Climate change a looming threat to antiquities

Rising temperatures, extended heatwaves and drought are making the impact of climate change felt all over the world.

Now, the first study in Greece examining the effect of climate change on the future microclimate of historical monuments and artifacts shows us how extreme weather events will also impact the country's cultural heritage.

"Just like the human body, monuments are built to withstand a range of different temperatures. Thanks to our data, we were able to calculate the impact of the climate crisis on artifacts at museums and archaeological sites," the author of the study, Efstathia Tringa, a PhD candidate and researcher in meteorology and climatology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, tells Kathimerini.

In order to collect the necessary data, sensors measuring temperature and humidity were placed at the Delphi Archaeological Site and Museum,...