Ancient city crumbles as looming threat begins to wreak havoc: 'Undoing in decades what took millennia of human ingenuity to create'
Manage your account
The ancient Egyptian city of Alexandria is increasingly succumbing to rising sea levels and saltwater intrusion. As a result, researchers fear crucial historical information could be lost, and the impacts could be far-reaching.
A team from the University of Southern California examined shoreline changes in Alexandria using a three-pronged approach, according to a news release published by EurekAlert.
Using satellite imagery and historical maps from 1887, 1959, and 2001, the researchers created a detailed digital map of Alexandria's densely populated urban area. They also took samples to analyze whether the soil contained low levels of isotopes, which would indicate erosion.
Alexandria soil radiation scientist Ibrahim H. Saleh, one of the study's co-authors, said that "buildings are collapsing from the bottom up, as seawater intrusion erodes foundations and weakens the soil."
"For centuries, Alexandria's structures stood as marvels of resilient engineering, enduring earthquakes, storm surges, tsunamis, and more," added first author Sara Fouad, a landscape architect at the Technical University of Munich. "But now, rising seas and intensifying storms … are undoing in decades what took millennia of human ingenuity to create."
Alexandria is among a growing number of coastal cities in peril. For instance, in Papua New Guinea, rising sea levels have displaced tens of thousands of people. As the researchers pointed out in EurekAlert, rising seas are impacting cities in California, where saltwater intrusion has degraded water supplies, contributed to a higher cost of living, and weakened infrastructure.
"Our study demonstrates that coastal buildings are at risk of collapsing even without directly encroaching on the seawater as widely believed," said corresponding author Essam Heggy, a water scientist at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.
Situated on the Mediterranean, Alexandria was also a hub of learning, science, and cultural exchange. If things continue on the same trajectory, the knowledge it holds could be diminished or lost because of the effects of rising global temperatures, driven higher at an unnatural rate by human activities, particularly the burning of dirty fuels.
"Historic cities like Alexandria, which represent the cradle of cultural exchange, innovation, and history, are crucial for safeguarding our shared human heritage," Heggy said in the news release. "As climate change accelerates sea level rise and coastal erosion, protecting them isn't just about saving buildings; it's about preserving who we are."
Do you think we still have a lot to learn from ancient cultures?
Definitely
Only on certain topics
I'm not sure
No — not really
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
The USC team is advocating for nature-based solutions to mitigate the situation in Alexandria, per the release. Potential actions include building sand dunes and cultivating vegetation barriers — techniques already proven to boost climate resilience in coastal communities.
Furthermore, as explained by study co-author Steffen Nijhuis, a landscape-based urbanist from the Netherlands' Delft University of Technology, this approach is cost-effective.
In the long term, bringing the planet's temperatures into balance can help slow down the melting of ice sheets — a key factor contributing to rising sea levels and subsequent saltwater intrusion.
As countries around the world increase their mix of nonpolluting, renewable energy, you can support these efforts by upgrading to energy-efficient appliances and unplugging electronic devices when they aren't in use.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
The statue now serves as a “silent witness of time.”
Neuroscientists in Israel find signs that the drug helped festival survivors in the attack and the aftermath.
MADISON, Wis. (WFRV) – Multiple ambulances responded to the scene of a deadly crash in southern Wisconsin Thursday afternoon that left one person dead, and three others injured, including two children. According to the Madison Fire Department, crews were sent to the intersection of South Gammon Road and Raymond Road around 4:10 p.m. on March […]
Microsoft Publisher's capabilities are also available on Word and PowerPoint, so the company is removing the app from 365 subscriptions. Here's how to save your work.
From reclining seats to three-course meals, I spotted dozens of differences between economy and business class on long-haul flights.
"Highly lucrative and has devastating effects."
The patch of waste was said to have grown to “twice the size of Texas.”
One research shop has produced a checklist to help stock investors decide when conditions are ripe to swoop back in and buy.
A man wanted in North Carolina in connection with evading police with illegal firearms was captured in Worcester County, Massachusetts.
Researchers say they have found "unequivocal evidence" that a meteorite smashed into Earth 3.47 billion years ago, potentially affecting plate tectonics and creating conditions for life.
"Swimming is very popular, but there is quite often a problem ..."
The Houston-based company that was set to deliver a historic water-hunting mission to the lunar south pole says its Athena lander is dead on the moon.
Researchers hope her brain can lead to "profound discoveries" in treating the illness
As politicians move to ban mRNA vaccines in some states, research into vaccine side effects is going viral
Education Secretary Linda McMahon told NewsNation that she's looking into transferring student loans to an agency outside the Department of Education.
The Social Security Administration said it is reinstating a plan to recover 100% of overpayments to beneficiaries.
The cost-cutting arm is reportedly considering paying tens of thousands to install a washer and dryer in a federal office building in D.C.
The racer was driven by Steve McQueen during the filming of the 1971 movie.
Local congregations broke away from Methodist Church over social issues. Should they be allowed to keep their building and assets? Take our survey
Donald Trump on Tuesday told Congress Elon Musk had rooted out “hundred of billions of dollars” worth of government waste thanks to Doge.
Some were not satisfied with the penalty.
Mount Roraima is a flat-topped formation with crystal-clear pools, waterfalls and a unique ecosystem that has been isolated from the surrounding savanna for millions of years.
"If NASA had the failure rate SpaceX does, Elon Musk would be firing everyone and Congress would be demanding to know where the money is going."
A first on the red planet!
Barry "Butch" Wilmore said he trusts Elon Musk, who previously told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that former President Joe Biden left the astronauts in space for “political reasons."
SpaceX suffered a major setback Thursday when one of its Starship rockets exploded shortly after liftoff. And Rep. Jasmine Crockett wasted no time invoking Elon Musk’s past remarks about diversity and flying.
The verdict is in.
MIT scientists have imaged heat traveling as a wave, called "second sound," in superfluid quantum gas. This discovery could unlock mysteries of neutron stars and superconductors.
No ordinary lightning.
Architect and structural engineer Masoud Akbarzadeh has challenged conventional wisdom by constructing a bridge from a material deemed unsuitable: glass.
A newly unveiled astronaut photo shows a "gigantic jet" shooting upward from a thunderstorm above Louisiana in November 2024.
The discovery of a massive crater formed by the impact of a meteorite more than three billion years ago is changing the way scientists view the history of Earth and the planet's stages of evolution. Researchers in Australia found the crater in Western Australia's Pilbara region and believe it's the oldest impact crater in the world, at about 3.5 billion years old. A distinctive rock formation helped the research team locate the Pilbara crater.
The second moon landing attempt by Texas-based Intuitive Machines has ended much like the first, with its Athena lander falling sideways into a crater and shutting down after 12 hours.
Dawn's first light.
Scientists have dated the skeleton of an ancient child that caused a stir when it was first discovered because it carries features from both humans and Neanderthals. The nearly complete skeleton was stained red, and scientists think it may have been wrapped in a painted animal skin before burial. When the humanlike child was discovered, scientists noted that some of their attributes — including body proportions and jawbone — looked Neanderthal.
Now, archaeologists are reaping the rewards—and there are many.
NASA Friday rolled out the new Artemis II Orion spacecraft and twin Space Launch System solid rocket boosters that will carry astronauts in the first crewed Artemis mission around the moon.
"The rich data this provides could push science ahead."
Crew members launching on SpaceX's next mission to the International Space Station are ready to take the reins of the orbital lab so NASA's Starliner astronauts can finally return to Earth.
Researchers have identified an extensive Mesopotamian canal network that supplied ancient farms in the Eridu region with water from the Euphrates river before the first millennium B.C.
A hidden monster black hole in the Large Magellanic Cloud fired runaway stars at the Milky Way at millions of miles per hour.
The monument near Dorchester is redated to about 200 years earlier than previously thought.
NASA's Space Shuttle successfully reached orbit during its first attempt in April 1981. The Saturn V rocket that launched the first humans to the Moon also didn't explode during liftoff in July 1969. Even NASA's ultra-expensive and expendable Space Launch System didn't erupt into a giant fireball during its maiden voyage in late 2022. But SpaceX, the Elon Musk-led company behind groundbreaking advancements in the development of powerful, reusable rockets, has taken a strikingly different approac
Advances in technology allow meteorologists to more easily tell the difference between weather and critters, including bats, bugs and migrating birds.
The SpaceX Dragon capsule that will carry the next crew to the International Space Station has arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center ahead of its March 12 launch.
A private company's second attempt to land on the Moon officially ended Friday after its Athena spaceship came down sideways in a repeat of an off-kilter landing last year.Of the four CLPS missions attempted so far, only one lander managed an upright touchdown, two landed sideways, and one failed to reach the Moon altogether. ia/bgs
As part of the nationwide Stand Up for Science protest, scientists from USC and UCLA marched to oppose federal policies they say is damaging to science and medicine.
Katy Perry, Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen, Kerianne Flynn and Gayle King are all set to join Sánchez on her journey to space The post Lauren Sánchez Shares First Zoom Call With Her All-Female Blue Origin Space Crew | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
SpaceX lost the video feed from Starship as it spiraled out of control, but an amateur astronomer in Florida recorded its explosive fall from space.
This week, follow the journeys of two lunar landers, meet “woolly mice,” see the oldest known bone tools, and more.
