Cave Science Commission

Introduction

The ASF cave science commission is a cross-disciplinary commission that combines the knowledge of physical sciences and social sciences to support the study and dissemination of the understanding of how cave and karst landscapes develop as complex, evolving landscape systems.

This will involve a team of enthusiastic volunteers who are prepared to work towards the aims of the commission. The Commissioner co-ordinates this team.

Aims

To promote and encourage the speleological sciences to further the understanding and conservation of the caves and karst of Australia by promoting co-operation between ASF members and other academic and technical speleologists.

Topics, Themes and Areas of Interest

As noted by E. Reed in 2025, speleological science is multi-disciplined so a consideration of ‘themes’ or ‘areas of interest’ aligns better with how science is done today. Core themes can have sub-sections and particular highlights, with each theme containing perhaps several core scientific disciplines. This makes the theme more integrated, demonstrating the significant breadth of modern speleological science.