U.S.-Mexico: An International Workshop on the Influences of Air Quality on The Mayan Heritage Sites In Mesoamerica; Merida, Mexico, November 2005

这个美国-墨西哥奖项将支持一个研究研讨会，讨论空气污染入侵造成的玛雅废墟退化问题。该讲习班由辛辛那提大学的蒂莫西·基纳博士和吕明明博士以及墨西哥国立自治大学的温贝托·布拉沃博士组织，将于2005年11月在墨西哥梅里达举行。研讨会将讨论这些世界遗产面临的问题，以及拥有空气质量科学和工程专业知识的研究人员如何利用他们的专业知识专注于它们的保护。玛雅人创作了五颜六色的壁画和许多其他美丽的艺术作品，作为他们引人注目的废墟的一部分仍然存在。然而，由于空气污染的入侵，这些现在已经濒临灭绝。在一些遗址，油漆广泛剥落，灰泥表面和石刻正在腐蚀和破碎。这种破坏归因于墨西哥湾周围的电力、工业和石化工厂排放的酸雨，其中包括来自美国的酸雨，甚至远至委内瑞拉。控制空气污染物向该区域及其周围地区运输和转化的气象条件复杂，增加了了解问题根源的难度。对污染物排放、传输、沉积和破坏机制的全面讨论将有助于更好地理解工业排放、气象和地质条件以及当地社会经济模式对艺术品的综合影响。社会经济因素的整合将使地方政府未来的研究和适应工作取得更好的成果。长远来说，工作坊将有助更好地制订政策，平衡工业发展和历史遗迹的保存。讲习班的成果将得到广泛传播，并可能适用于世界上面临类似环境挑战的其他地区。

0436627Keener This U.S.-Mexico award will support a research workshop to discuss the degradation of Mayan ruins from the incursions of air pollution. The workshop, which is being organized by Drs. Timothy Keener and Mingming Lu of the University of Cincinnati, together with Dr. Humberto Bravo of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), will be held in Merida, Mexico in November, 2005. The workshop will discuss the problems facing these world heritage sites and how researchers with expertise in air quality science and engineering can bring their expertise to focus on their preservation. The Mayans created colorful murals and many other beautiful works of art that still exist as part of their striking ruins. However, these are now endangered due to the incursions of air pollution. At some sites, paint is flaking off extensively and stucco surfaces and stone inscriptions are corroding and crumbling. This devastation is attributed to acid rain emanating from electrical, industrial and petrochemical plants located around the Gulf of Mexico and include sources from the United States and even as far away as Venezuela. The meteorological conditions controlling the transport and transformation of air pollutants to and around this region are complex and add to the difficulty of understanding the sources of the problems. The comprehensive discussion of pollutant emission, transport, deposition and damage mechanisms will result in better understanding of the integrated impacts of industrial emissions, meteorological and geological conditions, and the local socio-economic patterns on the art work. The integration of social economic factors will lead to better success of future research and adaptation by the local government. In the long run, the workshop will help better policy making in balancing industrial development and preservation of historical sites. Workshop results will be widely disseminated, and may be applicable to the other parts of the world experiencing similar environmental challenges.