UNESCO World Heritage sites (WHS) located in coastal areas are increasingly at risk from coastal hazards due to sea-level rise. In this study, we assess Mediterranean cultural WHS at risk from coastal flooding and erosion under four sea-level rise scenarios until 2100. Based on the analysis of spatially explicit WHS data, we develop an index-based approach that allows for ranking WHS at risk from both coastal hazards. Here we show that of 49 cultural WHS located in low-lying coastal areas of the Mediterranean, 37 are at risk from a 100-year flood and 42 from coastal erosion, already today. Until 2100, flood risk may increase by 50% and erosion risk by 13% across the region, with considerably higher increases at individual WHS. Our results provide a first-order assessment of where adaptation is most urgently needed and can support policymakers in steering local-scale research to devise suitable adaptation strategies for each WHS.
%0 Journal Article
%1 noauthororeditor
%A Reimann, L.
%A Vafeidis, A. T.
%A Brown, S.
%A Hinkel, J.
%A Tol, R. S. J.
%D 2018
%J Nature Communications
%K @heraion samos sea-level
%T Mediterranean UNESCO World Heritage at risk from coastal flooding and erosion due to sea-level rise
%U https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-06645-9
%V 9
%X UNESCO World Heritage sites (WHS) located in coastal areas are increasingly at risk from coastal hazards due to sea-level rise. In this study, we assess Mediterranean cultural WHS at risk from coastal flooding and erosion under four sea-level rise scenarios until 2100. Based on the analysis of spatially explicit WHS data, we develop an index-based approach that allows for ranking WHS at risk from both coastal hazards. Here we show that of 49 cultural WHS located in low-lying coastal areas of the Mediterranean, 37 are at risk from a 100-year flood and 42 from coastal erosion, already today. Until 2100, flood risk may increase by 50% and erosion risk by 13% across the region, with considerably higher increases at individual WHS. Our results provide a first-order assessment of where adaptation is most urgently needed and can support policymakers in steering local-scale research to devise suitable adaptation strategies for each WHS.
@article{noauthororeditor,
abstract = {UNESCO World Heritage sites (WHS) located in coastal areas are increasingly at risk from coastal hazards due to sea-level rise. In this study, we assess Mediterranean cultural WHS at risk from coastal flooding and erosion under four sea-level rise scenarios until 2100. Based on the analysis of spatially explicit WHS data, we develop an index-based approach that allows for ranking WHS at risk from both coastal hazards. Here we show that of 49 cultural WHS located in low-lying coastal areas of the Mediterranean, 37 are at risk from a 100-year flood and 42 from coastal erosion, already today. Until 2100, flood risk may increase by 50% and erosion risk by 13% across the region, with considerably higher increases at individual WHS. Our results provide a first-order assessment of where adaptation is most urgently needed and can support policymakers in steering local-scale research to devise suitable adaptation strategies for each WHS.},
added-at = {2018-12-03T10:16:09.000+0100},
author = {Reimann, L. and Vafeidis, A. T. and Brown, S. and Hinkel, J. and Tol, R. S. J.},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2d5c11068b61f316c483281cf7fb757de/jmfuchs},
interhash = {f19b4434c272fa2607ed3f59b2c3ed0f},
intrahash = {d5c11068b61f316c483281cf7fb757de},
journal = {Nature Communications},
keywords = {@heraion samos sea-level},
timestamp = {2018-12-03T10:16:09.000+0100},
title = {Mediterranean UNESCO World Heritage at risk from coastal flooding and erosion due to sea-level rise},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-06645-9},
volume = { 9},
year = 2018
}