title: High resolution estimates of the corrosion risk for cultural heritage in Italy.
abstract: Air pollution plays a pivotal role in the deterioration of many materials used in buildings and cultural monuments causing an inestimable damage. This study aims to estimate the impacts of air pollution (SO2, HNO3, O3, PM10) and meteorological conditions (temperature, precipitation, relative humidity) on limestone, copper and bronze based on high resolution air quality data-base produced with AMS-MINNI modelling system over the Italian territory over the time period 2003-2010. A comparison between high resolution data (AMS-MINNI grid, 4 × 4 km) and low resolution data (EMEP grid, 50 × 50 km) has been performed. Our results pointed out that the corrosion levels for limestone, copper and bronze are decreased in Italy from 2003 to 2010 in relation to decrease of pollutant concentrations. However, some problem related to air pollution persists especially in Northern and Southern Italy. In particular, PM10and HNO3are considered the main responsible for limestone corrosion. Moreover, the high resolution data (AMS-MINNI) allowed the identification of risk areas that are not visible with the low resolution data (EMEP modelling system) in all considered years and, especially, in the limestone case. Consequently, high resolution air quality simulations are suitable to provide concrete benefits in providing information for national effective policy against corrosion risk for cultural heritage, also in the context of climate changes that are affecting strongly Mediterranean basin.
authors.affiliation: Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and the Environment (ENEA), C.R. Casaccia, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 S. Maria di Galeria, Rome, Italy. Electronic address: alessandra.demarco@enea.it.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Marco
authors.affiliation: Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and the Environment (ENEA), C.R. Casaccia, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 S. Maria di Galeria, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Augusto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Screpanti
authors.affiliation: Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and the Environment (ENEA), C.R. Bologna, Via Martiri di Monte Sole 4, 40129 - Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Mihaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mircea
authors.affiliation: Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and the Environment (ENEA), C.R. Bologna, Via Martiri di Monte Sole 4, 40129 - Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piersanti
authors.affiliation: Council for Agricultural Research and Agricultural Economy Analysis (CREA)- Research Centre for the Soil-Plant System, Via della Navicella 2- 4, 00184 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Proietti
authors.affiliation: Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, ISPRA, Via Brancati 48, 00144 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M Francesca
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Fornasier
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002119:Calcium Carbonate; D002980:Climate; D003300:Copper; D003343:Corrosion; D007558:Italy; D008956:Models, Chemical; D012306:Risk; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D003300:Copper; D002119:Calcium Carbonate
keywords: Bronze corrosion; Copper corrosion; Cultural heritage conservation; High-resolution modelling system; Limestone corrosion