High Frequency Data Acquisition System for Modelling the Impact of Visitors on the Thermo-Hygrometric Conditions of Archaeological Sites: A Casa di Diana (Ostia Antica, Italy) Case Study

Abstract

The characterization of the microclimatic conditions is fundamental for the preventive conservation of archaeological sites. In this context, the identification of the factors that influence the thermo-hygrometric equilibrium is key to determine the causes of cultural heritage deterioration. In this work, a characterization of the thermo-hygrometric conditions of Casa di Diana (Ostia Antica, Italy) is carried out analyzing the data of temperature and relative humidity recorded by a system of sensors with high monitoring frequency. Sensors are installed in parallel, calibrated and synchronized with a microcontroller. A data set of 793,620 data, arranged in a matrix with 66,135 rows and 12 columns, was used. Furthermore, the influence of human impact (visitors) is evaluated through a multiple linear regression model and a logistic regression model. The visitors do not affect the environmental humidity as it is very high and constant all the year. The results show a significant influence of the visitors in the upset of the thermal balance. When a tourist guide takes place, the probability that the hourly temperature variation reaches values higher than its monthly average is 10.64 times higher than it remains equal or less to its monthly average. The analysis of the regression residuals shows the influence of outdoor climatic variables in the thermal balance, such as solar radiation or ventilation.

A Methodology for Discriminant Time Series Analysis Applied to Microclimate Monitoring of Fresco Paintings

“…The internal environment should be appropriate [ 5 ] because changes in air temperature and RH can affect the conservation of fresco paintings [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Different studies [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ] have monitored thermo-hygrometric parameters inside museums in order to assess the potential risks related to temperature and humidity. Other authors, such as Camuffo et al [ 8 ], have studied the interactions between the indoor atmosphere and walls supporting frescoes or mural paintings.…”

Soluble Salts Quantitative Characterization and Thermodynamic Modeling on Roman Bricks to Assess the Origin of Their Formation

“…Relative insolation from the outdoors, besides the presence of several openings (especially of one window of considerable dimensions sited on the east side) and lower recorded air velocity values [ 64 ] (inside and outside- Triclinium Figure 2 ) also suggest a non long-range transport of eventual pollutants. In this sense, studies on air quality established very high concentrations of CO 2 (of biological and anthropogenic input) throughout the whole day (night cyclic bio-emissions and day emissions in correspondence with the high turnout) [ 61 ] because of the inadequate air inlet flow. Values about two-fold higher than those monitored outside were recorded, so the CO 2 indoor inputs must be considered [ 59 ].…”

“…To minimize the micro-sampling and considering that the rising damp reaches up to 1 m [ 4 ], a value confirmed also by moisture measurements conducted directly on wall-building materials along a vertical profile [ 42 ], it was possible to assure the significance of the collected data, selecting specific areas. Although in general the whole building is affected by rising damp, and typical vertical profiles were observed [ 61 ], in this case, no correlation with the total content of soluble salts (up to 3 m) was found [ 4 ].…”

“…Here, taking advantage of the knowledge of the site (subsoil, bedrock and environmental conditions) obtained [ 4 , 45 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 ], a methodology that combines both the thermodynamics modelling methods is performed. Moreover, for the first time these software packages are tested together on a “hypogeum environment” case, characterized by extreme environmental conditions.…”

Neutrons for Cultural Heritage—Techniques, Sensors, and Detection

“…Cultural-Heritage artifacts, in particular ancient ones, still pose many interesting and important challenges, such as the correct determination of their historical and cultural timeframe, their location and method of production, and the choice of suitable treatments and environmental conditions for their restoration and conservation [1][2][3][4]. Amongst the large variety of physical and chemical techniques currently employed for the characterization of ancient objects, neutron-based methods are able to provide unique information, thanks to their particular interaction mechanisms with matter [5][6][7][8].…”