ClimBeach - Improving Coastal Areas Resilience to Climate Change Impacts and setting up Guidelines for Sustainable Beach Stabilization and Management
Program: Interreg VI-A Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro 2021.-2027.
Lead partner: University of Split, Faculty of civil engineering, architecture and geodesy
Partners: The Regional Development Agency Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Public Enterprise for Coastal Zone Management of Montenegro, University of Mostar
Budget: 1.785.195,60 €
Total EU funds (85%): 1.517.416,26 €
FGAG budget: 560.274,00 €
Project duration: 01.09.2024. - 31.08.2027.
Lead of the project (FGAG): Toni Kekez, PhD
Lead of the project (consortium): Veljko Srzić, PhD
The coastal areas of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro are renowned tourist destinations worldwide. These regions rely heavily on their beaches, which are increasingly exposed to the harmful effects of climate change. This is particularly evident in the more frequent destructive impact of wind-generated waves and rising average sea levels, leading to coastal flooding and a reduction in available beach areas for recreation, sports, and tourism. Wind-driven waves also significantly affect beach sediment, causing erosion and the gradual disappearance of beaches.
In light of these challenges and their importance, the goal of the ClimBeach project is to develop a unique multiphysical and multitechnological solution to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change on beaches and to enhance their resilience against erosion and flooding. Through the joint efforts of all project partners, the aim is to create solutions that can be applied to other locations within the program area, thereby contributing to the achievement of broader program objectives.
The intended outcomes of the ClimBeach project will be realized through collaborative planning, development, and implementation by all project partners. The project is built around a specially designed monitoring system for collecting meteorological, climatological, and marine dynamics data, as well as volumetric measurements of beaches and coastlines both below and above sea level. Building on this monitoring system, ClimBeach introduces a state-of-the-art IT tool, BeachCloud, which integrates:
i) Monitoring data for each specific location to accurately identify issues
ii) Procedures for assessing the risk of erosion and flooding
iii) Results and findings from testing various mitigation measures and their effectiveness in increasing beach resilience to erosion and flooding.
Based on the activities carried out, the ClimBeach project will facilitate the development of a strategy to adapt beaches to the impacts of climate change. Particular emphasis will be placed on both short- and long-term measures and interventions to prevent negative climate change effects, ensuring long-term and sustainable planning and management. Additionally, an action plan will be developed to guarantee the timely implementation of all elements of the proposed strategy.
Ultimately, the innovative aspects of the ClimBeach project can be summarized as follows:
i) Planning and implementing a monitoring system that consolidates meteorological and climatological data, including precipitation, wind direction, and wind speed
ii) Measuring parameters of wind-generated waves, as well as ocean currents and tidal oscillations, to identify local conditions and assess climate trends
iii) Developing and implementing the BeachCloud IT tool, which provides information on local conditions, external influences, and risk assessments for erosion and flooding, along with various measures and interventions to enhance the resilience of coastal areas against the adverse effects of climate change.