Coastal Vulnerability of Archeological Sites of Southeastern Crete, Greece

The study assesses the coastal evolution of Southeastern Crete and the vulnerability of archeological sites of the area to coastal erosion. Shoreline dynamics for the period since the 1940s was investigated based on the interpretation of high-resolution aerial photos and satellite images. The set of climatic variables derived from the Copernicus databases, as well as data on geomorphological and geological factors obtained from fieldworks, images interpretation, archives, and open sources, were analyzed. The impact of these variables on coastal dynamics was evaluated through regression analysis, correlating their spatial distribution with rates of shoreline retreat/advance. Based on this analysis, variables for the Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) calculation were selected, and the weights for the weighted CVI were determined. Both approaches, the CVI and the weighted CVI, identified the most vulnerable areas as being situated in the north, east, and southeast of Koufonisi island, as well as in the north and east of the Chrisi island. The least vulnerable are the wide beaches in the closed bays in the areas of Gra Lygia, Ierapetra, and Ferma, along with the rocky capes at the east of the Ierapetra area. Two of five archeological sites of the area (Lefki Roman Town and Stomio Roman Villa) are located within the zone of high or very high coastal vulnerability. This study provides the first in-depth analysis of coastal dynamics and coastal vulnerability of the area of Southeastern Crete, which has significant cultural heritage assets but has previously remained under-researched.