Europe’s built heritage, cultural landscapes and sites are under immediate threat from the effects of climate change, including rising sea levels, prolonged droughts, floods, and strong storms. Acid rain and other environmental pollutants cause wear and defacement of monuments and historic buildings, while soil erosion accelerates the deterioration of underwater and coastal heritage sites. The effects of climate change also affect, directly or indirectly, indoor cultural heritage.

Horizon Europe, the 9^th European Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027), is a key instrument of the Union to tackle global challenges such as the impact of climate change and natural disasters on cultural assets, as well as to promote cooperation and the influence of research and innovation in the design, support, and implementation of EU policies. To further enhance efficiency and research collaboration, the European Commission (EC) clusters the consortia with similar research objectives during their lifecycle. The idea is to facilitate researchers to share insights and best practices, identify synergies for dissemination and communication actions, and propose integrated feedback recommendations to policy makers in the EC and beyond.

Since 2021, three calls for proposals have invited research teams to respond to the demands for more sustainable methods and technologies to restore monuments and works of art^[i], the impact of climate change and natural hazards on cultural heritage^[ii], and advanced technologies for remote monitoring in the field^[iii]. The eleven projects selected for the EU funding have been encouraged to form the Green Cluster on Cultural Heritage.

Within the Green Cluster, the ‘’Climate Effects’’ Team, currently composed of four active EU projects (THETIDA, RescueME, TRIQUERTA, STECCI), has an overarching aim to address the urgent need to protect monuments, historic buildings, and sites from the diverse impacts of climatic risks, natural and anthropogenic hazards. This is expected to contribute to the conservation and protection of Europe’s heritage by exploiting cutting-edge remote monitoring technologies and modelling tools for multi-hazard risk understanding and better preparedness.

Research within the Green Cluster is complemented by other consortia that develop sustainable methodologies, materials and techniques for the preservation and restoration of art objects and explore the use of advanced and sophisticated technologies for more accurate, targeted, and reliable remote monitoring purposes.

The impact of the scientific research is furthermore amplified by the active involvement of Artificial Intelligence tools, a wide range of community groups, stakeholders, and participants covering the full spectrum of ongoing research activities. This includes participatory and inclusive approaches, such as citizen science and participatory Living Lab methodologies.

The overall goal of the EC is to support transdisciplinary joint efforts of researchers to develop sustainable preservation and adaptation plans, and to bring community involvement and inclusiveness to the forefront of large collaborative research projects funded by the EU. The long-term outcome will be the creation of a sustainable cultural heritage research ecosystem.

How to cite: Gerakis, A., Hemmelskamp, J., Kowalczyk-Kedziora, I., and Vyzika, M.: The Green Cluster of Cultural Heritage: Climate Effects TeamEU funded projects , EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-17228, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-17228, 2024.

Cultural heritage (CH) sites are frequently situated in coastal areas that experience landslide activity, potentially influenced by climatic effects. A growing number of studies have directed their attention toward investigating mitigation strategies for CH sites impacted by landslides. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of quantitative studies dedicated to elucidating the relationships between coastal landslide activity and climate-related factors. Specifically, the comprehensive understanding of the extent to which both preparatory and triggering climate-related factors contribute to slope instabilities remains incomplete. This knowledge gap is particularly pronounced in the case of waves and wind, whose impact is extensively examined in coastal engineering applications.
The Punta Eolo sea-cliff (Ventotene island, Italy) is here analyzed since it is frequently affected by rock-falls and topples that are threatening the vulnerable remnants of the roman archaeological site of Villa Giulia. This latter is one of the pilot sites selected in the framework of the H2020 TRIQUETRA European project, aimed to proposing a methodological framework for mitigating climate-related natural hazards affecting cultural heritage.
To account for the action of sea waves on a sea cliff, a preliminary attempt was made to couple hydrodynamic modeling of sea-related actions with stability analysis managed through limit-equilibrium and stress-strain approaches.  For the hydrodynamic modelling a mesh-based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method, that had been validated previously for extreme wave impact on coastal structures both in 2D and 3D conditions, was utilized. The results of the hydrodynamic analysis (e.g., stress field applied on the cliff by waves impact) were then used as input data for the stability analysis. The slope stability conditions of Punta Eolo's sea cliff were evaluated for a rock-toppling mechanism; following that, slope stability analyses were carried out under static and pseudo-static conditions. The analysis considered both seismic action and static water pressure within the joint sets. In a subsequent phase of investigation, the sea-wave action was incorporated as a force accountable for an elastic rebound sensu Hutchinson (1988). Through hydrodynamic modeling, the maximum computed force exerted by sea waves against the cliff was converted into a pseudo-static coefficient. This latter served as input for the factor of safety (FOS) calculation.
The quantitative analysis has brought to light the potential occurrence of instability conditions in specific rock blocks when the hydrostatic backpressure resulting from the filling of rock cracks is coupled with a pseudo-static force, originating from the elastic rebound induced by the impact of sea waves. This scenario represents the most frequently encountered action at the examined cliff of Punta Eolo.
Finally, the project of the ongoing installation of a tailor-designed monitoring system in Punta Eolo is presented. This system aims to characterize the physical attributes of sea-related preparatory and triggering factors affecting the cliff, and to assess the deformative response of the cliff itself under the influence of periodic thermal and hydrodynamic stressors.

How to cite: Feliziani, F., Marmoni, G. M., Istrati, D., Gianni, V., Bozzano, F., and Martino, S.: Stability analysis of sea-cliffs coupling stress strain and hydrodynamic modelling as a tool for modern archeological site preservation strategies, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-585, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-585, 2024.

A methodology is presented for downscaling the wind projections of Euro-CORDEX in order to derive temporally and spatially correlated region-wide wind fields that can be used for assessing the wind risk for cultural heritage sites. The coarse spatial and temporal resolutions of the Euro-CORDEX projections prohibit their use as a direct input for such purposes, especially for cultural heritage assets that are spatially distributed within the Euro-CORDEX grid and dynamically respond differently to wind. To improve the temporal resolution of the Euro-CORDEX data, we leverage machine learning tools and weather station measurements, aiming to generate composite “Frankenstein” days at the locations of the weather stations that comprise 144 jigsaw pieces of actually measured 10min wind time-series that are matched together to form a continuous daily record. The “Frankenstein” days are expanded spatially to all locations where critical assets can be found by employing spatially distributed wind fields that are computed via high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics simulations and provide contemporaneous wind values at all locations of interest. This process allows generating “Frankenstein” days and wind fields with a temporal resolution of 10min and spatial resolution that allows assessing the wind risk for spatially distributed assets. As a case study, the Euro-CORDEX wind projections are downscaled for the cultural heritage village of Metsovo that is found at the Western part of Greece. Most of the buildings within this village are made of stone masonry and tiled roofs and are vulnerable to extreme wind actions as wind can cause damages e.g., on the tiled roofs thus making the buildings vulnerable to rainfall, or even lead to their partial or complete failure. Thus, the Frankenstein days and wind fields are employed for assessing the wind risk for the cultural heritage buildings of Metsovo both on an event-basis and in the long-term.

How to cite: Chatzidaki, A., Vamvatsikos, D., Barmpas, F., Hellsten, A., Auvinen, M., and Tsegas, G.: A baseline approach for downscaling the Euro-CORDEX data for wind risk assessment of the Metsovo village in Greece, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-17678, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-17678, 2024.

Cultural Heritage (CH) monuments are often subject to various environmental threats, with climate change (CC) exacerbating their vulnerability. These historical sites, valuable for their cultural and archaeological significance, face increasing risks of deterioration due to land deformation, flooding, acid rain, erosion, and man-made hazards like illegal excavations. Such threats not only endanger the structural integrity of these monuments but also risk depriving humanity of crucial archaeological information and artifacts, which are key to understanding our collective past.

This article explores a novel approach that leverages the capabilities of satellite-based remote sensing techniques for monitoring CH sites under shallow water conditions. A wide array of data will be used for a more frequent and comprehensive analysis of the site's condition over time, enabling the detection of subtle changes that might go unnoticed with conventional methods.

The case study focuses on the submerged port of Amathous archaeological site along the coast of Cyprus. The site's unique geographical and historical characteristics make it an exemplary model for applying advanced remote sensing technologies.

By integrating satellite data with on-site ground truth measurements (topographical and aerial-born imagery), the study aims to develop a robust framework for the preservation and protection of underwater CH sites. This approach can not only enhances the understanding of the impacts of CC and human activities on these sites but also paves the way for developing proactive measures to safeguard heritage assets. The findings from this study are expected to contribute significantly to the field of heritage conservation, offering scalable and efficient solutions to monitor and protect CH sites worldwide.

How to cite: Abate, D., Kalogeriou, E., Themistocleous, K., and Hadjimitsis, D.: Change detection monitoring of archaeological sites submerged in shallow waters using remote sensing data: the case study of the port of the Ancient Amathous in Cyprus, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-20439, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-20439, 2024.

The Svalbard archipelago lies 1100 km south of the North Pole and 800 km north of the Norwegian coast. The region is one of the most important and strategic terrestrial nodes on Earth, separating the Greenland Sea, the Barents Sea, and the Arctic Ocean. The cultural landscape reflects human life and activity in a harsh and fragile environment.

We present here the preliminary results of the pilot site from the Thetida project – the coal cableway station at Hiorthhamn, 1917 (Taubanestasjonen i Hiorthhamn). The study area was extended to the “town” of Longyearbyen, located across the bay from Hiorthhamn. Longyearbyen is the settlement with the largest number of Svalbard residents (approximately 2500) and with an impressive number of protected cultural heritage sites – approximately 400. The total number of protected cultural heritage sites in Svalbard is 4590.

Previous studies have shown that the main risks to the Hiorthhamn site are coastal erosion, permafrost degradation, rockfall, thaw slumps, snow avalanches, surface erosion and thermo-erosion gullies, weathering, river flooding, and solifluction. Previous data (NPI orthophotos from 1936, 2009 – 2011, field surveys with UAV and total station in 2019 and 2020) and the most recent remote sensing data (Planet Sky Sat images – 2023) are used to assess the risk of degradation. Coastal erosion, calculated with the help of DSAS, for the sector where the site is located, shows high erosion rates of −0.77 m/yr (for the period 1927-2020) when compared to other studies from Svalbard. The latest forecast analysis estimates that the entire area will be eroded over the next two decades.

Furthermore, previous studies have shown that InSAR-based time series of land deformation appears to show continuous subsidence over permafrost regions in recent years. In this study, a method based on persistent scattering interferometry was used to estimate land deformation in the wide area of Longyearbyen, Svalbard. The InSAR-based land deformation estimates were calculated by processing 268 Sentinel-1 images from early 2018 to late 2023. Within the city of Longyearbyen, regions of stable, uplifting, and subsiding ground motion were identified. The land deformation results were interpreted by considering in-situ permafrost data and building characteristics, such as roof material, age, and heating mechanisms under building foundations. The results are important for better understanding the dynamics of the permafrost landscape under a warming climate and for predicting flooding using SAR altimetry data. The study makes a significant contribution to the protection of cultural heritage. The coal cableway station is the most iconic and visible object in Hiorthhamn, so much so that it can be seen from Longyearbyen, encouraging tourists to take a boat or a kayak to visit. Longyearbyen is the main tourist attraction on the island. It is therefore important to assess and monitor the risk of degradation so that, together with the local authorities, the most sustainable and climate-friendly measures can be taken for future generations.

Acknowledgment: This research has been funded by European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation funding under Grant Agreement No: 101095253, THETIDA project.

How to cite: Nicu, I. C., Karamvasis, K., Karathanassi, V., and Guzman, P.: Monitoring an Arctic cultural heritage site with state-of-the-art remote sensing techniques – Lessons from the THETIDA project, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-3000, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-3000, 2024.

The Ramps of Piazzale Michelangelo (Michelangelo Square) in Florence are a pedestrian connection between the Arno riverside and the higher Piazzale Michelangelo, leaning against the side of the hill called "Monte alle Croci," a hill delimiting Florence to the south. Over the years, this area has experienced a long series of instabilities that have affected some of the most significant testimonies of the city's architecture. The Ramps of Piazzale Michelangelo are popular both with tourists visiting the city and with the residents of Florence, who use them as a picturesque place to stroll.

The Ramps and contiguous Viale dei Colli (Hills Avenue) are one of the most interesting projects of the architect Giuseppe Poggi during the period when Florence was the capital of Italy (1865-1871). The staircases of the Ramps feature stone balustrades, topped with Pietraforte sandstone caps. Geologically, Pietraforte is a turbiditic sandstone characterized by numerous sedimentary layers typical of the Bouma sequence and by the presence of secondary calcite veins. These features are the main weak points where detachment phenomena can occur.

The action of rainwater leads to the dissolution of calcium carbonate, present both in the calcite veins and in the carbonatic cement within the rock. In the first case, this mechanism can result in the decohesion of the rock with the complete opening of veins and possible detachment and fall of blocks (even blocks with volume up to about 50 dm³). In the second case, detachments occur as a superficial exfoliation rather than detachments of entire portions of material.

Recent restoration works, completed in May 2019, focused on the conservation and recovery of architectural elements. However, in July 2020, a wedge collapsed, hitting a vehicle below. Subsequently, as a temporary countermeasure, the parapets were covered with nets to prevent new possible accidents.

For a long-term countermeasure, this architectural problem has been investigated assimilating it to a rockfall scenario. First of all it was necessary to manually detect and evaluate every block's discontinuity to assess susceptibility. An equation for calculating the risk of each identified block was then implemented. Differentiated interventions were proposed for each block based on its possible kinematics.

Using an approach based on statistical analysis of the rockfall’s susceptibility, this study aims to: 1) Quantify the spatial distribution of rockfalls; 2) Build an equation to identify the more dangerous blocks; 3) Propose safety interventions with minimal impact, diversifying them based on the kinematics of each individual block.

Keywords: Cultural Heritage, Stone element risk, rockfall, road safety, susceptibility.

How to cite: Palamidessi, A., Intrieri, E., Salvatici, T., Centauro, I., and Garzonio, C. A.: Risk of falling stone material on the Ramps of Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-19282, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-19282, 2024.

The TRIQUETRA EU research project embarks on a pioneering initiative aimed at enhancing climate change (CC) resilience in Cultural Heritage (CH) sites. Within the scope of TRIQUETRA, certain provisions have been made for studying the geological and historical climatic data towards risk identification that the pilot CH sites of the project are facing.  The geological risk quantification was based on monitoring and modelling approaches to classify the intensity of geohazards related to ground instabilities, earthquake-induced effects, coastal retreat, sea-waves, water runoff, wind storms, wildfires etc. Digital twins derived by in-filed monitoring and surveying are assumed at the basis of geohazard quantification. Similarly, the assessment of historical climatic information has been based on observations and a multi-model ensemble of high-resolution Regional Climatic Model (RCM) simulations, aiming to identify potential risks at the selected CH sites. The datasets will be used for further experimentation, and continuous collection of new data will take place throughout the course of the project, serving towards the proposal of mitigation action against the CC-induced risks. 

Similarly, emphasis was given to gather information from past initiatives and directives to create a node of reference for the future, crucial for understanding the vulnerabilities of CH sites in the face of CC. An extensive literature review on CC and other risks and mitigation measures for CH sites worldwide has been made, in addition to gathering of existing and historical site-specific data, identification of geological conditions at CH sites and classification of geological hazards associated with environmental and climatological data that pose direct or indirect risks to the pilot CH sites.

The development of the TRIQUETRA Knowledge Base platform (an electronic repository) based on the retrieved data, accompanied by advanced search tools and a “Self Service Portal” hosted on the project website (https://triquetra-project.eu/), ensures that contents related to CC, geological conditions, historical data, site-specific information, as well as risks and mitigation measures for CH sites are discoverable for future decision-making actions. The Knowledge Base platform includes a dedicated database and a WEBGIS platform, which store collected data in a common geospatial database providing a secure environment, which has an open access policy and will offer further analysis beyond the end of the project.

The above lay the groundwork for holistic research to CC resilience in CH sites. The findings presented herein not only advance the objectives of the TRIQUETRA project but also offer insights that can guide future research in the preservation of global CH in the face of an ever-evolving climate.

How to cite: Sarris, A., Zanis, P., Martino, S., Anastasiou, A., Ioannidis, C., Verykokou, S., Klinkenberg, V., and Polidorou, M.: Unveiling Risks and Leveraging the Knowledge Base Platform for Cultural Heritage sites in the Context of the TRIQUETRA Project, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-12355, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-12355, 2024.

Policies are a deliberate system that defines action and guides short-term decisions in pursuing a goal. Policy is a fundamental instrument of governance which is extensively used worldwide. However, not all policies are created equally. Contemporary literature is littered with examples of policy failures, and a large research emphasis is dedicated to co-creating ‘good’ policy. This challenge of developing good policy is exacerbated when we consider the rapidly evolving risks related to climate change. The evolving risks can make it difficult to define valid policy goals over the longer term. Furthermore, stakeholders are increasingly needed across policy and practice to overcome siloed working and co-create transdisciplinary risk management policies, considering both long-term strategic objectives and short- to medium-term operational solutions. Risk management policy instruments are relevant across spatial scales and engage with policies from other disciplines (urban planning, heritage conservation, environmental management). The article presents an innovative tool called the policy matrix to address challenges faced by policy experts. The policy matrix capitalises upon the co-creative research of the Organigraphs technique defined by Durrant et al. (2021) to co-create disaster risk management governance maps.  The article compares two policy matrices developed as part of a Horizon 2020-funded project called SHELTER. In its simplest form, a policy matrix arranges risk management policy instruments around an issue depending on their scale of implementation and disciplinary lens. This allows stakeholders to see all the policy instruments considered relevant to some specific issues. It can further provide stakeholders a robust platform to critique those policies.  By way of example, providing them with a tool to clearly “measure” the links between these policies, to identify policy gaps in thematic/operationalisation, or, from a practical perspective, to provide a tool for experts to review the level of participation in the design of these policies or the effectiveness of these policies in practice.

How to cite: Durrant, L., Teller, J., Santangelo, A., and Baldassarre, B.: Policy matrices – A tool for reviewing the effectiveness of risk management policies across scales and disciplines. , EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-8951, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-8951, 2024.

How to cite: Ikiz Kaya, D., Guzman, P., Veiga-Pires, C., Oliveira, S., Katika, T., Hoogbergen, A. V., Pulles, K., and Nicu, I. C.: Living Labs for participatory value, risk and impact assessments in coastal and underwater heritage sites , EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-3132, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-3132, 2024.

Climatic risks and natural hazards pose a serious threat with long lasting impacts on cultural heritage, as well as on people’s livelihoods and connected communities. It is therefore considered of major importance to better understand the multivaried impacts of climate change on coastal and underwater cultural heritage through the active involvement of scientists, citizens and other relevant stakeholders in citizen science to engage them in data collection and involve their diverse perspectives, reflections and relationships with heritage for multi-hazard and risk monitoring.

This study focuses on exploiting the full potential of digital solutions together with co-creation and co-design processes through citizen science, crowdsourcing and participatory Living Lab methodologies. The main goal is to help citizens identify the values of coastal and underwater heritage, to understand the risks, and engage them in monitoring the changes and documenting the impacts of climate change and natural hazards on the heritage elements to collaboratively develop sustainable preservation and adaptation strategies. An immersive mobile application will be developed to raise awareness to citizens and their communities about digitalization and its benefits for cultural heritage protection and preservation. The proposed technological advancement exploits Augmented Reality (AR) technology to seamlessly integrate in-situ and remotely sensed data, effectively bridging the gap between valuable underwater cultural assets and a broader audience, that may not have had the opportunity to experience them otherwise.  

The digital solution is being co-designed and co-developed with citizens and their communities exploiting immersive crowdsourcing techniques using user-centered applied research and open innovation approaches. It employs crowdsourced techniques to promote the appreciation of the tangible and intangible heritage assets, empowering communities to actively participate in preserving and showcasing their cultural treasures. Citizens will be able to share their feedback, observations, comments and other data considered relevant to establish their unique point of view. The mobile application will then facilitate the demonstration and visualization of sensed data obtained by underwater and coastal crowdsensing units provided to the community (e.g. fishing boats, divers) to inform about environmental parameters, providing a comprehensive understanding of heritage dynamics and potential risks. Finally, the proposed digital solution will enhance citizen engagement, creating immersive experiences through AR features that bridge the gap between the past and present, fostering a deeper connection between people and their cultural legacy.

The immersive digital solution is being co-developed with seven different demonstration sites across Europe and will also be made available to a large stakeholder community at the end of 2024 for the first iteration of user feedback. Together, these functionalities establish a powerful tool for the proactive management and protection of heritage while actively involving and raising awareness among connected communities.

Acknowledgement:

This research has been funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under THETIDA project (Grant Agreement No. 101095253) (Technologies and methods for improved resilience and sustainable preservation of underwater and coastal cultural heritage to cope with climate change, natural hazards and environmental pollution).

How to cite: Katika, T., Koukoudis, K., Michalis, P., Ikiz Kaya, D., Guzman, P., Veiga-Pires, C., and Amditis, A.: Empowering Communities Through Digital Innovation and Crowdsourcing for Cultural Heritage Preservation, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-3517, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-3517, 2024.

Cultural landscapes represent the intersection of natural and cultural heritage, encompassing the physical environment as well as the cultural practices, traditions, and values associated with a specific place. These landscapes often have important socioeconomic and community dimensions, serving as centers of livelihoods, tourism, and community identity. Moreover, these landscapes have intrinsic value and contribute to the overall diversity and richness of our global heritage. They hold stories, knowledge, and traditions that connect us to our past and shape our collective identity.

Climatic and anthropogenic hazards pose significant risks to these landscapes, including the degradation or loss of cultural heritage sites, changes in traditional land-use practices, and the erosion of cultural identities and knowledge systems.

To understand and evaluate these potential impacts, helping to safeguard and preserve the cultural significance and integrity of these landscapes, it is necessary to identify the specific risks and vulnerabilities that cultural landscapes face, allowing for the development of targeted adaptation strategies, enabling proactive measures to mitigate the impacts and ensure the resilience and continuity of these landscapes for future generations.

One widely adopted tool for risk assessments are Impact Chains [1], i.e., cause-effect models that describe the relationship between a hazard (e.g., a storm surge, a heatwave), exposed elements (e.g., residents, birdlife, agricultural practices) and their vulnerability (e.g., dike maintenance practices), and resulting impacts (e.g., coastal erosion). Impact Chains are composed of all these elements and additionally, intermediate impacts, i.e., cascading effects related to hazard and vulnerability elements. Impact Chains are typically developed through participative processes that involve local stakeholders. These stakeholders provide valuable input and feedback for the development of the Impact Chain. The validated Impact Chain provides a structured representation of the cause-effect relationships associated with the investigated risk.

Until now, Impact Chains have mainly been used as a basis for indicator-based Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessments from the national to the local level, but not for modelling anthropogenic hazards like over-tourism or the abandonment of agricultural practices. In addition, only few Impact Chains for cultural sites have been developed.

In this contribution, we present Impact Chains that have been developed for five cultural landscapes as part of the Horizon Europe project RescueME (GA No. 101094978) and cover both climatic as well as anthropogenic hazards. These Impact Chains have been developed within case studies of the island of Neuwerk in the Waddensea of Hamburg (Germany), the Huerta and Albufera de Valencia (Spain), the Defensive System of the City of Zadar (Croatia), the region of Portovenere, Cinque Terre and the Islands (Italy), and the UNESCO Geopark in Crete (Greece). This contribution will describe the co-creation process for Impact Chain development, the involved stakeholder types, as well as the adaptations made to the standard Impact Chain representations [1].

References

[1] GIZ (2016). The Vulnerability Sourcebook. https://www.adaptationcommunity.net/download/va/vulnerability-guides-manuals-reports/vuln_source_2017_EN.pdf.

How to cite: Wischott, V., Klose, A., Milde, K., and Lückerath, D.: Using Impact Chains for Co-creating Cause-Effect Models of Climatic and Anthropogenic Hazards in Cultural Landscapes, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-15540, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-15540, 2024.

Coastal and underwater cultural heritage play a crucial role in local and regional cultural resources. However, this tangible cultural heritage is under threat due to extreme weather events, changing conditions caused by climate change, natural hazards, and environmental pollution. This study aims to understand how end users (entities or people related to or who interact with heritage sites ) perceive these risks and what they need to better cope, adapt, or be resilient to the anticipated changes. Additionally, it explores how science can address the needs and requirements of local and regional end users.

This research is part of the larger THETIDA project, focusing on technologies and methods for improved resilience and sustainable preservation of underwater and coastal cultural heritage, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. The THETIDA project concentrates on seven pilot sites, comprising coastal locations such as Svalbard in Norway, Ijsselmeer in the Netherlands, Mykonos in Greece, and underwater sites including Algarve in Portugal, Gallinara and Spezia in Italy, and Paralimni in Cyprus.

The THETIDA team conducted surveys to analyze threats, needs, and preservation requirements for each pilot site, incorporating data from consortium partners and workshops held with local stakeholders in several pilot sites. The results identified material deterioration and human-induced development interventions as primary threats. Essential needs include assessing risk and exposure to various hazards, implementing conservation measures for buildings and sites, and promoting awareness, education, and training.

Survey responses unanimously emphasize the critical requirement for site assessment and risk evaluation concerning both human-induced and climate changes. These findings offer valuable insights for developing tools and services within the project to support local and regional end users. Furthermore, they underscore the importance of fostering a scientific culture among communities, a role that science centers and museums can fulfill, as verified during the 2023 Portuguese Science and Technology Week.

Finally, the resulting end-user ecology is integrated into the Living Lab methodology, another facet of THETIDA Project research, aiming to co-create, test, and validate a new crowdsourcing tool in real-life contexts.

Acknowledgement:  

This research has been funded by European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation funding under Grant Agreement No: 101095253, THETIDA project (Technologies and methods for improved resilience and sustainable preservation of underwater and coastal cultural heritage to cope with climate change, natural hazards and environmental pollution). Authors would also like to acknowledge the financial support of the Portuguese Foundation of Science and Technology (FCT) to CIMA through UID/0350/2020

How to cite: Oliveira, S., Veiga-Pires, C., Ikiz Kaya, D., Michalis, P., and Mazzoli, C.: Unveiling End Users Needs and Requirements for Coastal and Underwater Heritage Sites under the impacts of Climate Change , EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-18072, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-18072, 2024.

How to cite: Koukoudis, K., Katika, T., Bolierakis, S. N., Karafotias, G., and Amditis, A.: Augmented Reality localization technology for Ancient Greek Heritage Exploration and Preservation, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-3792, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-3792, 2024.

Climate change poses a significant and alarming threat to cultural and natural heritage in urban and rural areas, jeopardizing the preservation of tangible and intangible aspects of our shared human history, including cultural traditions, knowledge, and practices. Rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and increased temperatures contribute to the degradation of cultural sites. Coastal regions face the imminent danger of inundation and erosion, endangering landscapes that have withstood centuries. At the same time, Indigenous communities are vulnerable, as their cultural heritage is often intricately connected to specific ecosystems and landscapes. On top of these climatic threats, cultural and natural heritage is also threatened by impacts from anthropogenic stresses, like unsustainable tourism and consumption patterns or environmental pollution.

Against this backdrop the H2020 projects ARCH, HYPERION, and SHELTER founded the EU R&I Task Force for Climate Neutral and Resilient Historic Urban Districts in 2021. The task force aims to bring together diverse groups of practitioners, researchers, and policy makers at the cross section of heritage management, climate change adaptation / mitigation, disaster risk management, and sustainable development. This coincides with the objective to identify and discuss current developments in research and practice; bridge knowledge gaps between these fields; boost collaboration among the cross-sectoral actors involved; and ultimately make our historic areas more climate neutral and resilient. In doing so, the task force aims to provide practical support to European authorities and decision makers for developing harmonised, evidence-based policies, strategies, and procedures. The Task Force has thus far convened three times: June and December 2021, and June 2022, and resulted in a joint white paper, Paving the Way for Climate Neutral and Resilient Historic Districts.

With the successful conclusion of the three funding projects, the work of organizing the task force has been taken over by their follow-up projects RescueME, THETIDA, and TRIQUETRA in 2023, shifting the focus from urban districts to historic areas, encapsulating cultural and natural heritage in urban and rural areas and other cultural landscapes, including coastal and underwater heritage.

In this presentation, we present the last results of the task force, the way forward regarding its development and activities within the updated partnership, and potential collaboration opportunities with other initiatives, projects, and actors.

How to cite: Peinhardt, K., Garzillo, Dr. C., Lückerath, Dr. D., Egusquiza, A., Michalis, P., and Istrati, D.: The EU R&I Task Force for Climate Neutral and Resilient Historic Areas, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-20296, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-20296, 2024.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) coastal risks are projected to increase by at least one order of magnitude over the 21st century due to committed sea level rise, impacting cultural and natural heritage in coastal areas. Amidst the urgency of climate change adaptation and mitigation, which often exceeds available public budgets, there is a growing recognition of the vital role played by innovative financing strategies and business models .

The existing body of knowledge on resilience financing for cultural heritage and landscapes is somewhat fragmented and primarily focuses on the conservation or reuse of the built heritage. Few studies addressed the financial strategies for productive cultural landscapes. Unlike conventional cultural heritage categories such as historical monuments, archaeological artefacts, and museum collections, productive cultural landscapes are dynamic socio-ecological systems. Consequently, their resilience demands a holistic approach that addresses not only the physical dimension but also ensures the continuity of underlying activities, such as agriculture, forestry, and fishery.

As part of the  “RescueMe” project – focused on equitable resilience solutions to strengthen the link between cultural landscapes and communities – this study aims to consolidate fragmented knowledge. It seeks to provide an initial state-of-the-art overview of existing financing strategies, with a specific focus on productive cultural landscapes, such as agricultural landscapes. Based on a systematic review of existing literature, databases, and drawing insights from prior projects, this study presents a thorough review of innovative financial strategies. This encompasses economic, financial, and business models that have the potential to leverage regenerative capital investments in landscape resilience.

The study reveals dominant themes and categories of financing strategies for the resilience of productive cultural landscapes. The selected innovative financial strategies will be gathered in the RescueME resilience meta-repository, to offer an integrated searchable database of solutions, elaborated jointly with the researchers from the Università di Bologna and the Conexiones improbables, with the consultation of partners representing resilience landscape laboratories (R- labscapes) of the project.

The findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, businesses, and cultural institutions seeking to develop strategies for scaling up investments. This contribution is instrumental in navigating the complex landscape of innovative financing, providing actionable knowledge for sustainable and effective decision-making. The information available in the meta-repository will be accessible for reuse to a wide-range of stakeholders, including policymakers, researchers and practitioners.

How to cite: Salpina, D., Casartelli, V., Marengo, A., and Monteleone, L.: Innovative financing strategies for the resilience of cultural landscapes. A literature and practice review, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-2448, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-2448, 2024.

This work presents the framework of BCT Hubs project that operates in the space of Blue Culture Technologies (BCT) supporting the Underwater (UW) Cultural Heritage (CH) scientific research. The development of BCT Excellence Hubs and their promoted R&I solutions support, as regional ecosystems, the sustainable protection, restoration, valorization, management, and accessibility of UWCH by consolidating capacities of public sector, research/academia, NGOs, and business stakeholders. An innovative framework is under development that combines sensors information with navigational data and GIS-based software to provide high-quality 3D/4D UW representations. These R&I services will be linked to virtual reality (VR) technologies improving on-site and remote accessibility to UWCH via dry-dive; as well as to an augmented reality (AR) app that based on sensing solutions can augment diving capability. Ongoing additional developments combination of the 3D/4D models with real-time streams and AI algorithms aiming at detecting looting or degradation of UW assets.  

The development of the BCT Excellence Hubs in Greece, Malta, Bulgaria aims at the establishment of regional ecosystems, where R&I actors will offer access to excellence, knowledge transfer and development of entrepreneurial skills. The technical support needed, as well as the digital maturity level of the Blue Culture value chain of the ecosystems will be analysed and assessed, towards receiving tools and support with respect to their UWCH missions. Overall aim is the management of UW heritage under threat, UW documentation, archaeological excavation, safeguarding, promotion and accessibility.

How to cite: Stergiopoulou, L., Manglis, A., Raxis, P., and Krinidis, S.: R&I solutions and Blue Culture Technology Hubs supporting Underwater Cultural Heritage research, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-2539, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-2539, 2024.

Since 2019, a team of scientists, technicians, and politicians from Southern Portugal has been planning and implementing a new project aimed at involving the local population in fostering sustainable development alongside the preservation and conservation of natural and cultural assets. This initiative has evolved into the aspiring UNESCO Global Geopark (aUGGp) Algarvensis, reaching maturity earlier this year when its southern territorial boundary was established at sea, aligning with a bathymetric depth of 130 meters, representing the coastline of 20,000 years ago.

Situated in the Algarve region, this territory is facing several threats associated to climate change, the most significant ones being the sea level rise, reduced rainfall and freshwater availability, and the impact of the extreme events.

The natural and cultural heritage assets are abundant, both on land, along the coast, and underwater. Given the diverse stakeholders responsible for their management based on their type, characteristics, size, and location, there has been no global and integrated approach to assessing their vulnerabilities, both specific and common. The aUGGp Algarvensis aims to rectify this by identifying, quantifying, and mitigating risks drived from natural, climatic, anthropogenic, and biological hazards across various types of heritage.

Although relatively unknown, the continental territory of the aUGGp Algarvensis boasts a rich and diverse cultural heritage, featuring over 228 listed and referenced sites encompassing various types of heritage. Over the last decades, several coastal heritage sites have vanished into the sea due to intense coastal erosion, with underwater heritage primarily appreciated by divers..

This study explores how climate change poses risks to the region's geological, cultural, and ecological features. It emphasizes the intricate relationship between environmental changes and heritage preservation within the context of the UNESCO Global Geopark Algarvensis initiative. Our goal is to not only present the survey and compilation data gathered so far under the aUGGp Algarvensis coordination but also to underscore the importance and impact that such a local/regional non-governmental structure can bring to implement an efficient and proactive management strategy in the face of evolving risks to heritage.

Acknowledgement:  

This study had the support of national funds through Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), under the project LA/P/0069/2020 granted to the Associate Laboratory ARNET and UID/00350/2020 CIMA, as well as from the Municipalities of Loulé, Silves and Albufeira.

How to cite: Veiga-Pires, C., Oliveira, S., Terra, L., Paulo, D., Carroço, T., and Pereira, L.: Striving for the aspiring UNESCO Global Geopark Algarvensis: Connecting Climate Change Threats with Cultural and Natural Heritage, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-13431, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-13431, 2024.