Decay of Ancient Stone Monuments

古老的石碑(ASM)，如直立的石头和岩石艺术板，反映了英国丰富的史前历史。ASM通常与世隔绝在乡下，它呈现出一种原始的诱惑，并提供了与我们史前祖先的视觉联系。这些独特的、不可再生的遗产资源具有巨大的文化和审美价值；往往具有国家意义。然而，由于它们对旅游业和英国形象的价值，它们也会产生经济后果。尽管它们表面上坚固耐用，但它们往往生活在不断受到人类和农工业活动以及气候变化变幻莫测，特别是降水模式变化威胁的农村地貌中。此外，以前对石质古迹的大部分研究都集中在建造的建筑上，这些建筑在某些方面与ASM相似，但也有很大的不同，因为ASM存在于景观中，更多的生态因素影响它们的命运。该群组将聚集专家，解决保护和管理农村ASM所需的科学和遗产问题。尽管这一ASM研究分组(ASMRC)涉及几个科学和遗产计划主题，但它是在“复原力和适应”项下提交的，因为ASM的衰败本质上受到环境变异性的影响。因此，ASMRC将汇集来自环境科学的专家，如地球化学、分子微生物学、生态学、地貌学、植物学和水文学；遗产研究，如考古学；以及政府和非营利机构内的遗产资源管理者。该群组的技术目标将是确定促进ASM腐烂的环境过程(例如，生物、化学和物理风化)；确定这些过程可能如何受到气候和环境条件变化的影响；优先进行研究，以产生更有效的腐烂处理方法，以改进保护做法；根据新的科学方法调查古迹监测程序；以及发展ASM文物科学，作为未来文物和科学研究的平台。为了确保最合适的群组团队，我们将遵循两阶段发展计划。一个战略规划小组(SPG)将首先开会，确定关键问题的优先顺序，并确定填补知识库空白所需的“外部”专家。目前已有11名专家承诺在SPG工作，其中包括来自学术界和遗产机构的6名“科学家”和5名“遗产专业人士”。然后，特别工作组将确定和征聘更多的专家(战术工作组)，以组成分组小组，并编写提案，以确保ASMRC的连续性。该计划将通过两个为期两天的研讨会来实现，其中包括对英格兰东北部遗址的实地考察，以帮助不太熟悉ASM的个人了解背景，以及一次宣传公开会议，向更广泛的科学和遗产界通报ASM的目标和行动。ASMRC的成果将通过三篇关于ASMS相关遗产科学问题的流行文章传播；一篇面向遗产社区，涉及与保护有关的科学问题；一篇针对科学界，作为科学研究的平台；以及一篇针对普通公众的关于遗产科学和ASMS的文章。此外，还将制定基于网络的传播方案，包括电子邮件分发名单、因特网博客网站以及参与者网页之间交叉链接的新闻和信息节点。此外，来自该群组的知识将有助于以研究为导向的教学，并将鼓励学生参加TWG讲习班，该讲习班将通过NU新闻办公室进行推广。最后，我们将鼓励所有参与者在自己的专业圈子内担任“遗产科学大使”，以扩大科学与遗产之间的联系。

Ancient stone monuments (ASMs), such as standing stones and rock art panels, reflect Britain's rich prehistoric past. Often isolated in the countryside, ASMs present a primordial allure and provide evocative visual links with our prehistoric ancestors. These unique, non-renewable heritage resources have great cultural and aesthetic value; frequently, acquiring national significance. However, they also have economic consequence due to their value to tourism and the image of Britain. Despite their apparent robustness and resilience, they often reside in rural landscapes that are under continuous threat from human and agro-industrial activity as well as the vagaries of climate change, especially changes in precipitation patterns. Further, the majority of previous research into stone monuments has focused on built structures, which are similar in some ways to ASMs, but they also differ significantly because ASMs exist within the landscape and more ecological factors influence their fate. This cluster will gather experts to address scientific and heritage questions needed to conserve and manage ASMs in the countryside. Although this ASM Research Cluster (ASMRC) crosses several Science and Heritage Programme themes, it is submitted under 'resilience and adaptation' because ASM decay is intrinsically affected by environmental variability. As such, the ASMRC will bring together experts from environmental sciences, such as geochemistry, molecular microbiology, ecology, geomorphology, botany, and hydrology; heritage studies, such as archaeology; and managers of heritage resources within government and non-profit agencies. The technical goals of the cluster will be to identify environmental processes that promote ASM decay (e.g., biological, chemical, and physical weathering); determine how such processes might be affected by changing climate and environmental conditions; prioritise research to generate more effective treatments of decay to improve conservation practices; investigate monument monitoring procedures in light of new scientific methods; and develop ASM heritage science as a platform for future heritage and scientific investigation.To ensure the most appropriate cluster team, we will follow a two-phase development plan. A strategic planning group (SPG) will first meet to prioritise key issues and identify 'outside' experts needed to fill gaps in the knowledge pool. Commitments have already been obtained from 11 experts to work in the SPG, including 6 'scientists' and 5 'heritage professionals' from academia and heritage agencies. The SPG then will identify and recruit an extended complement of experts (tactical working group; TWG) from which sub-teams will be formed and proposals prepared to ensure continuation of the ASMRC. This plan will be fulfilled by 2 two-day workshops that will include field visits to sites in North East England to help individuals less familiar with ASMs to visualise context and an advertised public meeting to inform broader science and heritage communities of the goals and actions of the cluster.ASMRC results will be disseminated through three 'popular' articles on heritage science issues related to ASMs; one for the heritage community on science issues related to conservation; one for the science community on heritage issues as platforms for scientific inquiry; and one aimed at the general public on heritage science and ASMs. Further, a web-based dissemination programme will be developed, including an emailing distribution list, an internet blog site, and news and information nodes cross-linked among web pages of participants. In addition, knowledge derived from the cluster will contribute to research-led teaching and students will be encouraged to attend the TWG workshop, which will be promoted via the NU Press Office. Finally, we will motivate all participants to act as 'heritage science ambassadors" within their own professional circles to expand links between science and heritage.