geosciences

Editorial
Preservation of Cultural Heritage and Resources
Threatened by Climate Change
Chiara Bertolin
Department of Architecture and Technology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Alfred Getz vei 3,
7491 Trondheim, Norway; [email protected]




Received: 24 May 2019; Accepted: 27 May 2019; Published: 3 June 2019


Abstract: With a wide spectrum of data, case studies, monitoring, and experimental and numerical
simulation techniques, the multidisciplinary approach of material, environmental, and computer
science applied to the conservation of cultural heritage offers several opportunities for the heritage
science and conservation community to map and monitor the state of the art of the knowledge referring
to natural and human-induced climate change impacts on cultural heritage—mainly constituted by
the built environment—in Europe and Latin America. The special issue “Preservation of Cultural
Heritage and Resources Threatened by Climate Change” of Geosciences—launched to take stock of
the existing but still fragmentary knowledge on this challenge, and to enable the community to
respond to the implementation of the Paris agreement—includes 10 research articles. These papers
exploit a broad range of data derived from preventive conservation monitoring conducted indoors in
museums, churches, historical buildings, or outdoors in archeological sites and city centers. Case
studies presented in the papers focus on a well-assorted sample of decay phenomena occurring on
heritage materials—e.g., surface recession and biomass accumulation on limestone, depositions of
pollutant on marble, salt weathering on inorganic building materials, and weathering processes
on mortars in many local- to regional-scale study areas in the Scandinavian Peninsula, the United
Kingdom, Belgium, France, Italy, Greece, and Panama. Besides monitoring, the methodological
approaches that are showcased include, but are not limited to, original material characterization,
decay product characterization, and climate and numerical modelling on material components for
assessing environmental impact and climate change effects.

Keywords: cultural heritage; climate change; decay; preventive conservation; mitigation actions;
heritage materials; indoor climate; outdoor climate

1. Introduction
Changes in preservation conditions due to climate-related decay processes are unavoidable
phenomena for both movable and immovable cultural heritage (CH). The knowledge of the mechanisms
governing these processes and their real effect on changing heritage significance will allow the rational
use of heritage materials, as well as the anticipation of their behavior beforehand, in order to succeed
in preventive conservation, heritage management, and eventual restoration.
The degradation progress, which depends on external agents of decay, exposure, the intrinsic
properties of the material to be studied, and object construction vulnerability, is nowadays exacerbated
by both anthropic factors and the impact of climate change (CC).
Due to more frequent and severe weather events, greater exposure, ageing of materials, and the
existence of previous conservative interventions, the need for adapting cultural heritage to anthropic
and climate change-related effects is becoming more and more urgent. Within cultural heritage, the
risk from climate change is more pronounced for the built environment, where the right adaptation
interventions should be chosen properly considering the buildings’ capacity to change due to its

Geosciences 2019, 9, 250; doi:10.3390/geosciences9060250 www.mdpi.com/journal/geosciences

Geosciences 2019, 9, 250 2 of 11

protection status under the law, the principle of preservation, and the need to apply effective mitigation
actions. The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) principles of preservation [1]
ask to

- understand and respect CH and its significance;

- be cautious in designing interventions;
- respect authenticity and integrity;
- propose reversible interventions to–as much as possible–keep intact existing original materials;
- prioritize preventive and effective care;
- prioritize minimum intervention: “do as much as necessary and as little as possible”;
- propose compatible design solutions, i.e., use adequate materials, techniques, and detailing
with regard to material and physical–chemical–mechanical interactions between the new and
the existing;
- enhance the use of cultural assets and regularly programmed maintenance necessary to extend
the service life of the CH;
- enhance multi-disciplinary action—i.e., call upon skill and experience from a range of
relevant disciplines.

For movable objects (often preserved indoors in museums or historical buildings), climate
change-induced risks manifest themselves in greater difficulty of management, due to higher costs for
cooling/heating demand related to maintaining appropriate environmental conditions, as requested
by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and
the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) standards, as well as higher costs for conducting
preventive conservation due to the new appearance or acceleration of decay phenomena.
The Council of Europe’s European Heritage Strategy for the 21st Century [2] calls for more reliable
quantified information on the impact of climate change on cultural heritage, as the changing climate,
speeding up the rate of degradation and the risk of loss of value, is affecting the organizations who take
care of cultural heritage, resulting in difficulties in managing the maintenance of heritage buildings
outdoors and the indoor environments caused by increasing costs and lack of funds. As a whole, this
in turn affects the cultural tourism sector, local and regional economies, their traditional practices in
maintenance and conservation, as well as their use of resources and adaptation planning options.
However, limited research has been accomplished to date on the process of preserving CH
threatened by CC, as very few tools or methods exist to collect and analyze data on the actual situation,
and at the same time estimate the ongoing and expected risks.
The main objectives of this special issue are

- to make the point about the ongoing research in the field;

- to present new data, methods, and techniques that can be used by a wide community of researchers
and conservators to better understand degradation phenomena affecting heritage materials, and
to assess the actual and expected impact of CC;
- to provide guidance on conservation principles and standards to follow in order to enhance
awareness on preventive conservation and long-term planned conservative interventions in the
time of CC;
- to develop mitigation and adaptation capacity throughout the wide range of stakeholders
involved, as it is urgent to respond to CC now.

2. Overview of the Special Issue Contributions

The special issue (SI) of Geosciences titled “Preservation of Cultural Heritage and Resources
Threatened by Climate Change” has been launched to take stock of the existing, but still fragmentary
knowledge on this challenge, and to enable the heritage community to respond to the implementation
of the Paris Climate agreement. At the European level, only two projects, “Noah’s Ark” [3] and
Geosciences 2019, 9, 250 3 of 11

“Climate for Culture” [4], have finalized their research on these issues. The SI encompass 10 open access
papers presenting research studies based on the exploitation of a broad range of data deriving from
preventive conservation monitoring [5–7] and climate or numerical modelling on material components
for assessing environmental impact and climate change effects [8,9]. These papers are focused on a
well-assorted sample of decay phenomena occurring on heritage materials, e.g., surface recession and
biomass accumulation on limestone [10], depositions of pollutant on marble [11], salt weathering on
inorganic building materials [12], and the weathering process on mortars [13]. Finally, one paper [14]
is devoted to examining the perceptions of experts involved in the management of cultural heritage on
adaptation to climate change risks.
Table 1 summarizes the distribution of data and techniques used in each paper, the target decay
type monitored or simulated on one or more heritage materials, and the considered climate change
scenario and assessment time.

Table 1. Overview of data, techniques, target decay, heritage material, and climate change scenario,
with the assessment times presented in the 10 open access research papers composing the special issue
(SI) “Preservation of Cultural Heritage and Resources Threatened by Climate Change” of Geosciences.
The papers are in order of publication.
Data and Processing/Analyzing CC Scenario and Assessment
Paper Reference and DOI Type of Decay and CH Material
Method Time
Monitoring data; Indoor Air
Anaf et al. [5] Overall IAQ risk; air-mixed Real time or post-adaptation
Quality (IAQ) index for heritage
doi:10.3390/geosciences8080276 materials/objects measures assessment
application
Meteo-climate data (Temperature, Reference period: 1979–2008 and
Ciantelli et al. [10] Relative Humidity, rain) and main Pollution and salt crystallization future: 2039–2068; EC: Earth
doi:10.3390/geosciences8080296 construction materials cycles; masonries global climate model with high
characterization GreenHouse Gas (GHG) emissions
Stakeholder interviews and Reanalysis of past experience for
Sesana et al. [14] Hazards exacerbated by CC (flood,
participatory workshop; best future strategic planning and
doi:10.3390/geosciences8080305 landslides, Sea Level Rise)
practices in adaptation preparedness
T and precipitation trends
Carroll and Aarrevaara [6] Materials and structures Climate trends and assessment of
resulting from CC; Mixed
doi:10.3390/geosciences8090322 classification; urgency index past adaptation measures
materials on buildings
Chemical decay due to pollution
and environmental conditions, Analysis of weathering
Isotopic data from mortar samples
Dotsika et al. [13] and the secondary decay progression from Hellenistic, Late
collected at different depths; stable
doi:10.3390/geosciences8090339 mechanism of carbonate Roman, and Byzantine mortar
isotope analysis
formation from salt weathering layers
and biological attack; mortars
Far future: 2071–2100;
Climate for culture maps and Regional Model, rapid economic
Loli and Bertolin [8] building protection levels by law; Chemical, biological, mechanical; growth (A1B) and representative
doi:10.3390/geosciences8090347 decay level estimation and mixed buildings materials concentration pathway to 4.5
allowable interventions W/m2 radiative forcing value
within 2100 (RCP4.5) scenarios
Monitored data on deposited
aerosol particulate matter (PM) on
Fermo et al. [11] Environmental deposition; marble
quartz filters and main ions, Present: 2014–2017
doi:10.3390/geosciences8090349 and surrogate substrates
atmospheric pollution data;
chemical characterization
Environmental monitoring (T, RH)
and moisture content on wood;
Haugen et al. [7] Mixed decays on stone and Present-day monitoring is planned
zero-level registration and
doi:10.3390/geosciences8100370 wooden historical buildings to continue for 30–50 years
interval-based registration system
for relevant indicators
Monitoring of T and RH to
Moisture diffusion and transport
simulate moisture content in
that can induce primary
Bylund Melin et al. [9] wood; monitoring, experimental Building simulations and climate
mechanical decay and secondary
doi:10.3390/geosciences8100378 tests, and simulations using WUFI change scenarios
effects; wood or hygroscopic
Pro software and simplified
materials
mathematical models
Phase change phenomena of
Menéndez [12] common salts; comparison of Salt weathering; historical Present and future simulation of
doi:10.3390/geosciences8110401 predicted changes in weathering buildings weathering
driven by single or mixed salts.
Geosciences 2019, 9, 250 4 of 11

Data, Methods, and Decay on Cultural Heritage Material under Climate Change Scenarios
In their paper, Anaf et al. [5] present a new tool to help heritage guardians in processing and
evaluating monitored data in museums or heritage buildings. The work explains the backbone of
their proposed Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)-calculating algorithm, from the recognition of deterioration
agents, to conversion functions for calculating the level of risk in specific materials or objects, to
the way in which weight is attributed to key risk indicators (KRIs). The combination of all KRIs
constitutes the overall IAQ index. The authors clearly present this new tool, visually processing sets of
multi-monitored data applied to canvas painting, restrained wood, and copper preserved in a church
in Belgium. This allows the identification and discussion in detail of the potential and limitations
of the IAQ index for assessing the effectiveness of mitigation actions implemented by a heritage
institution. Finally, this tool helps to better manage the indoor environment, in order to adapt it to a
changing climate.
Keeping the focus on data assessment derived from environmental monitoring in museums as
heritage institutions, Carroll and Aarrevaara [6] reanalyze literature findings about the range of local
weather- and climate-related factors that contribute to the degradation of cultural heritage buildings
and structures over time. These factors manifest themselves by speeding up the rate of degradation.
The authors propose a method to collect information about where best to concentrate cultural heritage
site preservation resources in the future, based on an urgency rate index. This proposed numerical
scale index ranging from 1 to 10 can be applied to several CC categories (i.e., warmer climate, longer
growing season, increased precipitation, severe rain, and extreme winds), to be evaluated both in terms
of the rate of change (i.e., the increase in ◦ C/yr, days/yr, mm/yr, mm/hr, or m/s, respectively) and a
visual inspection on the affected structures or materials. Arctic regions are predicted to face the greatest
increase of warming in winter time. The temperature is expected to rise by 3–4 ◦ C by 2050. Rainfall
in Nordic countries will increase by about 10% on an annual level. Exceptionally, the west coasts of
Norway and Finland might face as much as a 20–30% increase in rainfall in winter periods. This will
turn to cause favorable conditions for fungal growth and pest damage. To highlight such risks, and to
show the potentiality of the proposed model, Carroll and Aarrevaara apply it to evaluate the outdoor
conditions of a Finnish farmhouse complex consisting of several buildings in Finland. The method,
as well as the discussion of its results, serves the purpose of prioritizing cultural heritage materials
and elements for protection against the ravages of climate change, therefore helping conservators and
heritage managers in planning for adaptation or mitigation steps.
From the majority of the works presented in the SI, it is clear that a long-term strategy to adapt to
climate change must be based on risk assessment, adaptation measures, and monitoring. Specifically,
due to the still-high degree of uncertainty in simulations, long-term monitoring of the actual impact of
climate change is necessary to better understand the effects of climate change on historic buildings.
Monitoring can be used to observe and analyze decay progress, as already stated in [5,6], in order to
provide reference data to improve the results of simulation models; inform decisions on adaptative or
corrective actions; raise awareness among property owners, heritage managers, and citizens; and to gain
political and economic support locally, regionally, and nationally. Looking at systematic, well-planned,
long-term management, Haugen et al. [7] presents an innovative methodological approach that is able
to record climate change-induced decay on historic buildings and interiors at the national scale. The
additional challenge here is the long time frame needed to discern the climate change signal from
the natural variability of the climate. This time frame (>30 years) exceeds the scope of most research
funding schemes, and there are also practical difficulties in maintaining such long projects with regard
to administration, staff continuity, data retrieval and storage, etc.
In the first part of their paper, Haugen et al. [7] present the generic framework of the novel
methodology. This framework is based on a review of existing approaches to climate change monitoring
of cultural heritage, as well as the experiences from the Norwegian pilot project known as “Methods
for Monitoring the Effects and Consequences of Climate-Related Degradation of Buildings”, which
proposes, for the first time, zero-level registration and an interval-based registration system focused
Geosciences 2019, 9, 250 5 of 11

on relevant decay indicators to detect the effects of climate-induced degradation. The second part
of the paper presents, as a case study, the implementation of a newly started, long-term monitoring
campaign on 45 medieval buildings distributed over the entirety of Norway. Thirty-five of these
buildings are dated to before 1537, and include wooden buildings as well as 10 medieval churches
built in stone, while the remaining 10 buildings are situated in the World Heritage sites of Bryggen
in Bergen, on the west coast of Norway, and in Røros. Last but not least, the importance of the early
involvement of researchers and stakeholders (e.g., the directorate of cultural heritage, conservators,
heritage institutions, staff and building owners, etc.) from an early stage is fundamental for the success
of such a long-term monitoring program.
Moving from research studies based on the exploration of data from preventive conservation
monitoring to climate and numerical modelling on material components for assessing climate change
effects, Loli and Bertolin [8] present multi-risk scenarios of CC on building materials, using data from
the European Union (EU)-funded project Climate for Culture (CfC) [4]. The authors employ a modified
version of the risk assessment method developed in the CfC project to take into consideration the
proper adaptation intervention to be applied on historic buildings. The authors link the majority of
climate-induced decay variables, describing mechanical, chemical, and biological decay on several
building materials (e.g., masonry, concrete, and wood) and structures, with the buildings’ capacity to
change due to their protection status. The merging of the decay results with the building protection
level becomes an indicator of the right level and time for intervention for climate change adaptation.
The proposed method was then tested on 38 locations in Scandinavian countries to estimate the
influence of climate change on future interventions on historic buildings [8].
A risk assessment matrix of deterioration highlights that, over the far future (i.e., 2071–2100), the
risk of chemical and biological decays (outdoors) will slightly increase, especially in the southern part
of the Scandinavian peninsula, while the mechanical decay of building materials kept indoors will
generally decrease. This, for example, will require high-priority interventions for small, heavyweight
buildings located in the area near Göteborg and Malmö, in order to adapt measures that minimize the
climate-induced decay expected over the far future.
With a similar approach to the use of climate, building, and material modelling, Bylund Melin
et al. [9] propose a study to increase the knowledge of climate-induced damage to heritage objects,
which is essential to monitor moisture transport in wood. In fact, hygroscopic materials, such as wood,
will gain and release moisture during changes in relative humidity (RH) and temperature (T). These
changes cause swelling and shrinkage, which may result in permanent damage. To propose simulation
models that are able to predict how the influence of climate change will modify the wood moisture
content, and consequently the risk of shrinkage and swelling, is of primary importance. Bylund
Melin et al.’s approach is completely multi-disciplinary, as they compare experimental data acquired
in the laboratory, such as monitored temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) at different depths
inside wooden samples subjected to fluctuating climate over time, with novel methods, i.e., the use
of hygrothermal building simulation software WUFI Pro to simulate object components, as well as a
simplified model to calculate the moisture content. The conclusion was that both methods can simulate
moisture diffusion and transport in wooden object with sufficient accuracy. In addition, both methods
for predicting climate change data show that the mean RH inside wood remains rather constant, but
the RH minimum and maximum vary with the predicted scenario and the type of building used for
the simulation.
With a specific look at surface recession and biomass accumulation on limestone as a long-term
climate change effect, Ciantelli et al. [10] present a case study in Latin America, in Panamá Viejo (a
16th -century building) and at the Fortresses in Portobelo and San Lorenzo (17th- to 18th-centuries). The
authors first analyzed the main construction materials at the site level (i.e., masonries and limestone),
adopting several investigation techniques (e.g., stereomicroscope, polarized light microscopy, X-ray
powder diffraction, environmental scanning electron microscopy, ion chromatography), and then they
analyzed changes in rainfall, RH, and surface air T as key drivers of the deterioration of cultural
Geosciences 2019, 9, 250 6 of 11

heritage. They applied future model predictions (running EC-Earth Global Earth System Model at
high horizontal resolution) of these variables in damage functions to study the different kinds of
material decays that might occur in the future. In particular, all functions they considered indicate an
increase in surface recession, biomass accumulation, and cycles of dissolution and crystallization of
halite in the future (2039–2068) with respect the past (1979–2008), especially in the North Coast, as
shown by the analysis performed at the San Lorenzo and Portobelo areas. Nevertheless, the Panamá
Viejo zone also shows an increment of surface recession and biomass accumulation; while considering
the salt cycles, growth is projected to decrease. This work represents an important contribution to
better understanding the possible future impact of CC on the heritage sites of Central America, and to
support their management, restoration, and preservation.
With similar objectives Fermo et al. [11] present the results of the field exposure activity conducted
between 2014 and 2017 on the marble façade of the cathedral in Milan, Italy. The authors performed
a complete chemical characterization in real exposure conditions, quantifying deposited aerosol
particulate matter (PM) and main ions on quartz filters and marble substrates. Through their
monitoring strategy, they were able to discriminate between the compositions of the deposits, mainly
depending on the type of substrate used (e.g., stone—Candoglia marble—substrates and quartz fibre
filters as surrogate substrates), exposed on two sites of the cathedral façade at different heights. On the
quartz filters, the carbonaceous component of the deposits was also investigated, as well as the color
change induced by soiling, by means of colorimetric measurements.
The paper by Dotsika et al. [13] analyze 63 samples of mortars collected from lime and hydraulic
mortars affected by environmental degradation, obtained from Hellenistic, Late Roman, and Byzantine
historic constructions located at Kavala, Drama, and Makrygialos in northern Greece. The analysis
of isotopic data allowed the re-creation of an ideal Hellenistic and Byzantine mortar layer to study
weathering gradients. In fact, authors collected the first sample from the external layer, while the
internal samples each were from 1 cm deeper than the previous, in order to monitor the moisture
ingress. The obtained results indicate that a stable isotope analysis is an excellent tool to fingerprint
the origin of carbonate, the environmental setting conditions of mortar, and the origin of CO2 and
water during calcite formation, as well as to determine the weathering depth and potential secondary
degradation mechanisms, such as the recrystallization of calcite with pore water and salt attack.
Correspondingly, with a combination of methods described in [10,11,13], i.e., material analysis,
damage function application, and climate change scenarios, Menéndez [12] estimates the salt weathering
induced by climate change on built cultural heritage in 41 locations in France. In the analysis of
phase-change phenomena, the author uses not only the two most common salts held responsible for
decay, i.e., sodium chloride and sodium sulfate, but also others like calcium sulfate or mixtures of
chlorides, sulfates, and nitrates of sodium, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. The novelty of this
work is that it proposes a comparison between the predicted changes in salt weathering obtained from
the presence of a single salt and a combination of different salts. The results achieved by Menéndez
demonstrate how estimations of actual and future weathering depend on the selected salts. In addition,
when using a combination of different salts, the weathering evolution is less favorable than when using
a single salt.
Last but not least, Sesana et al. [14] examine, using semi-structured interviews, the perceptions of
experts involved in the management of cultural heritage with regard to adaptation to climate change
risks. This is a very sensitive topic, due to greater exposure to severe weather events; however, to date,
limited research has been accomplished in the literature on the process of adaptation. In the paper, the
authors report answers obtained by the contacted experts in the United Kingdom, Italy, and Norway,
resulting from a participatory workshop organized with stakeholders on management methodologies
that contemplate climate change impacts and examples of best practice. The work dispenses insights
on opportunities and barriers in adaptation, including requirements for preparedness and future
strategic plans for cultural heritage protection in the time of climate change.
to date, limited research has been accomplished in the literature on the process of adaptation. In the
paper, the authors report answers obtained by the contacted experts in the United Kingdom, Italy,
and Norway, resulting from a participatory workshop organized with stakeholders on management
methodologies that contemplate climate change impacts and examples of best practice. The work
Geosciences
dispenses2019, 9, 250
insights on opportunities and barriers in adaptation, including requirements7 offor 11

preparedness and future strategic plans for cultural heritage protection in the time of climate change.
3. Statistics, Bibliometrics, and Impact
3. Statistics, Bibliometrics, and Impact
The 10 research papers were published in the special issue between the end of July 2018 and
The 10 research papers were published in the special issue between the end of July 2018 and
early November 2018, with an average time of less than two months from first submission to online
early November 2018, with an average time of less than two months from first submission to online
publication. Each manuscript was assessed via rigorous peer reviewing from two or more esteemed
publication. Each manuscript was assessed via rigorous peer reviewing from two or more esteemed
experts in the respective field.
experts in the respective field.
The geographic distribution of the authors and research teams publishing in the SI and of the case
The geographic distribution of the authors and research teams publishing in the SI and of the
studies are reported in Figure 1.
case studies are reported in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Geographic distribution of authors and research teams publishing in the special issue. Case
Figure 1.
studies Geographic
are located in distribution of authors
the same countries and research
belonging to theteams publishing
authors, in the
except for special issue.
Australia, Cuba,Case
and
studies are located in the same countries belonging to the authors, except
Germany, while a case study not highlighted in the map is located in Panama. for Australia, Cuba, and
Germany, while a case study not highlighted in the map is located in Panama.
This is, of course, a sample of the whole scientific community working on climate change impacts
This is,
on cultural of course,
heritage, a sample
although not anof the whole
exhaustive scientific community
representation. However, working
it already on climate
provides change
a glimpse
impacts
of on cultural
the widespread heritage,
expertise although not
of experimental an exhaustive
research, representation.
field practice, building, and However, it already
climate simulation,
provides a glimpse of the widespread expertise of experimental research, field practice,
and proves how widely the conservation of cultural heritage is applied to investigate, mitigate, and building, and
climate
adapt to simulation,
the impacts of and proves
climate how widely the conservation of cultural heritage is applied to
change.
investigate,
Based on mitigate, and adapt
article metrics to theby
powered impacts
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overall, the published papers have already
received eight citations in the indexed literature in the first fewoverall,
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research. Additionally, the item-level metrics provide insights into the ways people interact
constituting the SI in the online environment. Beside the main scientific outcome of the citation metric, with the
the other stronger interactions are in captures and social media areas, with an average of six captures
as bookmarks, favorites, and reference manager saves by readers, and an average of six tweets, likes,
and shares on social media. This could indicate that the SI papers are already being consumed and
talked about.
Figure 2 highlights the disciplines and scientific domains on which the 35 authors of the papers
published in the special issue are experts, as inferred from their history of publications from Scopus.
articles constituting the SI in the online environment. Beside the main scientific outcome of the
citation metric, the other stronger interactions are in captures and social media areas, with an average
of six captures as bookmarks, favorites, and reference manager saves by readers, and an average of
six tweets,
Geosciences likes,
2019, and shares on social media. This could indicate that the SI papers are already being
9, 250 8 of 11
consumed and talked about.

Figure 2. Expertise and scientific domain of authors publishing in this special issue, as inferred from
their
Figurepublications
2. Expertiseinand
Scopus.
scientific domain of authors publishing in this special issue, as inferred from
their publications in Scopus.
Several situations can be observed generally:

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environmental science.
Several situations can be observed generally:
This make it clear the types of qualifications needed to understand the climate change at present
1)andWithin this SI, the common background among co-authors of the same paper and between
in the future.
authors of different works is on engineering, earth and planetary science, and environmental
(2) In each research team that has published a paper in this SI is present at least one or more experts
science. This make it clear the types of qualifications needed to understand the climate
on arts and humanities, chemistry, and material science, which are fields related to know-how in
change at present and in the future.
preventive conservation, the museum environment, and heritage and conservation science
2) In each research team that has published a paper in this SI is present at least one or more
(3) Authors with different professions have joined efforts to combine skills for building and climate
experts on arts and humanities, chemistry, and material science, which are fields related to
simulation processing (e.g., physics and astronomy, as well as computer science, but again
know-how in preventive conservation, the museum environment, and heritage and
engineering and earth and planetary science) with arts and humanities or social science expertise.
conservation science
3) Authors
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in fact an indicator that shows current momentum by weighing three metrics for papers clustered in or social science
expertise.
a topic: citation count, Scopus views, and average CiteScore. The topics treated within this SI (e.g.,
Finally, using the data source
museums–buildings–preventive for Scival adaptation–climate
conservation; metrics in the Scopus database, and specifically
change–vulnerability assessment)the
Scival topic prominence, it is possible to know the topics in high-momentum areas. Prominence
have an extremely high percentile prominence ranging from the 80 to 99.5 percentile, which is indicative is in
factthe
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on physics and astronomy (PHYS), chemistry (CHEM), chemical engineering (CENG), and materials
science (MATE).
museums–buildings–preventive conservation; adaptation–climate change–vulnerability assessment)
have an extremely high percentile prominence ranging from the 80 to 99.5 percentile, which is
indicative as the authors are currently active in globally prominent topics. Figure 3 reports the visual
result of the topic aggregation levels of this SI. It shows that the main core of expertise of the authors
is on physics
Geosciences 2019, 9, and
250 astronomy (PHYS), chemistry (CHEM), chemical engineering (CENG),9 and of 11
materials science (MATE).

Figure 3. Visual representation of topics treated within this SI, as calculated by Scival prominence
Figure
metrics3.
inVisual
Scopus.representation of topics treated within this SI, as calculated by Scival prominence
metrics in Scopus.
These skills are well interconnected. In addition, other areas of expertise at the boundary between
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biological are new (AGRI),
in the application
from the to the conservation
macro to micro scale,science
are
field. This is the case of applied engineering (ENGI), which nowadays
growing and becoming linked together. Other skills, though, are new in the application to the is a highly requested skill
for numericalscience
conservation modelling
field.for building
This or material
is the case of applied component
engineering simulation (MATE),
(ENGI), which for the purpose
nowadays is a highly of
analyzing and
requested skill testing new solutions
for numerical modellingin health monitoring
for building or conservative
or material component interventions,
simulationas in the case
(MATE), for
of energy
the retrofitting
purpose solutions
of analyzing and(ENER)
testingin historical buildings.
new solutions Other skills,
in health with the
monitoring orpotential to be
conservative
applied in conservation
interventions, as in the science,
case of are at anretrofitting
energy early stage solutions
of development
(ENER)orin arehistorical
less requested, as the
buildings. case
Other
of pure climate simulations (EART) to estimate the impact of climate change
skills, with the potential to be applied in conservation science, are at an early stage of development outdoors/indoors, or
mathematical models to assess the economic and social impact expected by climate
or are less requested, as the case of pure climate simulations (EART) to estimate the impact of climate change. This last
topic, representative
change outdoors/indoors, of adaptation to climate
or mathematical change
models and vulnerability
to assess the economicassessment, is oneexpected
and social impact that—at
present—has both the highest prominence percentile (i.e., 99.5) and an increasing
by climate change. This last topic, representative of adaptation to climate change and vulnerability rate of interest.
This means that
assessment, thethat—at
is one topics atpresent—has
the boundaryboth between computer
the highest science/mathematics
prominence (COMP-MATH),
percentile (i.e., 99.5) and an
economic/ econometrics
increasing rate of interest.(ECON),Thisand decision
means thatscience (DECI) at
the topics arethe
newboundary
and very promising
between topics
computerthat
are likely to be well-funded in future calls for research grants.
science/mathematics (COMP-MATH), economic/ econometrics (ECON), and decision science (DECI)
are new and very promising topics that are likely to be well-funded in future calls for research grants.
4. Key Messages for Future Research
The wide portfolio of methodologies, data, and case studies presented in the contributions
published in this special issue prove that heritage, material, and environmental science are currently
vibrant research and practice domains, with expertise spread across the globe and teams fully exploiting
the capability of innovative monitoring as well as experimental and numerical simulation techniques
to investigate decay mechanisms on heritage materials and components, mainly on sites in different
geographic and environmental contexts. It is clear that the intuition of heritage scientists, conservators,
Geosciences 2019, 9, 250 10 of 11

or experts in the field affects the assessment of climate change impacts on heritage materials, with respect
to the analysis which a standardized evaluator could conduct. Experience sometime compensates
for the difficulty encountered in estimating the exact decay rate, or in enlarging decay analysis to
an extended family of materials and objects geometries still not considered in literature. Difficulties
arise due to issues in quantitatively estimating natural ageing on materials, conservation–restoration
treatments, or synergistic effects. These still unknown decay mechanisms, exacerbated nowadays
by climate change, can be better understood through the collection of enough statistical data to
be compared with experimental research and numerical simulations conducted on similar heritage
materials and decay process to produce mathematical equations (i.e., damage functions). Specifically,
long-term monitoring on standard environmental parameters, such as T, RH, and precipitation, as
well as on data related to pollution, salt presence, and previous conservative treatments are the key to
progress within the research.
What has also been reported in this SI is the interrupted flow of information between the theoretical
knowledge available at the international level and the passing of that knowledge down to the local
management scale. The lack of knowledge of management methodologies incorporating climate
change impacts, as well as the need to identify and disseminate practical solutions and tools for
mitigation, are tangible. To help heritage institutions adapt to a changing climate, or be effective in
mitigation actions, less energy-intensive preventive conservation policies, evolving standards and
guidelines over time, and a green-thinking approach to conservation should be implemented—for
example, with the help of regulations and financial incentives. Finally, as support from the wider
community is important for raising awareness and successful adapting to climate change, policies and
initiatives to increase community engagement have to be realized.

Funding: This research received no external funding.

Acknowledgments: The guest editor would like to acknowledge all the authors for contributing to the special
issue, as well as the anonymous peer reviewers for assessing the submitted manuscripts and greatly helping the
authors enhance the scientific quality of their papers. Sincere gratitude goes to the Editorial Board and Office of
Geosciences, especially to the managing editor Richard Li, for the invaluable help and assistance provided at all
stages of the design, management, and publication of this special issue.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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