Durand, Gaël, van den Broeke, Michiel R., Le Cozannet, Goneri, Edwards, Tamsin L., Holland, Paul R., Jourdain, Nicolas C., Marzeion, Ben, Mottram, Ruth, Nicholls, Robert J., Pattyn, Frank, Paul, Frank, Slangen, Aimée B.A., Winkelmann, Ricarda, Burgard, Clara, van Calcar, Caroline J., Barré, Jean Baptiste, Bataille, Amélie, Chapuis, Anne, Sub Dynamics Meteorology, Marine and Atmospheric Research, Sub Dynamics Meteorology, Marine and Atmospheric Research, Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA), UNIVERSITE GRENOBLE ALPES CNRS IRD GRENOBLE INP UMR IGE FRA, Partenaires IRSTEA, Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA), Utrecht University [Utrecht], Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM) (BRGM), King‘s College London, British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), University of Bremen, Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), University of East Anglia [Norwich] (UEA), Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Universität Zürich [Zürich] = University of Zurich (UZH), Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), University of Potsdam = Universität Potsdam, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), University of Zurich, and Durand, Gaël
Coastal areas are highly diverse, ecologically rich, regions of key socio-economic activity, and are particularly sensitive to sea- level change. Over most of the 20th century, global mean sea level has risen mainly due to warming and subsequent expansion of the upper ocean layers and the melting of glaciers and ice caps. Over the last three decades, increased mass loss of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets has also started to contribute significantly to contemporary sea-level rise. The future mass loss of these ice sheets, which combined represent a sea-level rise potential of ~65 m, constitutes the main source of uncertainty in long-term (centennial to millennial) sea-level rise projections. Improved knowledge of the magnitude and rate of future sea-level change is therefore of utmost importance. Moreover, sea level does not change uniformly across the globe, and can differ greatly at both regional and local scales. The most appropriate and feasible sea level mitigation and adaptation measures in coastal regions strongly depend on local land use and associated risk aversion. Here, we advocate that addressing the problem of future sea-level rise and its impacts requires (i) bringing together a transdisciplinary scientific community, from climate and cryospheric scientists to coastal impact specialists, and (ii) interacting closely and iteratively with users and local stakeholders to co-design and co-build coastal climate services, including addressing the high-end risks. Following these principles, as also adopted in the EU project “Projecting sea-level rise: from projections to local implications” (PROTECT), we encourage the formation of research consortia that cover the entire knowledge chain. In this way global sea-level science can be linked to effective coastal climate services at the scale of risk and adaptation