be used to estimate the Sea level variations.
Luminescence, Past Precipitation and the Bible Flood
Luminescent microbanding of speleothems was used to reconstruct
past annual precipitation and even Shopov et al., (1996) demonstrated,
that the Bible Flood probably happened 7500 years ago. Humanity
even now is not prepared to face such catastrophic disaster,
but cave research combined with astronomical observations can
help to predict it and to suggest actions to reduce the damage
cause by it.
References:
.Shopov Y.Y.,Grynberg M.A.(1985)A New Method for Direct Photography
of Luminescence.-Expedition Ann. Sofia Univ. 1985,v.1, p.139-145.
.Shopov Y.Y.,(1987), Laser Luminescent MicroZonal Analysis-
A New Method for Investigation of the Alterations of the Climate
and Solar Activity during Quaternary- in "Problems of Karst
Study of Mountainous Countries" (Proceedings of the International
Symposium of Speleology 5-1 2 Oct. 1987), MEISNIEREBA, Tbilisi,
pp.228-232; Exped. Annual of Sofia Univ.,v 3/4,pp. 104-108.
.Shopov Y.Y.,Dermendjiev Vl.(1990) Comptes rendus de l'Academie
bulgare des Sci., v.43, 7,pp.9-12
.Shopov Y.Y.,Ford D.C., Schwarcz H.P.(1994) Geology, v.22, p.407
-410, May 1994.
.Shopov Y.Y., L.Tsankov, L.N.Georgiev, A.Damyanova, Y. Damyanov,
E. Marinova, D.C. Ford, C.J.Yonge, W. MacDonald, H.P.R.Krouse
(1996) Speleothem Luminescence proxy Records of Annual Rainfall
in the Past. Evidences for "The Deluge" in Speleothems."-
in book "Climatic Change- the Karst Record", Ed. by
S.E. Lauritzen. KWI , Bergen, p. 155-156.
.Shopov Y.Y. (1997) Luminescence of Cave Minerals.- in book:
"Cave Minerals of the world" second edition, ed by
C.Hill, P. Forti, NSS, Huntswille, Alabama, USA, PP.244-248
Shopov YY, D. A. Stoykova, D.Ford, L.N.Georgiev, L.Tsankov,
D. Georgieva (1999) Influence of the Earth's Orbit and Solar
Luminosity on the Sea Level Changes- Bulgarian Contribution
to Sea & Space Event of Expo-98.- Publ.Astron.Obs. Belgrade,
v.64, pp.95-102
.Shopov Y.Y., D. Stoykova, M. Sanambria, L.Tsankov, D. Georgieva,(1999b)
- Significance of Luminesent Records for Determination of Orbital
Variations and Timing of Termination - II.: in book "Karst
Studies and Problems: 2000 and Beyond", Ed. by B.P. Onac
and T. Tamas, Presa Universitara, Cluj, pp.120-122; -in book:
Contribucion del Estudio Cientifico De Las CavidadesKarsticas
Al Conocimiento Geologico, ed. by B. Andreo, F. Carrasco, J.J
Duran, PCN, Instituto de Investigacion, Malaga, Spain, pp.135-142
UIS Workshop (2002) Cave Climate and Paleoclimate- Best Record
of the Global Change- International Workshop of UIS Commission
on Physical Chemistry and Hydrogeology of Karst. Stara Zagora,
Bulgaria 24- 27 September 2002
