Microenvironment

Description

The localized environmental condition inside a small, enclosed area, such as a box or display case. A microenvironment can be set and maintained at specified light, temperature, and humidity levels. Temperature can be controlled with heaters and chillers. Humidity can be altered using saturated salt solutions, silica gel, desiccants, or water vapor. The ability to stabilize an internal environment depends on the difference in the internal and external conditions as well as on the diffusion and leakage rates of the separating barrier.

Synonyms and Related Terms

microclimate; micro-climate; controlled environment; Mikroklima (Deut.); micro-environnement (Fr.); microambiente (Port.)

Sources Checked for Data in Record

• Pam Hatchfield, Pollutants in the Museum Environment, Archetype Press, London, 2002

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000