The influence of soil moisture, temperature and oxygen on the oxic decay of organic archaeological deposits

Jørgen Hollesen*, H. Matthiesen

*Corresponding author for this work
17 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The sensitivity of organic-rich archaeological layers at Bryggen in Bergen, Norway, to changes in soil temperatures, water contents and oxygen concentrations is investigated. This is done by linking measurements of oxic decay at varying temperatures and water contents with on-site monitoring data using a one-pool decomposition model. The results show that the model can be used to elucidate the current in situ decay and to evaluate where and when the decay takes place. Future investigations need to include long-term incubation experiments and decay studies at zero or very low oxygen contents in order to improve the robustness of predictions.

Original languageEnglish
JournalArchaeometry
Volume57
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)362-377
Number of pages16
ISSN0003-813X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2015

Keywords

  • Bryggen
  • Decay rate
  • Decomposition Model
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • In situ Preservation
  • Norway

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