A new generation of early warning systems for coastal risk: the iCoast project

Abstract

A new coastal early warning system CEWS called iCoast for the NW Mediterranean Sea is under development. It is composed of three numerical modules: meteorological, hydrodynamic and morphodynamic. The CEWS is designed for use on open sandy beaches, pocket beaches, secondary harbours as well as areas of coastal defences. A set of hotspots, prone to erosion or flooding, along the Catalan coast are being identified through a coastal hazard and risk mapping. Special attention is given to a set of intervention and emergency protocols based on the forecast outputs and the application of Quick Defence Measures (QDM) to diminish the risk. This paper presents the initial architecture and highlights the next step for QDM under the iCoast project.