The first comprehensive study of African cultural and natural heritage sites reveals the risks posed by rising sea levels and erosion.
A global team of climate risk and heritage experts, including Prof Joanne Clarke of the School of Art, Media, and American Studies, identified and mapped the physical boundaries of 284 African coastal heritage sites, over one year. They then modelled the exposure of each site at future global warming scenarios.
The research, 'African heritage sites threatened as sea-level rise accelerates’, is published today in Nature Climate Change.
Calculating the predicted rise in global temperatures based on projected carbon emissions, the team was able to estimate the effect of extreme sea-level events (a combination of higher sea level, wave action, tides, storm surges, and erosion), and thus how and where those would occur around Africa.
Read more at University of East Anglia
Image: Cardo Maximus, part of World Heritage Site Tipasa, Algeria which is projected to be at risk. (Credit: Dr Jane Chick)