COAST

COAST (Coastal OceAn SusTainability in Changing Climate) project focuses on the sustainability of the coastal ocean under the impacts of ongoing and projected climate variability and change. The project will address impacts of climate change and increased human activity on coastal zones by integrating the natural and social domains of the coastal ocean and tracking how changes will affect the use and the infrastructure of today and in different scenarios for the future. We will assess the impact on human communities in view of their ability to adjust to long-term change in terms of policy-making, legislation, and business development and survival rates. With the project motto "think globally - act regionally" COAST will consider shelf areas of the polar Kara Sea and of the Black Sea, the tropical coastal Atlantic Ocean off South America (estuary of Parana and Uruguay Rivers) and the coastal areas of the arid Red Sea. All these regions are characterized by medium to high human impact on marine ecosystems, different tendencies in sea level, increasing impacts of waves and surges on coastal erosion and intensified coastal hydrological cycles. Project methodologies include data analysis, ocean circulation and wave models forced by high resolution atmospheric model, process-oriented models for river plumes, pollutant transports and ecosystems. The further use of regional climate models will ensure for developing improved regional projections under different climate change scenarios. Physical model results will be incorporated into regional configurations of socio-economic model for the translation of regional physical and biochemical variables into a suite of impact metrics. The project will be carried out by international and multidisciplinary team of natural scientists (IORAS, FURG, IGE, and KAUST), social scientists (GWU and IEPRAS), NGO and in-kind partners and stakeholders from different industries representing Russia, Brazil, France, Saudi Arabia and USA. This ensures the development of society-relevant recommendations and environmentally friendly business solutions for ocean coastal areas.