During January 2026 I performed another research stay at the Department of Environmental Sciences of Jožef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana, the largest research institute in Slovenia. There I was hosted by a colleague Prof. Dr. Sonja Lojen, Head of the Isotopic biogeochemistry group at Reactor Center. During my stay I analised water and gas samples collected in Cuevas del Águila (Eagle cave) in Ávila to determine carbon isotope signatures. Those samples were colected within research for COSKA project. This project is part of University of Salamanca Programme to Foster Research Excellence – USAL4EXCELLENCE, an initiative of USAL, unded by the Horizon 2020 Programme under MSCA COFUND actions and cofunded by the Junta de Castilla y León.

Furthermore, during my stay, I was invited to give a lecture entitled: “Exploring terrestrial CO2 cycle: from soil to karst underground atmospheres” where I presented my research to fellow colleagues.

On Friday, 26^th of September 2025 we participated in European Researchers’ Night that took place at La plaza del Oeste (Salamanca). For that occasion, Unidad de Cultura Científica y de la Innovación converted the square to an open-air laboratory aiming to bring research closer to audiences of all ages.

At this event my colleague David Domínguez Villar and I participated as Grupo de Investigación en Cuevas y Karst and tried in an interactive way to familiarize the visitors with karst landscapes and explain the processes of karst surficial landforms and caves formation.

Monitoring of cave environments has substantially expanded over the past decade in the wake of cave heritage preservation, speleothem-based paleoclimatology, hydrology and climatic change. Technological progress in the accuracy of sensors, in the automatization of measurements, and new developments coupled with new data reporting possibilities has opened large perspectives for a better understanding of underground processes, especially cave climate modeling and rainfall infiltration. Since investigation of COSKA project relies on collection (and later on interpretation and modelling) of accurate data in the cave, we participated in the 4th Cave monitoring workshop, held in Les Eyzies (Dordogne, France) on 6th and 7th of May 2025.

Discussion and presentation part of the Workshop was followed by a visit to two caves in the Pyrenees (Gargas Cave and Esparros Cave) where extensive cave monitoring work has been done and we were able to inspect and discuss monitoring equipment in situ.

Krklec Kristina, Domínguez-Villar David, Sonja Lojen, Željka Zgorelec (2025): Monitoring of cave atmosphere in Eagle Cave, Spain. 4th Cave monitoring workshop.

Domínguez-Villar David, Krklec, Kristina, Sonja Lojen (2025): Design of a diffusion well to sample soil CO2 for isotope analyses. 4th Cave monitoring workshop.

Recently we presented the research results of COSKA project at 10th International Climate Change, The Karst Record (KR10) Conference organised by the University of Cape Town (South Africa). This conference brought together scientists to share the latest progress in the rapidly developing field of cave- and karst-based (palaeo)climate research.
Main meeting took place at the University of Cape Town from 24-28 March 2025, while during the pre-conference excursion delegates visited the UNESCO World Heritage Site the Cradle of Humankind and Fossil Hominid Vault at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

Krklec, K., Domínguez-Villar, D. (2025): Cave ventilation dynamics in Eagle Cave (Spain) and controls affecting the cave air CO2 concentration. Abstracts, 10th International Climate Change: The Karst Record (KR10), 42-42.

On Wednesday, March 5^th 2025 Juan del Enzina Theater hosted the final galla of the “Mujeres que cambian la USAL” program gathering 665 students, 34 teachers from 18 schools in Salamanca, Ávila and Zamora, and 63 researchers from the University of Salamanca. Here, 4^th year ESO students from Colegio San Estanislao de Kostka – Salamanca (led by professor Juan Antonio Vicente García) presented their “Detectives del paleoclima” project that my colleague Diana Ochoa and me helped them to develop over the last few weeks.

Students did great work using paleontological data and karst development concepts to reconstruct the climate. At the final gala, three students presented the work and conclusions of this project reflected in an infographic that they have created from scratch. Well done!!

We hope that this experience managed to evoke the interest for scientific research among our students.

Last week my colleague Diana Ochoa and me held first talk of the “Women Who Change USAL” program at the St. Stanislaus Kostka College in Salamanca. This program is part of the celebration of the 2025 International Day of Women and Girls in Science. It aims to publicize the research being carried out of the university and to encourage scientific vocations among ESO students, especially girls, highlighting the participation of women in science.

We presented “Detectives del paleoclima” research project following the “Think C-cubed Challenge” format to 4^th year ESO students of professor Juan Antonio Vicente García. In this project, after applying the scientific method, the students will have to solve a question using paleontological data and karst development concepts.