Preventing natural disasters caused by climate change in Mediterranean coastal areas subject to sea level rise is the aim of SAVEMEDCOASTS Sea Level Rise Scenarios along the Mediterranean Coasts, the project presented in Brussels and coordinated by the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). SAVEMEDCOASTS is one of the 26 projects funded by the European Union Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (DG-ECHO) within the Call 2016 Proposals for Prevention and Preparedness in Civil Protection and marine Pollution and aims to support civil protection on coastal risk assessment and sensitize coastal communities to the effects of sea level rise. Researchers will be able to access the combined use of geodetic, topographic and climatic data. In particular those of the IPCC (IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and other independent research, which estimate a global sea level increase of between 75 and 190 cm by the end of this century. This represents one of the most severe impacts of climate change to be addressed in the coming years. These values will be higher along subsiding coasts due to natural or anthropic causes. Since the Mediterranean is one of the most active areas in the world from a geodynamic point of view, tectonic and volcanic subsidence plays an important role in accelerating marine ingression, with the consequent risk of submerging coastal stretches. With a sea level higher than the current one, the effects exerted by storm surges, floods, coastal erosion and tsunamis will also be amplified, with consequent impacts on coastal populations, infrastructures and cultural heritage. SAVEMEDCOASTS intends to mitigate these risks, providing multi-temporal marine intrusion scenarios, preparing people to face these changes.
More information about the project and its progress can be seen through the website www.savemedcoasts.eu
The European project SAVEMEDCOASTS is underway
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