[still in prep] Coastal Resilience to Sea Level Rise

Resumen

Sea level rise is one of the most pressing challenges facing coastal communities, ecosystems, and infrastructure around the world.

This hybrid OTGA course, organized by the Future Earth Research School of the CMCC Foundation (Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change Foundation and the Decade Collaborative Centre for Coastal Resilience (DCC-CR) in collaboration with the supercomputing center CINECA, offers a comprehensive and interdisciplinary in-depth analysis of the physical, environmental, and socio-economic dimensions. It explores the driving physical processes as well as the human and ecological impacts. Through three online modules and an in-person, hands-on training week, participants will study challenges and solutions associated with Sea Level Rise and learn to perform risk assessment. The course will cover risk management strategies such as coastal defense infrastructures, and solutions ranging from nature-based approaches to urban design innovations. Special attention will be given on adaptation planning, with real-world case-studies from diverse coastal regions.

Participants will also develop skills to synthesize knowledge by working on Sea Level Rise (SLR) data, as well as to effectively communicate sea level risks to stakeholders.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:    

1. Understand of the physical processes driving SLR risks

2. Asses regional vulnerabilities and coastal risks

3.Perform data analysis on SLR Coastal risks using remote sensing, in-situ measurements, and open-access datasets

4. Gain insights on how to develop comprehensive adaptation strategies and plans for coastal resilience, with a specific focus on measures and solutions      

5. Communicate Sea Level Risks to Various Stakeholders

Course content and structure 

 The course is structured in three online modules and an in-person, hands-on training week.

Online asynchronous activities will include the following 2-hour lectures for a total of 20 hours:

 Module 1 - Understanding Sea Level Processes and Variabilities

1. Understanding and measuring Sea Level (processes, in situ data, remote sensing data)
2. Numerical modelling of SLR and impacts
3. AI/data-driven modelling of SLR and impacts
4. Coastal Resilience and SLR Early Warning Systems

Module 2 - Adaptation and Solutions

1. Adaptation Planning for Coastal Resilience
2. Sustainability Transition & Coastal Resilience for Business
3. Coastal Resilience Solutions: examples

Module 3: Technical tools for data access and analyses

1. Introduction to Cloud Space and the Jupyter Notebooks
2. Visualization and Extraction of Time Series for Specific Coastal Areas
3. Hazard Mapping for Waves and Sea Level

In addition, live tutoring (2h) will be available to support participants.

In person activities will focus on strengthening the knowledge gained in the previous weeks through additional lectures on related topics and hands-on activities. Participants will also have the opportunity to interact with lecturers and guest speakers.

Target audience and prerequisites

The course is targeting Early Career scientists and young professionals from -  but not limited to - coastal consulting companies, coastal managers and operators, environmental protection agencies, civil protection entities, governmental officers, industry and high level education institutions.

Other backgrounds may be eligible if relevant to, or if they demonstrate experience with, the topics of the course.

Language of instruction: English 

Instructors

Course directors:

Giulia Galluccio- CMCC Foundation

Villy Kourafalou – DCC-CR

Begoña Pérez Gómez - Puertos de Estado

Lecturers:

Experts on Sea Level Rise from CMCC Foundation, University of Bologna, Deltares, University of Aegean and others