On 02.11.2026 we present the 51st session of our online lecture series with a contribution of
Celia Prescott
(University of Southampton)
Assessing Tangible Cultural Heritage Exposure to Climate-Related Coastal Hazards in Lebanon
Honor Frost Foundation M.A.R.E Lecture
Climate change poses a clear threat to coastal cultural heritage. Lebanon, like many countries, lacks the key baseline evidence of coastal climate impacts needed to support prioritised management. This study presents the first national-scale assessment of tangible cultural heritage exposure to coastal erosion and flooding hazards in Lebanon. The work compiles a national geospatial database of archaeological features which integrates archaeological and geomorphological attributes. Features are co-registered, in GIS, with erosion and flooding hazard and assessed using open-source data on historic shoreline change and global sea levels, respectively. The compiled information underpin exposure assessment via an index- based approach, whereby heritage exposure to erosion and flooding is quantified according to relevant location, climate, and geomorphological indicators.
Results identify 80 features over 15 coastal locations as highly exposed to erosion and/or flooding and highlight heritage types which may be disproportionately at risk. These findings have practical and immediate implications for both heritage management and climate adaptation in Lebanon. More broadly, the study establishes a reusable methodology for assessing coastal climate impacts on tangible cultural heritage applicable across similar regional contexts
To join the lecture: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85622764363?pwd=1eSCQsHHOA520wx3FiNK6L3RDDiOdY.1
(Meeting ID: 856 2276 4363 / Passcode: 253428)
