Ancient Egyptian city of Alexandria — the birthplace of Cleopatra — is crumbling into the sea at an unprecedented rate
Coastal erosion from rising sea levels has led to the collapse of 280 buildings across Alexandria, Egypt, over the past two decades.
The historic Egyptian city of Alexandria is crumbling due to rising sea levels, scientists have found.
Over the past decade, the rate at which buildings have collapsed along the ancient city's seafront has increased from around one per year to as many as 40 per year, according to a study published Feb. 12 in the journal Earth's Future.
In the past 20 years, 280 buildings in this 2,300-year-old port city — known for being the birthplace of Cleopatra and the ancient home of the famed Library of Alexandria — have collapsed due to coastal erosion, and 7,000 more are at risk of collapsing in the future, according to the paper. Between 2014 and 2020 alone, 86 buildings completely crumbled, and 201 partially collapsed across the city, resulting in 85 deaths.
"The true cost of this loss extends far beyond bricks and mortar," study co-author Essam Heggy, a water scientist at the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering, said in a statement. "We are witnessing the gradual disappearance of historic coastal cities, with Alexandria sounding the alarm. What once seemed like distant climate risks are now a present reality."
The crumbling of coastal buildings results from sea level rise and the subsequent intrusion of seawater into the ground under the city. As saltwater creeps farther inland due to rising sea levels, it increases groundwater levels beneath buildings and other infrastructure and erodes the soil. This can lead the ground to sink, which makes buildings unstable and at risk of collapse. Additionally, saltwater corrodes the steel reinforcements of building foundations, further weakening the structures.
Alexandria is a port city that sits on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, making it vulnerable to seawater intrusion. (Image credit: Ahmed El-Kabbani/Getty Images)
Average global sea levels have risen by between 8 and 9 inches (20 to 23 centimeters) since 1880, with a 4-inch (10 cm) rise since 1993 alone, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). If nothing is done to curb climate change, U.S. sea levels could rise by as much as 7.2 feet (2.2 meters) by 2100 compared with the levels seen in 2000.
Low-lying cites face the highest risk of erosion and flooding due to sea level rise, especially those along the U.S. East Coast, West Coast and Gulf Coast, according to NASA.
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