Climatic & Anthropogenic Hazards to the Nasca World Heritage: Application of Remote Sensing, AI, and Flood Modelling

TL;DR

This study uses remote sensing, AI, and flood modeling to identify and assess erosion risks to the Nasca geoglyphs caused by climate and human activities, proposing mitigation strategies.

Contribution

It introduces a novel combination of high-resolution LiDAR data, AI detection, and flood modeling to evaluate erosion threats to cultural heritage sites.

Findings

Runoff models effectively identify geoglyphs at risk of erosion.

AI detection highlights geoglyphs vulnerable to natural hazards.

Mitigation measures are recommended for at-risk geoglyphs.

Abstract

Preservation of the Nasca geoglyphs at the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Peru is urgent as natural and human impact accelerates. More frequent weather extremes such as flashfloods threaten Nasca artifacts. We demonstrate that runoff models based on (sub-)meter scale, LiDAR-derived digital elevation data can highlight AI-detected geoglyphs that are in danger of erosion. We recommend measures of mitigation to protect the famous "lizard", "tree", and "hand" geoglyphs located close by, or even cut by the Pan-American Highway.