Oxford Rock Breakdown Laboratory (OxRBL), School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, OX1 3QY, Oxford, UK.
Sci Rep. 2018 Jun 29;8(1):9834. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-28276-2.
The impact of plants growing on buildings remains controversial, especially for vulnerable historic walls and ruins requiring on-going conservation. English ivy (Hedera helix L.) can cause considerable damage where it is able to grow into deteriorating masonry, yet in some circumstances it may be protective. Here we focus on the potential of ivy to buffer damaging thermal cycles and frost events that can contribute to the deterioration of masonry materials. On limestone masonry test walls in central Southern England (Wytham near Oxford, UK), ivy foliage had a significant influence on stone-surface freezing regimes. Over two successive winters (2012/13 and 2013/14) the frequency of freezing events under ivy was reduced on average by 26%, their duration by 34% and their severity by 32%. A subsequent laboratory simulation showed that stone mass loss, surface softening, and textural development were all significantly reduced under an 'ivy covered' thermal regime. Cautious extrapolation indicates that ivy can reduce frost-driven granular-scale decay of limestone by the order of 30 g m yr, depending on the local freezing regime. Whilst the capacity of ivy to cause damage should not be underplayed, vertical greenery can aid heritage conservation efforts by mitigating specific environmental threats.
建筑物上生长的植物的影响仍然存在争议，特别是对于需要持续保护的脆弱的历史墙壁和废墟。英国常春藤（Hedera helix L.）能够在不断恶化的砖石结构中生长，从而造成相当大的破坏，但在某些情况下它可能具有保护作用。在这里，我们重点关注常春藤缓冲破坏性热循环和冻融事件的潜力，这些事件可能导致砖石材料的恶化。在英格兰中南部（英国牛津附近的威瑟姆）的石灰岩砌体试验墙上，常春藤叶对石面冻结模式有显著影响。在两个连续的冬季（2012/13 年和 2013/14 年），常春藤下的冻结事件频率平均减少了 26%，持续时间减少了 34%，严重程度减少了 32%。随后的实验室模拟表明，在“常春藤覆盖”的热环境下，石质质量损失、表面软化和纹理发育都显著减少。谨慎推断表明，常春藤可以减少约 30 克/平方米/年的冻融引起的石灰岩颗粒状衰变，具体取决于当地的冻结模式。虽然常春藤造成破坏的能力不应被低估，但垂直绿化可以通过缓解特定的环境威胁来帮助保护遗产。
