What we do

The overall objective for MedSeaRise project is to define and promote a methodology supporting the assessment of risks and the adaptation actions related to sea level rise, due to climate change scenarios, specifically suited for the Mediterranean coastal areas.

Since the methodology is focused on a hazard common to the entire Mediterranean, the results of MedSeaRise will benefit the whole cooperation area and will be shared among economic, safety, and ecosystem preservation stakeholders.  Τhrough a series of activities the project will aim to improve the assessment of risks deriving from sea level variations in the Mediterranean.

From benchmarks, insights about a proper use of sea level trends data are collected and become a methodology, including strengths and weaknesses of data use for each class of impacts. Benchmarks are compared using both qualitative and qualitative approaches. Investigations will be conducted to understand how well the benchmark can be used beyond the circumstances of the case studies. The transferability of the methodology to the most relevant Mediterranean coastal areas is evaluated according to the affinity of the areas with those used for benchmarking.

The methodology rates each benchmarked risk, on the level of uncertainty induced by the inputs. Guidelines on which sets of data on sea level rise scenarios are suited to use to compare risk assessment results with the benchmarks are in the methodology. Guidelines and benchmarks are organized in a format where documents and data are suitable to lead stakeholders in the methodology application.

Methodology and developed supporting tools, such as datasets and benchmarks, requires to be properly presented and explained to the stakeholder, giving to them the necessary feedback which contributes to increase the capacity building of the involved actors.

Meetings with stakeholders and/or experts to describe the methodology and to identify examples on which to apply the methodology. Application of the methodology to examples and documentation of the results achieved on methodology validation.

Withe Paper on the uncertainties affecting the current knowledge and the data on sea level future trend in the Mediterranean and consequent impacts.

Green paper on the potentials of a large-scale testing of the methodology and its extension to a wider spectra of risks, together with capitalizing the knowledge achieved thanks to the project, in the Programme cooperation area.