One of the fundamental parameters to the preservation of archaeological
sites in waterlogged conditions is the water level – this factor controls many
of the processes ongoing in the soil. Changes in water level can be monitored
using dipwells/peizometers with simple measuring techniques or with data-
loggers. Along with the water level, the dissolved oxygen content of the
water/soil affects the processes of deterioration of organic materials, such as
wood, and the corrosion of metals. Ideally this parameter, along with other
parameters such as the pH and the Eh, should be measured in situwith
special probes, in order to get a better understanding of the oxidising/reducing
In-situ Preservation of Waterlogged Archaeological Sites 327
Figure 9Corrosion rates on modern iron coupons. One set of coupons were buried in
October 1997 at 80 cm depth and retrieved in May 1999. The other set was buried
in November 1999 at 100 cm depth and retrieved in June 2001. All numbers are in
my^1
: 0 – 10 , : 10 – 20 , : 20 – 30 , : 30 – 40 , : 40 my^1