Ideas for a dissertation related to caving
- Thread starter Swampy
- Start date
mrodoc
Well-known member
Cave damage and gating would be an interesting issue. I have noticed over the years that damage to caves in the Dales occurs very rapidly after their discovery and I wonder if this is because gating is virtually non existent. As a youngster I was rather anti access controls (impatience of youth) but as I have got older I realise that many of the beautiful caves I have visited in Wales and Mendip and even Devon are still beautiful because access is limited. You only have to look at the damage Otter Hole sustained after its discovery to realise that a struggle to get into the cave does not necessarily mean it gets respected. A fine example of a trashed Northern cave is Easter Grotto in Easegill. Not reason for it to have sustained the damage it received as far as I can see. So gates have a purpose in my view. Paths are even better in the style of the late Willie Stanton.
caving_fox
Active member
Given a typical caving weekend, maybe you could determine if Caving is a "healthy" sport?
Certainly one is exercising and burning lots of calories whilst underground. But by the time you've eaten some chocolate there, had a decent fry-up to start with, a big dinner when you get out, a "one or two" beers at a convenient hostlry, I do wonder what the net gain is?
Of course you could also try and factor in the accident risk (including post caving 'game' injuries) vs the cardio benefits of keeping fit.
Certainly one is exercising and burning lots of calories whilst underground. But by the time you've eaten some chocolate there, had a decent fry-up to start with, a big dinner when you get out, a "one or two" beers at a convenient hostlry, I do wonder what the net gain is?
Of course you could also try and factor in the accident risk (including post caving 'game' injuries) vs the cardio benefits of keeping fit.
Maisie Syntax
Active member
More of a social sciences than 'real' science subject, but how about:
Why is it that some cavers turn into complete ars***es once their dig has 'gone' and won't let other cavers anywhere near the good stuff, even though they broke their balls helping them dig into the thing in the first place, when they didn't seem quite so picky as to what help they got, and certainly never made accusations of pirating - and even more galling when the person currently doing most of the pushing was never involved with any of the original digging at all.
Just a thought anyway.
Why is it that some cavers turn into complete ars***es once their dig has 'gone' and won't let other cavers anywhere near the good stuff, even though they broke their balls helping them dig into the thing in the first place, when they didn't seem quite so picky as to what help they got, and certainly never made accusations of pirating - and even more galling when the person currently doing most of the pushing was never involved with any of the original digging at all.
Just a thought anyway.
spikey
New member
Did mine in the 80's on "The Hydro-geochemistry of the West Kingsdale System". I managed to prove (amongst other things) that there was a higher calcium carbonate content in the water at the bottom than the top. (Surprise, surprise).
Still, managed 2 weeks of caving, in what was the driest period of that summer.....!
Still, managed 2 weeks of caving, in what was the driest period of that summer.....!
shortscotsman
New member
An idea which I tried a bit with diving...
You can fit people out with heart rate monitors and look at the heart rate as a measure of activity but also stress.
You could fit out trainees with these and then carefully note what they did underground and later correlate. A sports science department would probably have loads of these.
The aim of the project could be to identify and reduce stress in newcomers. [In diving it was, unsurpisingly, mask clearing but
also, a little more surprising, being on the surface]
You can fit people out with heart rate monitors and look at the heart rate as a measure of activity but also stress.
You could fit out trainees with these and then carefully note what they did underground and later correlate. A sports science department would probably have loads of these.
The aim of the project could be to identify and reduce stress in newcomers. [In diving it was, unsurpisingly, mask clearing but
also, a little more surprising, being on the surface]
With a dissertation done at a University where all walks of life are congregated and people are looking to experience what there is to do, why is caving still unpopular with anything but white boys and the odd girl? :ras:
And it always annoys me that people cant discuss race or religion without feeling like a oddball. If race or religion had no weight in a persons decision then that would be fair enough but it does. When is the Jewish sabbath? would serious Jews be interested in Try Caving but dont follow it up if it's on a Saturday? I dont know. Another question which I dont know the answer to, if Sikhs are exempt from wearing helmets on motorbikes in the UK, would a helmet mounted torch be a problem if they were interested in caving?
Anyway, I guess it's something that only I'm interested in but not something you want to study as a dissertation project, not technical enough so how about,
The effect srt kit has on posture when caving but not actually in use?
And it always annoys me that people cant discuss race or religion without feeling like a oddball. If race or religion had no weight in a persons decision then that would be fair enough but it does. When is the Jewish sabbath? would serious Jews be interested in Try Caving but dont follow it up if it's on a Saturday? I dont know. Another question which I dont know the answer to, if Sikhs are exempt from wearing helmets on motorbikes in the UK, would a helmet mounted torch be a problem if they were interested in caving?
Anyway, I guess it's something that only I'm interested in but not something you want to study as a dissertation project, not technical enough so how about,
The effect srt kit has on posture when caving but not actually in use?
If people want to do something they can do it, different cultures have different ways of life and may not actually be interested in frittering away their spare time in the great outdoors (or underground or etc..) I seem to recall withdrawal of funding from organised walks in the Lakes a few years back because it wasn't attracting enough people from "certain groups", this was done purely because of numbers rather than any sound understanding of what people actually want from life.
Anyway, how about the current trend for excessively bright LED lamps and what effect it has on cavers ability to adjust to the dark, and how they may now perceive their lamp as being dim, even though it was once considered bright?
Anyway, how about the current trend for excessively bright LED lamps and what effect it has on cavers ability to adjust to the dark, and how they may now perceive their lamp as being dim, even though it was once considered bright?
Pitlamp
Well-known member
I'm feeling a little guilty Ian; my post in response to yours was perhaps a bit blunt, so I'd like to apologise. I don't think you're an "odd ball" and yours was of course a perfectly reasonable suggestion.
I guess what I was trying to articulate is that our nation seems to be obsessed with a perceived problem which, for many cavers at least, just doesn't exist. In fact, when people flag up this sort of question it can, in a sense, be self perpetuating. By this I mean that it can actually focus peoples' attention on "differences" when otherwise they'd just get on with enjoying caving and never even pause to consider any significance of race etc.
One reason why caving is so enjoyable is because the most important thing is the caving. I like to think that my club genuinely welcomes a new member because they have a real interest, not because of the stranglehold of policies inflicted by the beaurocrats about who we have to accept. I hope it's always like that.
I guess what I was trying to articulate is that our nation seems to be obsessed with a perceived problem which, for many cavers at least, just doesn't exist. In fact, when people flag up this sort of question it can, in a sense, be self perpetuating. By this I mean that it can actually focus peoples' attention on "differences" when otherwise they'd just get on with enjoying caving and never even pause to consider any significance of race etc.
One reason why caving is so enjoyable is because the most important thing is the caving. I like to think that my club genuinely welcomes a new member because they have a real interest, not because of the stranglehold of policies inflicted by the beaurocrats about who we have to accept. I hope it's always like that.
Rachel
Active member
I did my MSc project on writing a computer model based on Darcy's Law (fluid dynamics) to balance the water going into a mine system from its catchment with the water being pumped out of it. The idea was that the mine owners believed that half of the water they were pumping (at great expense) was coming in from a neighbouring mine. My remit was to prove this so that they could seek compensation. Unfortunately, I proved exactly the opposite!!!
underground
Active member
in cumbria? said:
Go on Dave, spill the beans....
On the subject of 'ethnic minorities in caving', I recall the same question being asked and written about in 'On The Edge' (a rock climbing magazine) back in the early 90's - it was no dissertation for sure, but someone had been out and asked some questions, anyway.
I do recall a little bit of the article which claimed that 'black people just don't do outdoors, it's not cool' -
No comment, personally - that's not my experience - but it's an interesting subject because in my experience, the caves, stomps, huts and crags etc. are the sole preserve of white people (and in the case of climbing, aspirant or actual middle class white people) all of which is generalising but fits a decent enough pattern to be general.
cap n chris
Well-known member
Presumably Brian True-May is an active caver, then.