Correlation of Environmental Parameters and the Water Saturation Induced Deterioration of Earthen Archaeological Sites: The Case of World Heritage Liangzhu City, China

A novel methodology has been developed to quantitatively analyze the correlation between environmental factors and water saturation-induced deterioration of earthen relics, using the UNESCO World Heritage site of Liangzhu City as a case study. The research identifies 11 key influencing indexes—including groundwater levels, soil moisture, temperature at various depths, atmospheric radiation, and rainfall—and establishes their weight rankings in contributing to the deterioration process. By employing a monitoring system that tracks these parameters alongside surface imaging, the study provides a regression model that can guide the quantitative control of atmospheric conditions for the preservation of earthen archaeological ruins in humid environments.

Dong, M., Hu, H., Guo, Q., Gong, X., Azzam, R., & Kong, M. (2021). Correlation of Environmental Parameters and the Water Saturation Induced Deterioration of Earthen Archaeological Sites: The Case of World Heritage Liangzhu City, China. Heritage, 4(1), 387–400. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage4010024