Climate change impacts on underwater cultural heritage
ATLANTIS CONSULTING (ATL)
Reference Teacher: Lydia Stergiopoulou
Teacher(s): Lydia Stergiopoulou
This online course aims to address the domain of the impacts from climate change on the archaeological remains whether built on terrestrial environment and being later submerged due to sea level rise or being buried directly underwater.
The module gives a general overview of the different aspects of coastal, and UW remains along with their respective damages from climate change. Aspects of warming of waters, ocean currents, chemical changes and sea level rise are analysed in terms of their different effects.
The main goal of the course is to introduce the participants to the four main effects of climate change on the oceans and, consequently on cultural heritage.
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D2. Four main effects of climate change on the oceans.
D3. Types of impacts on heritage depending on its type.
The course supports lifelong learning education. Prerequisites include basic knowledge on marine environment, basic concepts of UCH (coastal, marine), as well as general knowledge on climate change science.
online e-learning course. It will be pilot-tested during a training workshop in Thessaloniki (synergy between uBlueTec and BCThubs).
Small tests will be created for each of the two modules to assess the level of knowledge and skills developed.
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This course contributes to SDG11 (11.4 Protection of natural & cultural heritage), SDG 13 (Climate action), SDG 14 (Life below water) and SGD 17 (Partnerships for the goals).
If you are interested in following one, or more, of these modules, please reach out to Lydia Stergiopoulou (stergiopoulou@atlantisresearch.gr) or Vicky Drouga (drouga@atlantisresearch.gr).
Course Modules:
Climate change will increase the sea level enough by 2100 to inundate 136 sites considered by UNESCO as cultural and historical assets, by causing:
– Temperature increases that affect chemical changes of the water along with aiding shipworms (Teredo Navalis) that survive in lower salinity.
– Ocean currents that subsequently modify the sediment layer where CH is preserved as well as alter the materials of the archaeological remains themselves.
– Chemical changes that in sequence alter the acidity (lowering it) which corrodes UW material (especially textiles and metals) along with the changes in salinity.
– Sea level rise that increases flooding of previously land-based archaeological sites, storms devastating low-lying areas and confuses marine boundaries.
- Ferrero-Martín, C., Izquierdo, A., Bethencourt, M., & Fernández-Montblanc, T. (2025). A Risk Assessment of Underwater Cultural Heritage for Wave-Induced Hazards: The Impact of Climate Change on Cadiz Bay. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 13(1), 136.
- Gregory, David, Tom Dawson, Dolores Elkin, Hans Van Tilburg, Chris Underwood, Vicki Richards, Andrew Viduka, Kieran Westley, Jeneva Wright, and Jørgen Hollesen. “Of time and tide: the complex impacts of climate change on coastal and underwater cultural heritage.” Antiquity 96, no. 390 (2022): 1396-1411.
- Grosso, M., Murray, C., Elkin, D., & Bonazza, A. (2025, March). Climate Change and Underwater Cultural Heritage: The Case Study of Emma Wreck. In Distributed Computing and Artificial Intelligence, Special Sessions II, 21st International Conference (Vol. 1151, p. 164). Springer Nature.
- Mander, M. R. (2024). Changing sea conditions as a threat to our underwater cultural heritage. Blue Papers, 3(1).
- Perez-Alvaro, E. (2016). Climate change and underwater cultural heritage: Impacts and challenges. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 21, 842-848.
- Sesana, E., Gagnon, A. S., Ciantelli, C., Cassar, J., & Hughes, J. J. (2021). Climate change impacts on cultural heritage: A literature review. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 12(4), e710.Sesana, E., Gagnon, A. S., Ciantelli, C., Cassar, J., & Hughes, J. J. (2021). Climate change impacts on cultural heritage: A literature review. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 12(4), e710.