Assessing future wave climate in the Ebro Delta using SWAN nested modelling and CMIP6 wind projections
Coastal communities and ecosystems around the world are currently facing serious threats including flooding and erosion, which will be exacerbated by climate change in the coming century. While many studies focus on sea level rise, altered wind-wave climates will also play an important role in the e...
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| Tipo de recurso: | tesis de maestría |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2024 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/420465 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/420465 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Floods Waves Inundacions Ones Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil::Enginyeria hidràulica, marítima i sanitària |
| Sumario: | Coastal communities and ecosystems around the world are currently facing serious threats including flooding and erosion, which will be exacerbated by climate change in the coming century. While many studies focus on sea level rise, altered wind-wave climates will also play an important role in the evolution of future coastal hazards. Projected changes in wave patterns vary by location, with some areas expecting more frequent and intense wave events and others expecting calmer wave climates. As a result, studies at local or regional scales focusing on specific vulnerable coastal areas are extremely important. Intense wave storms including Storm Gloria in 2020 have caused serious flooding and erosion in the Ebro Delta in southern Catalonia. Understanding the future evolution of the wind-wave climate near the Ebro Delta is, therefore, critical for planning future mitigation and adaptation strategies to protect the area’s population, infrastructure, and ecosystems. In this study, wave climate projections were developed for the Ebro Delta for the period 2070-2100 based on two climate change scenarios, SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5, using the spectral wave model Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN). A nested SWAN model covering three domains—the Western Mediterranean, the Catalan Coast, and the Ebro Delta—was first forced with ERA5 reanalysis wind data and validated using measurements from seven wave buoys. The validation model forced with ERA5 data was generally able to simulate past wave climate, although results showed consistent negative biases in significant wave height (HS) and mean period (Tm). |
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