Advice on the impact of sea level rise and changes in the wave regime on beaches and other low coastal areas

A research group from UIB has experience in the analysis of the changes observed in the physical marine environment during the last decades as well as in obtaining regional marine climate projections for the future.

Sea level rise and changes in the wave regime are altering the dynamics of beaches and other low coastal areas such as wetlands and deltas. Given the ecological importance of the latter, and given that beaches are a key resource for tourist attraction, it is convenient to predict how they will evolve as a consequence of climate change.

The research group has the capacity to supply:

  • Time series of the evolution of sea level and waves observed during the last decades and projections of the evolution of these parameters along the 21st century under different scenarios of greenhouse gases emissions.
  • Simulation of the impact of storms and sea level rise on the dynamics of beaches.
  • Projections on the coastal retreat in low coastal areas (such as beaches, wetlands and deltas) as a consequence of sea level rise and changes in the wave regime.
  • Advice on the economic impact that these changes may cause.

OUR EXPERIENCE

The research group, composed mainly of physicists, is part of IMEDEA.  They collaborate effectively with other scientists from that Institute that have a long expertise in beach morphodynamics. They also collaborate with other scientists from UIB that are experts in the economic evaluation of environmental changes. At the request of AEMET (the Spanish Met Office) and the Spanish Holding of Harbours the team has generated a set of marine climatic scenarios for all the Spanish coasts. They have also projected the physical impact of climate change on several beaches of the Balearic Islands and evaluated the economic impact of these changes.

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In collaboration with:

Logotipus del Ministeri de Ciència, Innovació i Universitats