|
4DMED-Hydrology
|
4DMED-Hydrology aims at developing an advanced, high-resolution, and consistent reconstruction of the Mediterranean terrestrial water cycle by using the latest developments of Earth Observation (EO) data as those derived from the ESA-Copernicus [...] |
CNR-RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR GEO-HYDROLOGICAL PROTECTION – IRPI (IT) |
Science |
hydrology science cluster, Mediterranean, regional initiatives, science, terrestrial hydrosphere, water cycle and hydrology |
4DMED-Hydrology aims at developing an advanced, high-resolution, and consistent reconstruction of the Mediterranean terrestrial water cycle by using the latest developments of Earth Observation (EO) data as those derived from the ESA-Copernicus missions. In particular, by exploiting previous ESA initiatives, 4DMED-Hydrology intends:
to demonstrate how this EO capacity can help to describe the interactions between complex hydrological processes and anthropogenic pressure (often difficult to model) in synergy with model-based approaches;
to exploit synergies among EO data to maximize the retrieval of information of the different water cycle components (i.e., precipitation, soil moisture, evaporation, runoff, river discharge) to provide an accurate representation of our environment and advanced fit-for-purpose decision support systems in a changing climate for a more resilient society.
4DMED-Hydrology will focus on four test areas, namely the Po river basin in Italy, the Ebro River basin in Spain, the Hérault River basin in France and the Medjerda River basin in Tunisia, which are representatives of climates, topographic complexity, land use, human activities and hydrometeorological hazards of the Mediterranean Region (MR). The developed products will be then extended to the entire region. The resulting EO-based products (i.e., experimental datasets, EO products) will be made available in an Open Science catalogue hosted and operated by ESA.
|
|
4DMED-SEA
|
The objective of the 4DMED-SEA project is to develop a data-driven, 4D reconstruction of the Mediterranean Sea physical and biogeochemical state, exploit this information to further improve our understanding of the complex interactions between [...] |
CNR-INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCES-ISMAR (IT) |
Science |
Marine Environment Monitoring, Mediterranean, Ocean Circulation, Ocean Temperature, oceans, Salinity and Density, sea surface topography |
The objective of the 4DMED-SEA project is to develop a data-driven, 4D reconstruction of the Mediterranean Sea physical and biogeochemical state, exploit this information to further improve our understanding of the complex interactions between physical and biological processes at a broad range of temporal and spatial scales and explore options to transfer that knowledge into new solutions for society regarding the monitoring, restoration and preservation of the Mediterranean Sea Health. The project was kicked-off on June 22nd 2023. A meeting with FAO-GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean Sea) took place on September 7th to present the 4DMED project and discuss possible collaboration during the Impact Assessment studies dedicated to Fisheries.
|
|
Assessment of wave energy resource in the European and Mediterranean coastal zones using high resolution altimetry products – WAPOSAL
|
The project’s primary objective is to evaluate the potential of wave renewable energy sources in coastal zones of Europe, Mediterranean and archipelagos where the energy can be efficiently harnessed. To achieve this objective, the project is [...] |
INSTITUTO SUPERIOR TECNICO (PT) |
Science |
altimeter, coastal processes, coastal zone, CryoSat, Mediterranean, permanently open call, renewable energy, science, Sentinel-3 |
The project’s primary objective is to evaluate the potential of wave renewable energy sources in coastal zones of Europe, Mediterranean and archipelagos where the energy can be efficiently harnessed. To achieve this objective, the project is processing the whole CryoSat, Sentinel-3A, and Sentinel-3B missions data over specific coastal zones and using the advanced SAMOSA+ retracker for the retrieval of improved geophysical quantities.
The proposal will deliver a state-of-art database of along-track wave power density estimates and maps of seasonal and average wave power density, its variability and trend maps in the coastal zones.
The innovative aspect of the proposal capitalizes on the application of the high spatial resolution and improved quality near the coast of the along-track wave energy density estimates, to determine the locations with the optimal conditions for harvesting wave energy with a high resolution.
This 15-month activity, kicked-off in July 2024, will be led by IST-ID- CENTEC (PT).
Background and Justification:
In the context of the present energy crisis, harvesting energy from waves constitutes a possibility to relieve the energy crisis and accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to a climate-neutral Europe in 2050. Satellite altimetry missions have brought a new perspective and paved the way for renewable energy assessment from space. High-resolution SAR altimetry products, from the ESA CryoSat-2, Sentinel-3 and Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich missions, processed with coastal zone algorithms such as SAMOSA+ offer a new opportunity to improve coastal wave energy assessments.
References:
Ponce de León, S.; Restano, M.; Benveniste, Assessing the wave power density in the Atlantic French façade from high-resolution CryoSat-2 SAR altimetry data, Energy, Volume 302, 2024, 131712, ISSN 0360-5442, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2024.131712
Ponce de León S., J.H. Bettencourt, J.V. Ringwood, J. Benveniste. Assessment of combined wind and wave energy in European coastal waters using satellite altimetry. Applied Ocean Research, Volume 152, 2024, 104184, ISSN 0141-1187 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apor.2024.104184
Ponce de León, S.; Restano, M.; Benveniste, J. Assessment of Wave Power Density Using Sea State Climate Change Initiative Database in the French Façade, J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11, 1970 https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11101970
|
|
eXperimental jOint inveRsioN
|
The Earth crust represents less than 1% of the volume of our planet but is exceptionally important as it preserves the signs of the geological events that shaped the Earth. This thin layer is the place where the natural resources we need can be [...] |
GEOMATICS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (IT) |
Science |
gravity and gravitational fields, ionosphere and magnetosphere, Mediterranean, permanently open call, solid earth |
The Earth crust represents less than 1% of the volume of our planet but is exceptionally important as it preserves the signs of the geological events that shaped the Earth. This thin layer is the place where the natural resources we need can be accessed (e.g. minerals, critical raw materials, geothermal energy, fresh water, hydrocarbons). For these reasons, a thorough understanding of its structure is crucial for both scientific and industrial future activities.
In recent years, thanks to the increasing availability of seismic/seismological data and to satellite missions, the Earth crust has been thoroughly investigated and modelled at global and continental scales. However, despite this progress, the crust remains poorly understood in many regions as global models are often too coarse to provide detailed information about the regional and local dynamics.
Potential field methods, which exploit gravity and magnetic data, are a powerful tool to recover information on the Earth’s crust structure. A wide variety of gravity and magnetic data in fact have been nowadays collected at near surface altitudes in most regions of the world. These measurements, if properly combined with global satellite data can be used to refine at regional/local scale the modelling of crustal structures, depicting the boundaries between geological units and stratification of the crust.
To fully exploit these satellite-derived and terrestrial data ad-hoc physics integrated approaches, to reconcile all the measurements, are required. A promising solution to this issue is represented by the joint processing of both gravity and magnetic fields observations, possibly incorporating the available geological knowledge and constrains coming from seismic acquisitions.
In the XORN project an innovative, fully integrated approach will be developed to perform a complete 3D joint inversion of gravity and magnetic fields data, constrained by seismic and geological a-priori information. The developed algorithm will be used within the project to recover a 3D regional model of the Earth crust in the Mediterranean Area in terms of density and magnetic susceptibility distribution and in terms of depths of the main geological horizons.
|
|
extrAIM
|
extrAIM (AI-enhanced uncertainty quantification of satellite-derived hydroclimatic extremes) is part of the AI4SCIENCE activity. The first AI4SCIENCE ITT was launched in 2021 and had a focus on Extreme Events, Multi-Hazards and Compound Events, [...] |
National Technical University of Athens (GR) |
AI4EO |
AI4EO, AI4Science, Ecosystems, Mediterranean, platforms, science |
extrAIM (AI-enhanced uncertainty quantification of satellite-derived hydroclimatic extremes) is part of the AI4SCIENCE activity. The first AI4SCIENCE ITT was launched in 2021 and had a focus on Extreme Events, Multi-Hazards and Compound Events, and contributes to the ESA Extremes and Natural Disasters Science Cluster.
The AI4SCIENCE ITT had 2 main objectives:
Advancing Earth System Science: advancing our capacity to combine EO and AI to address a major scientific challenge: The observation, understanding and characterisation of multi-hazards, compound and cascade events and its impacts on society and ecosystems.
Advancing Artificial Intelligence for EO: unlocking the full potential of Artificial Intelligence for Earth System Science with focus on two main AI challenges: physics-driven Artificial Intelligence and explainable AI.
extrAIM will develop a first-of-its-kind, satellite-based, low-latency, uncertainty-aware precipitation dataset for the Mediterranean region, adjusted to account for the extremes’ probabilistic behavior.
extrAIM will combine statistical learning and Bayesian modelling methods (for uncertainty quantification) with an AI (Artificial Intelligence)-enhanced dataset integration approach, suitable for combining multiple precipitation products (e.g., satellite-data, estimates based on soil moisture), with an eye on model’s explainability.
Finally, and with improving understanding and awareness in mind, extrAIM will develop a user-friendly data-management and visualization platform able to provide easy access to the UA Mediterranean dataset, as well as communicate risks arising from individual and compound extreme events. In more detail, extrAIM project’s specific objectives are:
1. The development of an AI-enhanced, yet explainable and operational approach capable of optimally combining multiple SPPs into a single, and improved integrated SPP.
2. The development of a general probabilistic framework for the uncertainty modelling and quantification of the quantitative precipitation estimates obtained by SPPs (with a focus on extremes).
3. The creation of a first-of-its-kind UA satellite-based precipitation dataset for the Mediterranean region.
4. The development of a user-friendly data analysis and visualization platform, which will enable easy data retrieval and visualization, aiming to increase understanding and awareness against hydroclimatic risks arising from individual and compound extreme events.
The project results and publications will be made available at the project website: https://extraim.eu/en/
|
|
MedEOS – Mediterranean coastal water monitoring
|
This activity is part of the ESA Regional Initiatives programme. Its objective is to support the implementation of regional priorities in the Mediterranean region by i) developing and delivering a customized set of EO based products that fully [...] |
Deimos Engineering and Systems (ES) |
Regional Initiatives |
bathymetry and seafloor topography, Mediterranean, regional initiatives, sea surface topography, Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, Sentinel-3 |
This activity is part of the ESA Regional Initiatives programme. Its objective is to support the implementation of regional priorities in the Mediterranean region by i) developing and delivering a customized set of EO based products that fully exploit the large volumes of EO data from the Sentinel missions and other EO missions and ii) achieving measurable progresses in embedding this EO-derived information into the strategies and cooperation actions within the Mediterranean region. The specific objective of the Sea Application project is to improve the characterisation, quantification and monitoring of land-based pollution in the Mediterranean coastal waters by optimizing the use of the Sentinel missions and other relevant space and in-situ datasets to develop multi-mission high resolution gap-free maps of water quality parameters (e.g. Chl-a, turbidity, TSM, nutrients, bacteriological concentration,…) and added-value innovative products (e.g. river plumes contour,…) over the period 2015-present.
|
|
MEDICANES
|
Among the most prominent hydrometeorological risks in the Mediterranean region is the occurrence of medicanes, namely storm-systems that attain the structural characteristics of actual tropical cyclones. Medicanes have been widely documented to [...] |
CNR-ISAC – INSTITUTE OF ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES AND CLIMATE (IT) |
Science |
climate, Mediterranean, Modelling and forecasting, natural hazards and disaster risk |
Among the most prominent hydrometeorological risks in the Mediterranean region is the occurrence of medicanes, namely storm-systems that attain the structural characteristics of actual tropical cyclones. Medicanes have been widely documented to inflict important socio-economic impacts in the region. Therefore, the overarching objective of this project is to address these catastrophic systems in an integrated approach that aims to improve the numerical weather prediction of theses systems, monitor their development and assess their impacts. The project strongly relies on the use of already and newly available Earth observations (EO) for the ends of characterizing the physical structure of medicanes and for objectively determining the unique characteristics that grant to these systems a physical resemblance to their tropical counterparts. Moreover, EO-based tools based on AI will be developed for near-real time tracking and monitoring. In addition, novel modeling and non-conventional data assimilation approaches will complement EOs to better assess and predict the dynamics that lead to high-impact weather. These modeling approaches include both atmospheric and oceanic simulations in very high resolutions in order to better understand the hazards due to medicanes even in local level. A dedicated website will host new information about the physical characterization of medicanes with exemplary cases that allow the identification of the unique characteristics that discern these sytems from other Mediterranean storms. Finally, an Atlas of previous medicane occurrences will serve scientific and operational purposes of stakeholders. In these regards, MEDICANE will provide also a dedicated analysis of relevant socio-economic impacts, aiming thus to contribute to future mitigation strategies.
|
|
Mediterranean Regional Initiative Land Project
|
Objectives: to develop product, method and algorithm to infer the soil sealing within the 20 km of the coast all along the med basin usig S1 and S2 constellation at 10 meters resolution. |
Planetek Italia (IT) |
Regional Initiatives |
applications, land, Mediterranean, regional initiatives, Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 |
Objectives: to develop product, method and algorithm to infer the soil sealing within the 20 km of the coast all along the med basin usig S1 and S2 constellation at 10 meters resolution.
|
