Our first two installments of the Climate Changing Heritage series surrounded the negative impact(s) of hurricanes on heritage. This increasingly severe hurricane threat is one of several heritage threats attributable to changing ocean environments (like water temperature rise) from ongoing changes in global climate. These temperatures are one of several drastic changes being seen now and in predicted climate trends; other impacts due to ongoing changes in climate include sea level ascension and changes to ocean salinity/acidity. Fortunately, however, unlike the lack of research surrounding hurricane: there is an increasing amount of academic research surrounding these oceanic environmental changes and the impacts they pose to heritage.
Does Ocean Acidity Really Matter?
The amount of salt (salinity) in the ocean or acidity levels may seem trivial, but it can have enormous ecological impacts on ocean life and proximal heritage. Potential changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels threaten to destabilize ocean acidity levels, creating an inhospitable environment for animals reliant upon calcium carbonate structures (like shells) for survival. Protecting this ecosystem is important for the survival of heritage in areas like Florida, where much of its native heritage surrounds shell-based antiquities (like drills, hammers, middens and mounds); in doing so, acidity changes actively risk threatening many facets of Florida’s prehistory. Exposed archaeological shell-rich areas (like coastal middens holding information about ancient diet and life) could slowly disintegrate into the ocean from this rise of ocean acidity levels due to rising Carbon dioxide levels. This kind of change to ocean influences in the region could expose, displace, and literally dissolve subsurface cultural heritage items (and context).
Rising Sea Levels and Heritage Research
The increasing threat(s) of rising sea levels to coastal areas are well known and are quickly becoming a growing issue for contemporary climate and heritage researchers. Ascending water levels increase hurricane storm surges, flood (sometimes permanently submerging) property, and risk the erosion of features; areas like North Carolina’s coast face abnormally extreme surge threats up to four times the global average due to changes in current. Current levels are estimated to rise anywhere from eight inches to almost seven feet by 2100; this predicted rise is in addition to the seven to eight inches global sea level have already risen since 1900. Coastal ocean rise is already impacting residents (and heritage sites) in areas like Miami, Florida (US) and Venice, Italy; the incursion of these rising waters is not some abstract conceptual threat of the future, it is destroying cultural heritage right now.
Heritage researchers across the globe are starting to generate information and solutions to protect cultural heritage sites endangered by sea level rise. Particularly relevant to coastal regions, US heritage researchers have started to host conferences like Keeping History Above Water and Tidally United in endangered states like Florida. In 2017 researchers used the Digital Index of North American Archaeology (DINAA) to identify heritage areas endangered by sea level rise: this assessment estimates over 13000 known US cultural heritage sites are endangered by water a level increase of only one meter (just over 3 feet); these heritage endangerment statistics compound exponentially with each additional meter of water rise, raising the number of registered sites endangered from 13000 (at one meter water rise) to over 34400 sites (32000 archaeological sites and over 2400 National Registrar of Historic Places properties) at a five meter rise (~16.5 feet). Other heritage researchers at the University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute and Orkney College UHI have been working to develop similar research to create a Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CVI) to insight into the level of endangered European heritage. Unfortunately, similar research has not yet to be applied to contextualize the threat of sea level rise to coastal museums. SAFE decided to bridge this gap, snapping a microcosmic picture of this increasing coastal risk by utilizing a Florida case study to explore how estimated water level increases may impact museums in the Tampa Bay area.
Exploring the Potential Impacts of Rising Water Levels on Florida Museums
The DINAA estimates Florida would be hit hardest among southeastern states; southeastern US archaeological heritage areas endangered by rising sea levels are seen right (red areas are currently endangered at sea level, progressing to green areas endangered by higher level water threats). Florida Public Archaeology Network researchers estimate as many as 16000 sites would be endangered in Florida from just a one meter sea level rise, jumping to an as many as 34,786 sites (including 3,985 archaeological areas) if levels further increase to just two meters. Expanding on this research, SAFE chose to perform this second Climate Changing Heritage case study to show the potential impacts of sea level rise on heritage institutions (museums).
This case study contrasts publicly available West Central Florida museum data – collected from the Florida Association Museums (FAM) database – to endangered areas of Pinellas and Hillsborough (seen below) to visually demonstrate endangered institutions in the Tampa Bay area. Data yielded from this contrast suggests there are over 32 heritage institutions currently endangered in Florida’s Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. Current extreme storm surge data was also used (below) to show where at least 27 museums are currently endangered by storm surge in these same countries. It is important to remember these areas of storm surge risk will continue to spread inland as sea levels rise and hurricane severity increases; these highlighted areas arguably also represent areas susceptible to a sea level rise of 1-3 meters (~3-10 feet). This is deeply disconcerting news for both heritage institution workers and lovers of heritage in coastal regions, but there are still ways to help museums save antiquities for everyone.
Helping Heal Heritage
There are many ways you can help contribute to the preservation of sites in your area and become part of the solution. Online advocacy through social media and actively volunteering at local museums and archaeological parks can help heritage sites and institutions manage the growing impacts of sea level rise and hurricanes. You can also actively share and otherwise support (donation, volunteering, etc.) related heritage research (like 3D documentation) to help ensure there is a record of these endangered sites before their potential destruction. Another way to help is by contacting your government representatives (local, state, and federal) and encouraging them to incentivize clean energy technologies can also help contribute to the reduction of ocean acidity (and ideally also sea level) rise. Everyone can help combat ocean acidity change by reducing their carbon footprint; this includes encouraging clean energy and reducing carbon pollution in simple steps by reducing beef consumption and encouraging the use of green transport options (like mass transit and carpooling). This does not mean you cannot still love burgers and road trips, it simply means everyone needs to start considering their personal impacts to ensure heritage sites and institutions (in addition to at-risk rural and urban areas) remain accessible for pubic enjoyment in the future.
Latest posts by Brittni Bradford (see all)
- Climate Changing Heritage: Destructive Sea Levels and Acidity - August 13, 2019
- Climate Changing Heritage: What Happened to Hog Island? - August 1, 2019
- Climate Changing Heritage: Hurricanes - July 2, 2019