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Climate change and coastal archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa: assessing past impacts and future threats.
- Source :
- Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology; Apr-Jun2023, Vol. 18 Issue 2, p251-283, 33p
- Publication Year :
- 2023
-
Abstract
- Climate change threatens coastal archaeology through storm flooding (extreme sea-level: ESL), long-term sea-level rise (SLR) and coastal erosion. Many regions, like the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), lack key baseline evidence. We present initial results from a climate change threat assessment of MENA's coastal heritage using the Maritime Endangered Archaeology inventory: a geospatial database of MENA maritime archaeological sites incorporating a disturbance/ threat assessment. It informs two analyses of past disturbance and future threat: (1) using the integral threat/disturbance assessment, and (2) geospatial extraction of information from external coastal change models. Analysis suggests <5% of documented coastal sites are definitely affected by coastal erosion but up to 34% could also have experienced past flooding, erosion, or storm action. Climate change-related threats will increase over the 21st Century and accelerate post-2050 if carbon emissions remain high. SLR and ESL could impact 14–25% of sites by 2050 and 18–34% by 2100. Over 30% to 40% of sites could be impacted by erosion by 2050 and 2100 respectively. Whilst documentation is ongoing and there remain modeling uncertainties, this approach provides a means to redress the absence of baseline data on climate change threats to coastal cultural heritage in MENA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 15564894
- Volume :
- 18
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 162967621
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1080/15564894.2021.1955778