MICORE - Morphological Impacts and COastal Risks induced by Extreme storm events
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WP 1: Historical storms

Leader: Oscar Ferreira (CIACOMAR-CIMA)

Objectives

The main objective of WP1 is to review the state-of-the-art for each site, producing an historical review of storms, to collect all data such as the forcing signals (wind, waves, water levels), the morphological response, the socio-economic impact and the civil protection schemes of interventions and other mitigation measures (e.g. relocation of people and activities). The impact of storms that have historically affected the European coastlines was evaluated in different ways in different countries, often using as criteria the socio-economic impact (e.g. loss of lives and damage to properties). Thus WP1 has as first objective to define the coastal risk for each site. The impact of storms can affect the coast in many different ways depending on the characteristics of the coast itself (if it is completely WP2 consists in creating new standards for archiving information reviewed in WP1 and new data that will be collected during the project (WP3). The objective of this workpackage is to take-in, store, process and disseminate physical data for each pilot site (bathymetries, waves, tides etc.) in a form convenient for the assessment of storm risk along the European coastlines. The new standards are important so that each site can have a protocol to archive data to provide end users with an all-in-one database at the end of the project. to have a complete dataset on what has been done in the past in each country to evaluate storms impacts (pre- and post storm beach and/or dunes profiles, presence of dune overwashing/overtopping, loss of lives, damage to properties, damage to coastal structures), to recover the areas affected by storms (reconstruction, compensations), to monitor beaches (topography,bathymetry, Lidar, video imagery) to collect hydrodynamic data (waves and tides measurements), to prevent losses (Civil Protection schemes, modelling, hazards maps) and to mitigate impacts (engineering works, beach replenishments). The collection of such information is a way to find if there are countries where there is a lack of data in one or more topics of the list given above. The review will go backward into the past to the beginning of the post-Industrial development period (150 years ago). Moreover, in WP1 end-users will be involved to improve knowledge on topics regarding Civil Protection schemes and mitigation. Finally, the significance of forecasted change in storm occurrence from modelling of climate change impacts will be evaluated.

 

WP 2: Data standards

Leader: Mark Van Koningsveld (TUD)

Objectives

WP2 consists in creating new standards for archiving information reviewed in WP1 and new data that will be collected during the project (WP3). The objective of this workpackage is to take-in, store, process and disseminate physical data for each pilot site (bathymetries, waves, tides etc.) in a form convenient for the assessment of storm risk along the European coastlines. The new standards are important so that each site can have a protocol to archive data to provide end users with an all-in-one database at the end of the project.To promote in- and external cooperation MICORE adopts the approaches and standards proposed by OpenEarth the open source initiative for working with data, models and tools. (openearth.deltares.nl)

 

WP 3: Site monitoring

Leader: Balouin Yann (BRGM)

Objectives

WP3 is related to intensive monitoring of critical stretches of coastline at each site, according to the identification of risk priorities identified in WP1. The collection of data regarding waves, tides, currents, morphology and bathymetry must follow the data standards produced in WP2. Moreover, the socio-economic impact and the civil protection protocols are included as a "data collection" procedure to link the scientist outcome with the end users point of view.

Portable GIS tools will be tested to survey storm damages and prepare event-related assessments. Data collected within WP3 will be used to calibrate and validate the new model for creating protocols for Civil Protection.

 

WP 4: Modelling

Leader: Albertus (Ap) Van Dongeren (Deltares)

Objectives

A major aim is to test new and off-the-shelf models able to predict coastal changes after major storms. In WP4 routine models already used at each site will be tested with old and new datasets, while a new open-source model will be calibrated to give new means of predicting storm effects. A new model (X-beach) will be used to predict coastal changes generated by high energy events. X-beach will be open-source to let all the partners to modify the codes in order to calibrate it. The model will be a useful mean for European countries to produce predictions of storm impacts on beaches considering all the information available. The new model will be relevant to many different conditions among European coastlines, so that it will be suitable for countries facing the Atlantic Ocean as well as for countries facing the Mediterranean Sea or the Black Sea. X-beach will be used together with information regarding the socio-economic impact of storms so that a complete set of data will be obtained to produce risk maps (WP5). The outputs coming out from the connection between the model and the socio-economic impact will be used to develop Storm Impact Indicators (SIIs) that will be defined considering the impact of future storm scenarios, based on historical storm information (WP1) and new data (meteorological and marine) collected within the MICORE Project (WP3), both morphological and hydrodynamics. The Indicators will be related with the possible damage to natural and/or human properties, to the magnitudes (small, medium or high damage or complete destruction) and to the longshore and cross-shore spatial impact of the events. An Impact Threshold will be defined in order to know which are and will be the hydrodynamic and morphological conditions that lead to a coastal disaster or to damage to coastal structures and sensitive ecological environments like dunes and saltmarshes. SIIs will become important criteria to create risk maps with different risk levels according to oceanographic predictions.

 

WP 5: Warning system development

Leader: Piet Haerens (IMDC)

Objectives

WP5 is specifically targeted for Civil Protection. The Civil Protection is the end user that needs rapid information on where there are dangerous situations. It is fundamental to create new warning systems that are more efficient, based on predictions coming out from model testing in WP4. New system outputs must follow the standards coming out from WP2. The consortium will produce early warning protocols that will include all the variables relating to coastal risk as it is defined in WP1, data archiving protocols defined in WP2 and model predictions (WP4). In WP5 end users will be strongly involved. The main output of the WP will be risk maps that could be used by public authorities as well as private stakeholders (for example tourist industry, home owner associations) for long term planning and mitigation purposes.

 

WP 6: Dissemination and exploitation

Leader: Luisa Perini (SGSS)

Objectives

WP6 consists in the exploitation of the new protocols and the dissemination of the results coming out from WP5. All stakeholders at regional and national level will participate to local meetings. A multi-language report will be produced. The dissemination also includes workshops for end-users to illustrate the definition of risk for each site and the critical areas. Moreover, the new warning system will be presented together with a training session to tell end-users how to use the outputs from modelling (WP4), SIIs' characteristics and how the information are stored in standardized databases (WP2). A web site with a web-GIS will be produced in order to upload on the Internet the Project outputs such as risk maps, descriptions of areas at risk and available datasets. Storm Impact Indicators (SIIs) will be presented in order to give to end-users several parameters, together with their range of variation and thresholds, to estimate the damage and to better understand risk maps.

 

WP 7: Project management

Leader: Paolo Ciavola (UniFe)

Objectives

WP7 consists in the management activities of the project and the general administration of financial issues within the project. The main output of the activity, in addition to supervision and production of advancement reports, will be the production of financial audits of the project.

 

Visits since May 2011: 999

Grant agreement no.: 202798 Start date: June 2008 Duration: 40 months Coordinator: Prof. Paolo Ciavola, University of Ferrara
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