Researchers warn that Alexandria once the two miracles of the ancient world – the Great Library and the Lighthouse – gradually disappears
“Okay, Alexandria you lose,” concluded the poem “The god Antonion”, by Alexandrian poet Constantine Cavafy.
Obviously, when the emblematic poet was inspired by the well -known poem, he did not know the fate of the beloved city, but he described in the most illustrative way, the end of the fate.
Alexandria, according to a study of scientists, has been experiencing the most difficult time of the 2,300 years of history since it was founded in 331 BC by Alexander the Great.
Now, researchers warn that Alexandria is sinking into the sea due to rising levels. A new study shows that the city is experiencing a “dramatic increase” in building collapses as water penetrates the foundations.
Researchers warn that the city – once the seat of two miracles of the ancient world, the Great Library of Alexandria and the Lighthouse of Alexandria – is now gradually disappearing.
Coastal Erosion from Rising Sea Levels has led to the collapse of 280 buildings across Alexandria, Egypt, Over the Past Two Decades. https://t.co/gkfo2y3j4s
– How it Works (@Howitworksmag) March 4, 2025
Only in the last decade, the rate of collapse has accelerated as salty water is under the foundations of the city.
In the last 20 years, 280 buildings have been destroyed by coastal erosion, while another 7,000 are in danger of collapsing in the future.
The study leader, Sara Fouad, a landscape architect at the Technical University of Munich, points out in the dailymail: “For centuries, the constructions of Alexandria have been miracles of durable engineering, for earthquakes, thunderstorms, tsunami and others. But now, the rise of the seas and the growing storms – fueled by climate change – have been in decades that it took millennia of human ingenuity to create. “
Known as’Mediterranean bride“, The city’s location made it a significant node of trade and shipping connecting the Middle East and Europe.
However, the proximity to the water that once prosper the city threatens to destroy it as the sea rises.
As the planet is heated due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the average ocean temperature increases.
According to the National Ocean and atmosphere (NOAA), the world’s world has increased between 20 and 23cm since 1880, with 10cm only since 1993.
A recent study by Nanyang (NTU) Technology University in Singapore predicted that the global sea level could increase by 1.9 meters by 2100, if carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) continue to grow.
The researchers combined satellite images with historical maps to see how quickly the city’s coast had disappeared since the 1880s.
The images have shown that the coastline of Alexandria has moved to tens of meters in recent decades, with some areas receding by 3.6 meters a year.
Also the author of the study Dr Essam Heggy, from the University of Southern California, stressed: “We are witnessing the gradual disappearance of historical coastal cities, with Alexandria sounding the alarm. What once looked like distant climate risks is now a reality“
Increasing sea levels by just a few inches increases the risk of flooding and allows salty water to further penetrate coastal cities.
The researchers took ground samples throughout the city to examine the “chemical footprint” associated with salty water invasion.
Source: Skai
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