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Microclimate for Cultural Heritage
Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 111 (2002) 309
Book review Microclimate for Cultural Heritage Dario Camuffo, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1998, 415 pages, ISBN 0-444-82925-3 This book is volume 23 of the Developments in Atmospheric Science series, sponsored by the Environment and Climate Research Program of the European Commission. Microclimate for Cultural Heritage is a text of atmospheric physics, applied to conservation and preservation of cultural artifacts. The 13 chapters are divided into two major parts: Part I deals with theoretical and practical treatments of a wide range of physical and chemical phenomena, whereas Part II focuses on measurements of meteorological parameters. Although the primary goal of the book is to provide an information source to those working in the area of cultural heritage, Camuffo has covered almost the whole field of atmospheric physics relevant to the lower troposphere. Hence, the book could be used as a general micrometeorological text. The uniqueness of this book is the many examples of physical processes operating on monuments, statues and other artwork. Almost all examples are from Europe or North Africa, and include both outdoor and indoor (e.g. museums, churches) case studies. These case studies provide nice ideas for someone who may be facing similar problems caused by heat, water, radiation, pollution or air motions. The figures and photographs are clear and instructive. This book is not a descriptive study of micrometeorology for art students! It is full of equations and derivations of basic principles, as well as engineering equations. In fact, the rigorous derivation of many parameters may distract some readers from obtaining the few equations and principles that they require to address a specific
problem. For example, the level of detail could be confusing for novices trying to decide whether they should be concerned about specific humidity, mixing ratio, vapor pressure or relative humidity. However, Camuffo describes a wide range of choices, and his completeness makes this a good handbook. The book has a good subject and reference index. However, it lacks an appendix that could list fundamental constants, examples of parameters, and the most used equations. Units are in the cgs system. This book would be a good additional text for a meteorologist interested in European artifacts. However, it may be best considered as a method of teaching micrometeorology and atmospheric physics to European science students. It has the potential to capture their imagination with concrete examples that they can see, much better than many examples from forested or agricultural systems. The section on instrumentation could provide the basis for laboratory studies within buildings and cities close to universities. This application for micrometeorological education could also be appropriate for other parts of the world where urban and cultural examples abound. Hence, the potential for this book could be substantial in many senior undergraduate courses. Brian D. Amiro Canadian Forest Service Northern Forestry Centre No. 5320, 122nd Street Edmonton, Alta., Canada T6H 3S5 Fax: +1-780-435-7359 E-mail address: [email protected] (B.D. Amiro) PII: S 0 1 6 8 - 1 9 2 3 ( 0 2 ) 0 0 0 4 0 - 0
0168-1923/02/$ – see front matter © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Book review Microclimate for Cultural Heritage Dario Camuffo, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1998, 415 pages, ISBN 0-444-82925-3 This book is volume 23 of the Developments in Atmospheric Science series, sponsored by the Environment and Climate Research Program of the European Commission. Microclimate for Cultural Heritage is a text of atmospheric physics, applied to conservation and preservation of cultural artifacts. The 13 chapters are divided into two major parts: Part I deals with theoretical and practical treatments of a wide range of physical and chemical phenomena, whereas Part II focuses on measurements of meteorological parameters. Although the primary goal of the book is to provide an information source to those working in the area of cultural heritage, Camuffo has covered almost the whole field of atmospheric physics relevant to the lower troposphere. Hence, the book could be used as a general micrometeorological text. The uniqueness of this book is the many examples of physical processes operating on monuments, statues and other artwork. Almost all examples are from Europe or North Africa, and include both outdoor and indoor (e.g. museums, churches) case studies. These case studies provide nice ideas for someone who may be facing similar problems caused by heat, water, radiation, pollution or air motions. The figures and photographs are clear and instructive. This book is not a descriptive study of micrometeorology for art students! It is full of equations and derivations of basic principles, as well as engineering equations. In fact, the rigorous derivation of many parameters may distract some readers from obtaining the few equations and principles that they require to address a specific
problem. For example, the level of detail could be confusing for novices trying to decide whether they should be concerned about specific humidity, mixing ratio, vapor pressure or relative humidity. However, Camuffo describes a wide range of choices, and his completeness makes this a good handbook. The book has a good subject and reference index. However, it lacks an appendix that could list fundamental constants, examples of parameters, and the most used equations. Units are in the cgs system. This book would be a good additional text for a meteorologist interested in European artifacts. However, it may be best considered as a method of teaching micrometeorology and atmospheric physics to European science students. It has the potential to capture their imagination with concrete examples that they can see, much better than many examples from forested or agricultural systems. The section on instrumentation could provide the basis for laboratory studies within buildings and cities close to universities. This application for micrometeorological education could also be appropriate for other parts of the world where urban and cultural examples abound. Hence, the potential for this book could be substantial in many senior undergraduate courses. Brian D. Amiro Canadian Forest Service Northern Forestry Centre No. 5320, 122nd Street Edmonton, Alta., Canada T6H 3S5 Fax: +1-780-435-7359 E-mail address: [email protected] (B.D. Amiro) PII: S 0 1 6 8 - 1 9 2 3 ( 0 2 ) 0 0 0 4 0 - 0
0168-1923/02/$ – see front matter © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.