Assessment of hydroclimate and pollution impacts on built cultural heritage through dose-response functions: from observations to models

UR Colegio Mayor nuestra señora del Rosario Colombia

PhD enrolment : UR

Supervisor: Benjamin Quesada

Co-supervisor: Alessandra Bonazza

Start date September 2026

Duration (in months) 36

Objectives: Few independent equations (dose-response functions) exist to estimate different damage categories, mainly limited to limestones, in response to some climatic and pollution parameters. Observational and monitoring campaigns need to be reviewed worldwide in order to gather all the possible data measured on site. Obj1 aim to answer: Where are the most sensitive built cultural heritage sites? What are the environmental factors (pollutant, temperature, precipitation etc) that affect the different materials? Moreover, compound events (i.e. record acidic rain + drought) could potentially cause even more damage than the singular events. However, extreme compound events impact on built cultural heritage are still poorly known. An experiment plan will be built in agreement with CYU and CNR-ISAC Partners to be applied on highly vulnerable cultural heritage sites materials. Obj2: How extreme compound events can affect heritage materials compared to mean climate? Finally, building on previous work, robust global projections of damages to cultural heritage sites will be provided, depending on the warming and pollutions scenarios (using CMIP6 models and two different SSP scenarios) and the type of damage and dose-response functions (Surface recession, thermal stress, biomass accumulation etc). How will damages to future built heritage sites in the future evolve?

Expected Results: Observed and modelled (numerical simulations and in-lab experiments) damages caused by hydroclimate and pollution combined; Identification of most vulnerable sites and materials to environmental factors.

Planned secondment(s): CY, B. Menendez, M30, 6 months, characterization of materials and real-case studies