March 6, 2025, 10:36 a.m. | Reading time: 4 minutes
It is one of the oldest cities in the world and of great historical importance. But as a result of climate change, it is increasingly affected by salt water intrusion. For years there have been concerns about the increasingly falling ground level in the coastal city. Now a new study shows the extent of the now extremely serious situation.
We are talking about Alexandria, the second largest city in Egypt. It is often at the top of the list of sights for visitors to the country. The locals call it the “Pearl of the Mediterranean”, but you can hardly understand that when you look at current pictures. On the one hand, the privileged coastal location makes Alexandria a sought-after holiday destination. On the other hand, this makes the city particularly vulnerable to the consequences of climate change. Sea level rise has already left its mark, and the increase in storms is making the problem even worse.
Alexandria has changed so much
331 B.C. Founded by Alexander the Great in the 1st century BC, Alexandria developed into an important cultural, scientific and commercial center in antiquity. The city was particularly known for the Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and the Great Library. Even today, Alexandria and its historical sites attract people interested in culture - including quite a few who want to combine the trip with a beach holiday. Alexandria attracts with fine sandy beaches and a comparatively mild climate; the season runs from May to October.
But a lot has changed. The once free beaches and promenades are threatened by rising sea levels, and some have already disappeared. Concrete blocks, which are intended to protect banks and buildings from the waves, are an integral part of the picture - bathers sit on them and walkers pass them. The foundations of famous architectural monuments have long been suffering from rising groundwater, sometimes massively.
The serious threat to Alexandria from rising sea levels is already known. In 2022, various media outlets reported on the city government's desperate efforts to break the power of the waves. Of course, it's not just buildings that are threatened by the violence: the residents of Alexandria are also "at the mercy of the masses of water," wrote "Das Erste" at the time.
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The serious issue has now been the subject of a major international scientific investigation involving, among others, the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the University of Southern California (USC). "Alexandria has been hit by more than 280 building collapses along the coastline in the past two decades," it says. The frequency has increased from one to an alarming 40 building collapses per year. The researchers were able to demonstrate a connection between the rise in sea level, i.e. the exposure to seawater, and the observed deterioration of the building fabric. In simple terms, the city is gradually sinking into the sea.
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Alexandria does not have a special position in this context. Sea level rise, the increase in storms and floods and heat - the well-known risk factors of global warming - are also affecting other coastal cities. The results of the study are consistent with research results from NASA and the American Meteorological and Oceanographic Administration (NOAA), according to a USC publication. Accordingly, “certain regions of California, such as the San Francisco Bay Area, the Central Valley, and the Southern California coastal region, show signs of subsidence.”
Action is urgently needed to save Alexandria
“In the long term, the people of Alexandria cannot do much to combat climate change” – the “Das Erste” report from 2022 ended so unoptimistically. But perhaps with a comprehensive concept?
According to a press release from TUM, the goal of the latest study was to find out how “adapted landscape strategies can contribute to risk reduction.” Several approaches were presented that could mitigate the risks of coastal erosion and sea level rise in Alexandria. For example, the researchers suggest creating buffer zones that keep seawater away from buildings by growing salt-tolerant plants. Mobile barriers to protect against flooding and the development of sustainable water management practices are also conceivable.
The measures must now be taken and the next step is to wait and see how effective they are. The future of Alexandria remains uncertain for the time being.
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