Using Heritage Risk Maps as an Approach for Estimating the Climate Impact to Cultural Heritage Materials in the Island of Taiwan

Abstract

Heritage conservation studies concerning how climate influences Asian cultural heritage are rare. The object of this study was to utilize the concept of heritage climatology together with a spatial analysis approach that includes respective climate parameter risks to cultural heritage sites. The study area, the island of Taiwan, is located between the Ryukyu isles in the north and the Philippine archipelagos in the south. It lies across the Tropic of Cancer, and its climate is influenced by the East Asian Monsoon. Northern and central Taiwan has a humid subtropical climate while most of southern Taiwan has a tropical monsoon climate. With nearly 300 hundred years of history, Taiwan displays much cultural diversity, which is the result of racial mingling of indigenous peoples, Spanish, Dutch, Chinese, and Japanese since ancient times, leaving behind rich cultural heritage sites.

This study used different maps to gain information about potential climatic impact on Taiwan’s cultural heritage and landscape. There are four kinds of map that use ArcGIS to analyze and demarcate regions not only by climate parameters but also by risk to heritage. These four types of map are climate maps, heritage climate maps, heritage maps and heritage risk maps. By comparison of our field study results and heritage risk maps, we found that in northeastern areas of this island wooden materials of heritage have a higher risk of structural cracking, color fading and bio-degradation, while northern part, central and southern mountainous areas have a higher risk of weathering of stone materials. In addition, metal materials in southern Taiwan have a high risk of corrosion due to air pollution and acid rain.