Effects of environmental stresses and climate change on the deterioration of underwater cultural heritage: the THETIDA approach

• Main Authors: Mazzoli, Claudio, Cesareo, Ludovica Pia, Coletti, Chiara, Germinario, Luigi, MARITAN, LARA, Ballarin, Loriano, Moro, Isabella, Demesticha, Stella, Martins, Flávio, Ruberti, Fabio, Michalis, Panagiotis
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2024
• Subjects: Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-16558

This research, conducted within the THETIDA project (https://thetida.eu), focuses on identifying threats posed by climate change to underwater cultural heritage sites, with a specific emphasis on the diverse risks – both direct and indirect – that endanger metallic materials, such as anchors, cannons, and structural elements. Notable pilot sites within THETIDA include the US Army WWII PB4Y-1 bomber aircraft Liberator off the coast of Praia de Faro (Portugal), the sunken submarine chaser Equa near La Spezia, and an Ottoman shipwreck in Famagusta bay, Cyprus. These sites offer varied historical backgrounds, construction materials, and biological ecosystems, enabling a comprehensive comparison between sites protected in bays and those in dynamic open ocean environments with currents, sediment dynamics, and biological actions influencing deterioration processes [1]. Being aware of successive reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), documenting climate phenomena such as rising sea levels, ocean surface temperature increases, ocean acidification, changes in ocean circulation, extreme wave events and deoxygenation [2], the objectives of the research are to investigate the deterioration effects associated with climate change, assess their evolution across different environments, and develop prediction models. The ultimate goal is to provide practical recommendations for site preservation. The methodology involves studying the sites, historical backgrounds, material compositions, and deterioration characteristics, including physical, chemical, and biological factors of underwater weathering, classification of decay patterns, biocolonisation and biodeterioration characteristics through a multidisciplinary approach. In underwater heritage sites, materials undergo physical, chemical, and biological changes influenced by water, sediment, and living organisms [3, 4]. The study will consider variables such as temperature, salinity, pH, oxygen levels, and the intensity and direction of currents, ...