This area of GCI research involves the design of environmental measuring and improvement strategies. Environmental monitoring can increase understanding of the external factors influencing the decay of buildings, sites, and monuments. Detecting and evaluating outdoor and indoor pollutants provides information on possible threats to objects and collections. This research is critical to evaluating the causes of deterioration and can lead to the development of strategies to protect these cultural resources.

Past projects in this unit include:

• Design of non-toxic measures to control pests in the museum environment
• Collections in Hot & Humid Environments
• Performance of Pollutant Adsorbents
• Environmental Guidelines for Collections
• The development and use of monitoring stations to gather information on environmental factors affecting outdoor sites
• Researching risks of atmospheric pollutants to museum collections
• Studying passive sampling devices
• Investigating mitigation methodologies

Current projects in environmental studies and preventive conservation include:

• Alternative Climate Control for Historic Buildings
• Maya Initiative
• Wall Paintings at Mogao Grottoes

Related Getty Publications

• Monitoring for Gaseous Pollutants in Museum Environments