Impacts of climate change on cultural heritage

Harkin, D.; Davies, Mairi H.; Hyslop, Ewan; Fluck, Hannah; Wiggins, Meredith; Merritt, O.; Barker, Louise; Deery, Margaret; McNeary, Rory; Westley, Kieran

doi:10.14465/2020.arc26.che

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The human-driven climate changes, indeed, also hit the preservation of the cultural and archaeological heritage with catastrophic projections. This issue is particularly relevant in areas interested by high-energy morphological agents, as coastal areas, river valleys, incoherent/instable slopes and other geomorphologically vulnerable contexts (e.g., [32], [61], [62], [63], [64], [65], [66], [67]). The expected scenarios for the end of current century, at least, require careful study of the coastal hazard due to the sea rising as a primary issue in agenda for the management and conservative planning of the archaeological sites located in coastal areas, near to the current sea-level.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Back to the Past. The paleogeography as key to understand the Middle Palaeolithic peopling at Grotta dei Santi (Mt Argentario – Tuscany)

Conti,

Arrighi,

Bigliazzi

et al. 2023

Acta IMEKO

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The mobility of hunter-gatherer groups is crucial in understanding Palaeolithic settlement dynamics. The concept of mobility cannot be separated from the space in which it occurs, including landscape components, localization of critical resources and of other sites, and routes between them. Nevertheless, the landscape is not constant in time due to the geomorphological changes that occurred in the long timescale of Prehistory. Here we present a paleogeographic reconstruction of the coastal area around Grotta dei Santi during the Neandertal occupation. A GIS-based approach, combining geological, bathymetric, and sea-level fluctuations data, allows us to reconstruct the landscape around the cave at about 45 ky BP. The cave today opens onto a cliff facing the sea. The Neandertal occupation occurred with a sea-level 74 m lower than present-day. Consequently, the cave faced a vast coastal plain, playing a strategic role due to its position, allowing both proximity and control of essential resources.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Back to the Past. The paleogeography as key to understand the Middle Palaeolithic peopling at Grotta dei Santi (Mt Argentario – Tuscany)

Conti,

Arrighi,

Bigliazzi

et al. 2023

Acta IMEKO

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“…In the United States, Anderson et al [14] studied the impact of SLR on the archaeological sites, buildings, and cultural landscapes of the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the southeastern United States, reporting that a 1 m rise in sea level will lead to the loss of over >13,000 recorded archaeological sites there. In the United Kingdom, Harkin et al [15] mentioned that the rate of regional sea level rise is between 1 and 2 mm according to tide gauge records, which causes potential damage to the heritage on its coastline. In Cyprus, Andreou [16] studied endangered areas using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) to monitor the areas most vulnerable to coastal erosion and flooding.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coastal Environment Impact on the Construction Materials of Anfushi’s Necropolis (Pharos’s Island) in Alexandria, Egypt

et al. 2022

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The only example and reference of Ptolemaic Alexandrian tombs, with clear integrations of Egyptian-style scenes and decorations, is considered an endangered archaeological site due to different coastal environmental risks in Alexandria and the absence of maintenance. Anfushi’s Necropolis is located near the western harbour (Island of Pharos) and dates back to the 2nd century BC. Sea level rises, earthquakes, flooding, storminess, variations in temperature, rainfall, and wind are the factors that have the largest effect on the destruction and decay of Anfushi’s Necropolis building materials. This paper’s main objectives were to characterize this necropolis’s building materials and assess its durability problems and risks regarding the coastal environment. Additionally, the vector mapping of its architectural and structural elements was applied for documentation and recording purposes for the necropolis. To achieve these aims, field (recording and photographs), desk (engineering drawing and mapping), and laboratory works (X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, binocular microscopy, polarizing microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy) were carried out. The results confirmed the probabilistic risk of sea level rises and its impact on the submergence of Anfushi’s Necropolis. The structural deficiencies of the tombs were caused by the effect of earthquake tremors along with anthropogenic factors. In addition, chemical and microscopic investigations showed that salt weathering (halite and gypsum) induced the decay of the building materials.

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“…Sea level rise and wave action: landscapes and buildings may be subject to erosion caused by prolonged contact with water, along with salt intrusion and physical and mechanical impacts from waves. Therefore, CH sites located in coastal areas are at risk of this phenomenon and subsequent coastal flooding, with the possibility of interacting with other events, such as storms [24].…”

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confidence: 99%

Materials and Climate Change: A Set of Indices as the Benchmark for Climate Vulnerability and Risk Assessment for Tangible Cultural Heritage in Europe

Giglio,

Frontera,

Malara

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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Among the issues most related to climate change, the built environment is also subjected to short- and long-term risks. Referring to tangible cultural heritage, materials and buildings are subjected to different types of damage that require adaptive risk prevention and containment strategies, currently missing from conventional risk assessments. Thus, there is an increasingly urgent need for scientific and technical knowledge, tools, and solutions aimed at solving critical issues in cultural heritage due to climate change. In this context, the aim of this study is to study the mechanisms of impacts brought about by climate change and the formulation of a possible set of indices as benchmarks to measure climate change’s effect on cultural heritage buildings. The study is structured on a methodology that identifies three sections: the first and second parts systematize and critically interpret data on impact mechanisms and indices for climate vulnerability and risk assessment; the third part, data processing, reports the perspective findings. The main intermediate indices, contributing to a comprehensive damage index, were identified, and a procedural protocol was developed. Finally, through the correlation of indices, a potential case study could be analyzed, and benchmarks made effective. The study reports partial results of one of the “Ecosystems of Innovation” pilot projects funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The study is still a work in progress and needs advancement and deepening to verify case study indices.

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Impacts of climate change on cultural heritage

Cited by 5 publications

References 9 publications

Back to the Past. The paleogeography as key to understand the Middle Palaeolithic peopling at Grotta dei Santi (Mt Argentario – Tuscany)

Back to the Past. The paleogeography as key to understand the Middle Palaeolithic peopling at Grotta dei Santi (Mt Argentario – Tuscany)

Coastal Environment Impact on the Construction Materials of Anfushi’s Necropolis (Pharos’s Island) in Alexandria, Egypt

Materials and Climate Change: A Set of Indices as the Benchmark for Climate Vulnerability and Risk Assessment for Tangible Cultural Heritage in Europe

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