Introduction to Maritime Archaeology Trust

The Maritime Archaeology Trust (MAT) is one of the 14 partners involved in the SARCC project. MAT was established in 1991 to investigate and disseminate information about the maritime coastal heritage. Careful research revealed this was a resource that could tell us about past change along the coast as well as people who influenced the changes. We looked at archaeological structures that were on the coastline and underwater. Where features survived, we discovered that a stroll down the beach was like taking a walk back in time with the oldest material being right at the bottom of the beach. This was because the structures such as quays or raised walkways were built relative to their contemporary shoreline, so as the water rose they ended up further down slope or underwater.

Accordingly, the archaeological structures could be used as reference points that could be dated to show sea-level at different times in the past. As a result, MAT developed a method to quantify the value of under-used coastal indicators being archaeology and palaeoenvironmental land surfaces with the addition of art, charts and photographs to inform long term patterns of coastal change. These tools use scientific and quantifiable data in a ranking system to provide statistical analyses
between sites demonstrating their value as indicators of change.

MAT will be creating resources for managers and decision makers within the pilot
areas of coastal development, and for the public to show how the coastline has
changed in the past. Case studies will be presented that demonstrate how nature-based
solutions can be more resilient than grey infrastructure. These will use existing scenarios
that will look at the effects of increased storminess and sea level rise along vulnerable
coastlines. The methods of investigation will be applied to the pilot areas where the
historical data will be used to better understand the long-term patterns of climate change.

The research will also be used as a communication tool for the public. MAT are UNESCO
accredited and have received American and European awards for outreach. It will use this
expertise to develop a historical narrative that can be presented to the public across the
project area. When people understand the long-term processes and the inevitability of
natural change, the need to manage that change will be better understood.

More information on Maritime Archaeology Trust can be found at their website: https://maritimearchaeologytrust.org/projects-research/sarcc-sustainable-and-resilient-coastal-cities/