Search

Global mean sea level rise and its acceleration are projected to aggravate coastal erosion over the 21st century, which constitutes a major challenge for coastal adaptation. Projections of shoreline retreat are highly uncertain, however, namely due to deeply uncertain mean sea level projections and the absence of consensus on a coastal impact model. An improved understanding and a better quantification of these sources of deep uncertainty are hence required to improve coastal risk management and inform adaptation decisions. In this work we present and apply a new extraprobabilistic framework to develop shoreline change projections of sandy coasts that allows consideration of intrinsic (or aleatory) and knowledge-based (or epistemic) uncertainties exhaustively and transparently. This framework builds upon an empirical shoreline change model to which we ascribe possibility functions to represent deeply uncertain variables. The model is applied to two local sites in Aquitaine (France) and Castellón (Spain). First, we validate the framework against historical shoreline observations and then develop shoreline change projections that account for possible (although unlikely) low-end and high-end mean sea level scenarios. Our high-end projections show for instance that shoreline retreats of up to 200m in Aquitaine and 130m in Castellón are plausible by 2100, while low-end projections revealed that 58 and 37m modest shoreline retreats, respectively, are also plausible. Such extended intervals of possible future shoreline changes reflect an ambiguity in the probabilistic description of shoreline change projections, which could be substantially reduced by better constraining sea level rise (SLR) projections and improving coastal impact models. We found for instance that if mean sea level by 2100 does not exceed 1m, the ambiguity can be reduced by more than 50%. This could be achieved through an ambitious climate mitigation policy and improved knowledge on ice sheets. This research has been supported by the BRGM, IHCantabria and the ERA4CS-ECLISEA project (grant no. 690462).

Adaptation requires planning strategies that consider the combined effect of climatic and non-climatic drivers, which are deeply uncertain. This uncertainty arises from many sources, cascades and accumulates in risk estimates. A prominent trend to incorporate this uncertainty in adaptation planning is through adaptive approaches such as the dynamic adaptive policy pathways (DAPP). We present a quantitative DAPP application for coastal erosion management to increase its utilisation in this field. We adopt an approach in which adaptation objectives and actions have continuous quantitative metrics that evolve over time as conditions change. The approach hinges on an adaptation information system that comprises hazard and impact modelling and systematic monitoring to assess changing risks and adaptation signals in the light of adaptation pathway choices. Using an elaborated case study, we force a shoreline evolution model with waves and storm surges generated by means of stochastic modelling from 2010 to 2100, considering uncertainty in extreme weather events, climate variability and mean sea-level rise. We produce a new type of adaptation pathways map showing a set of 90-year probabilistic trajectories that link changing objectives (e.g., no adaptation, limit risk increase, avoid risk increase) and nourishment placement over time. This DAPP approach could be applied to other domains of climate change adaptation bringing a new perspective in adaptive planning under deep uncertainty. Alexandra Toimil acknowledges the financial support from the FENIX Project funded by the Government of Cantabria. This research was also funded by the Spanish Government through the grant RISKCOADAPT (BIA2017-89401-R).

Reduction of copper(ii) chloride using sodium ascorbate in the presence of pure sodium 5-nitro-tetrazolate (NaNT) forms copper(i) 5-nitrotetrazolate - a known initiatory explosive (DBX-1) - and the novel mixed-ligand copper(i) chloride 5-nitrotetrazolate coordination polymer Cu3Cl(N4C-NO2)2, as well as mixtures of both. The reaction is controlled by the presence of seed crystals and transition metal compounds other than CuCl2. Cu3Cl(N4C-NO2)2 is obtained as a wine-red, air stable, water-insoluble, crystalline and highly sensitive explosive material with a greater crystal density, lower thermal stability and a higher sensitivity toward hydrolysis and shock than DBX-1. Efforts to obtain the stable and pure starting material are improved by crystallisation of NaNT as a tetrahydrate. Cu3Cl(N4C-NO2)2 and Na(H2O)4(NT) were characterised by single crystal and powder XRD, IR spectroscopy, magnetic and thermal measaurements, elemental analysis, particle size measurements, mass spectrometry, and by drop weight testing.

The accurate modeling of the landslide?generated tsunami characteristics in the so-called near-field is crucial for many practical applications. In this paper, we present a new full-3-D numerical method for modeling tsunamis generated by rigid and impermeable landslides in OpenFOAM® based on the overset mesh technique. The approach has been successfully validated through the numerical reproduction of past experiments for landslide?generated tsunamis triggered by a rigid and impermeable wedge at a sloping coast. The method has been applied to perform a detailed numerical study of the near-field wave features induced by submerged landslides. A parametric analysis has been carried out to explore the importance of the landslide's initial acceleration, directly related to the landslide-triggering mechanisms, on the tsunami generation process and on the related wave properties. Near-field analysis of the numerical results confirms that the influence of the initial acceleration on the tsunami wave properties is significant, affecting wave height, wave period, and wave celerity. Furthermore, it is found that the tsunami generation mechanism experiences a saturation effect for increasing landslide's initial acceleration, confirming and extending previous studies. Moreover, the resulting extended database, composed of previous experimental data and new numerical ones, spanning a wider range of governing parameters, has been represented in the form of a “nondimensional wavemaker curve,” and a new relationship for predicting the wave properties in the near-field as a function of the Hammack number is proposed.

The evolution of the cross-shore beach profile is tightly related to the evolution of the coastline in both small and large time scales. Bathymetry changes in extreme maritime events can also have important effects on coastal infrastructures such as geotechnical failures of foundations or the modification of the incident wave conditions towards a more unfavourable situation.The available strategies to study the evolution of beach profiles can be classified in analytical, physical and numerical modelling. Analytical solutions are fast, but too simplistic for many applications. Physical modelling provides trustworthy results and can be applied to a wide variety of configurations, however, they are costly and time-consuming compared to analytical strategies. Finally, numerical approaches offer different balances between cost and precision depending on the particular model.Some numerical models provide greater precision in the beach profile evolution, but incurring in a prohibitive computational cost for many applications. In contrast, the less expensive ones assume simplifications which do not allow to correctly reproduce significant phenomena of the near-shore hydrodynamics such as wave breaking or undertow currents, neither to predict important features of the beach profile like breaker bars.In this work, a new numerical model is developed to reproduce the main features of the beach profile and hydrodynamics while maintaining an affordable computational cost. In addition, it is intended to reduce to the minimum the number of coefficients that the user has to provide to make the model more predictive.The model consists of two main modules. Firstly, the already existing 2D RANS numerical model IH2VOF is used to compute the hydrodynamics. Secondly, the sediment transport model modifies the bathymetry according to the obtained hydrodynamics. The new bathymetry is then considered in the hydrodynamic model to account for it in the next time step.The sediment transport module considers bedload and suspended transports separately. The former is obtained with empirical formulae. In the later,the distribution of sediment concentration in the domain is obtained by solving an advective-diffusive transport equation. Then, the sedimentation and erosion rates are obtained along the seabed.Once these contributions are calculated, a sediment balance is performed in every seabed segment to determine the variation in its level.With the previously described strategy, the resulting model is able to predict not only the seabed changes due to different wave conditions, but also the influence of this new bathymetry in the hydrodynamics, capturing features such as the generation of a breaker bar, displacement of the breaking point or variation of the run-up over the beach profile. To validate the model, the numerical results are compared to experimental data.An important novelty of the present model is the computational effort required to perform the simulations, which is significantly smaller than the one associated to existing models able to reproduce the same phenomena.

Although mangroves reduce annual flooding to millions of people there is not a methodology to implement these solutions and it is still difficult to estimate the protection provided by them under different environmental conditions and ecosystem properties. To move forward in the consecution of an engineering approach when implementing these solutions for coastal defense, the first step to make is to better understand and parameterize the basic physical processes involved in flow-mangroves interaction. With the aim of getting a new formulation for wave decay provided by Rhizophora mangrove forests based on flow and ecosystem properties, an experimental campaign was carried out where both wave attenuation and forces on mangrove individuals were measured under different wave conditions. Both, the hydrodynamic conditions and the mangrove forest, were scaled according to field conditions for short waves. The detailed wave attenuation and drag force measurements obtained in these experiments allowed to obtain new formulations of wave decay produced by the forest depending on the flow, i.e.: water depth, wave height and period, and on the forest characteristics, i.e.: individuals submerged solid volume fraction and density. These formulations are used to get attenuation rates under different flow and ecosystem conditions. The resultant curves provide with the wave decay produced by a specific Rhizophora forest subjected to the defined wave conditions. The forest is defined on the basis of its age, considering the differences in individual trees depending on their maturity and the density of the forest as the number of trees per unit area. Wave conditions are defined by the root mean square wave height and the peak period and water depth is also considered. The obtained curves allow to estimate the width of the forest necessary to reach a certain level of protection considering the local flow conditions and the forest age. This can assist in the inclusion of nature-based solutions in the portfolio of coastal protection measures.

Sea-level rise (SLR) is a major concern for coastal hazards such as flooding and erosion in the decades to come. Lately, the value of high-end sea-level scenarios (HESs) to inform stakeholders with low-uncertainty tolerance has been increasingly recognized. Here, we provide high-end projections of SLR-induced sandy shoreline retreats for Europe by the end of the 21st century based on the conservative Bruun rule. Our HESs rely on the upper bound of the RCP8.5 scenario &ldquo, likely-range&rdquo, and on high-end estimates of the different components of sea-level projections provided in recent literature. For both HESs, SLR is projected to be higher than 1 m by 2100 for most European coasts. For the strongest HES, the maximum coastal sea-level change of 1.9 m is projected in the North Sea and Mediterranean areas. This translates into a median pan-European coastline retreat of 140 m for the moderate HES and into more than 200 m for the strongest HES. The magnitude and regional distribution of SLR-induced shoreline change projections, however, utterly depend on the local nearshore slope characteristics and the regional distribution of sea-level changes. For some countries, especially in Northern Europe, the impacts of high-end sea-level scenarios are disproportionally high compared to those of likely scenarios.

Climate-related extreme events such as Hurricane Katrina (2005) or Maria (2017); Superstorm Sandy (2012), extreme precipitation or heat waves have directly hit many ports around the world in recent years. Ports are becoming increasingly aware of the risks of climate change, partly because of these events. However, very few are taking adaptation into practice, often due to the lack of information and the high uncertainties associated with climate change. This paper presents a multi-level methodology for conducting climate change risk assessment in existing ports following a sequential path that starts with a quantitative analysis focused on multi-hazard and multi-impact evaluation with climate information based on indicators. If needed the first level will be combined with a qualitative analysis based on perceived risk of stakeholders in order to determine the necessity of carrying out a high-resolution analysis, increasing the quantity, quality and resolution of input data, climate information and impact modelling aiming at reducing uncertainties. Results provide port managers with essential information to identify hot spots and prioritize adaptation strategies.

In this paper, an extended numerical analysis of the “confined-crest impact” (hereinafter referred as “C–CI”), induced by non-breaking waves on recurved parapet walls, is presented to better understand the physics and characteristics of this impulsive wave phenomenon, which significantly depends on the geometry of the parapet (here made by a sector of circumference) as well as on non-breaking wave steepness. A dimensional analysis of the forces has been carried out and used to analyse the results obtained by numerical CFD computations. The numerical simulations, performed for different radii of curvature, opening angles and incoming wave characteristics (changing both the wave height H and wave period T), have shown that the maximum impulsive pressure: (i) takes place on the top of the recurved parapet and decreases moving towards the S W L , where it tends to vanish; (ii) tends to decrease as the radii of curvature and the incoming wave characteristics (wave height H and period T) increase. However, this reduction in the maximum pressure, is always accompanied by an increase of the forces acting on the recurved parapet and a decrease of the wave overtopping volumes. Moreover, the maximum wave induced pressures have been examined by means of regular and irregular wave conditions in order to analyse the possibility of schematising the effects (i.e. forces) of an irregular sea state with those of a regular one, providing an equivalent force and therefore saving computational time. Based on the new results, a schematization of the pressure diagram induced by the C–CI impact has been proposed, used to extend the Goda-Takahashi pressure diagrams, valid for vertical walls in non-breaking wave conditions, including recurved walls.

There are coastal areas which are particularly prone to landslide-generated tsunami risk. The destructive effects caused by the impulsive waves, generated by landslide sources, can be strongly magnified by the characteristics of the so-called "confined geometries" (e.g. bays, reservoirs, lakes, volcanic islands, fjords, etc.). Complicated physical phenomena (e.g. trapping mechanisms, edge waves, wave runup, etc.) take place as a consequence of the interaction between the generated waves and the local bathymetry and control the tsunami propagation and interaction with the coast, often causing devastating consequences. Many past events of landslide-generated tsunamis testify this reality (e.g. Lituya Bay, Alaska, Fritz et al., 2009; Stromboli Island, Italy, Tinti et al., 2005; Anak Krakatau, Indonesia, Grilli et al., 2019). To reduce and mitigate the tsunami risk a proper comprehension, and modelling, of such complicated phenomena is crucial. Landslide-generated tsunamis have been largely studied by exploiting experimental, analytical and numerical modelling. Experimental tests are often time and money consuming, especially if 3D models are considered. Large facilities, as well as complicated experimental configurations and sophisticated measurement systems (e.g. Romano et al. 2016), are often needed. Furthermore, not always it is possible to explore in detail the influence of all the involved parameters, in particular those related to the landslide triggering mechanisms and rheology, that have a considerable influence on the wave characteristics in the so-called "near-field". To this end, numerical modelling can provide a valuable assistance. The new tools offered by the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods represent a valuable means for shedding light on the unresolved aspects. In particular, the 3D CFD modelling techniques appear to be crucial as far as the tsunami characteristics in the near-field, induced by landslide sources, are concerned. Indeed, the accurate reproduction of the energy transfer between the landslide and the water is essential to model the tsunami generation and propagation mechanisms, allowing to explore a large variety of landslide triggering mechanisms and rheology. In this paper we present a numerical study of the landslide-generated tsunamis in the near-field.Recorded Presentation from the vICCE (YouTube Link): https://youtu.be/liUdiV2qXPg

Coastal flood risks are rising rapidly. We provide high resolution estimates of the economic value of mangroves forests for flood risk reduction every 20 km worldwide. We develop a probabilistic, process-based valuation of the effects of mangroves on averting damages to people and property. We couple spatially-explicit 2-D hydrodynamic analyses with economic models, and find that mangroves provide flood protection benefits exceeding $US 65 billion per year. If mangroves were lost, 15 million more people would be flooded annually across the world. Some of the nations that receive the greatest economic benefits include the USA, China, India and Mexico. Vietnam, India and Bangladesh receive the greatest benefits in terms of people protected. Many (>45) 20-km coastal stretches particularly those near cities receive more than $US 250 million annually in flood protection benefits from mangroves. These results demonstrate the value of mangroves as natural coastal defenses at global, national and local scales, which can inform incentives for mangrove conservation and restoration in development, climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction and insurance We thank the supporting provided by the World Bank and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag. We also acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Innovation (BIA2014-59718-R). Authors are grateful to the useful contributions provided by Borja González Reguero (University of Santa Cruz California), Antonio Espejo, Sheila Abad and Pedro Díaz Simal (IH Cantabria). Pelayo Menéndez acknowledge to the FPI grant from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Innovation (BES-2015-074343). The authors acknowledge to the National Plan “RISKOADAPT” from the Spanish Ministry of Sciences, Innovation and Universities (BIA2017-89401-R).

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of three single-limb heated wired circuits (SLHWC) for NIV, on ventilatory parameters and humidification performance in a simulation lung model. Methods: Three SLHWC compatible with the MR-850 Heated Humidifier (HH) (Fisher & Paykel, Auckland, New Zealand) were tested: RT-319 (FP) (Fisher & Paykel, Auckland, New Zealand), Respironics 1045770 (RP) (DEAS, Castel Bolognese, Italy) and Intersurgical B/SYS 5809001 (IT) (Intersurgical, Wokingham, UK). A Bipap Vision ventilator (Philips Respironics, Murrysville, PA, USA) in pressure control ventilation (PCV) connected to a test lung was used for simulation. Each SHWC performance was evaluated in four ventilatory conditions: IPAP of 15 cm H2O with FiO(2) 0.3 and 1, respectively; and, IPAP of 25 cm H2O with FiO(2) 0.3 and 1, respectively. EPAP was set at 5 cm H2O. Hygrometric and ventilatory measurements including: relative humidity (RH), temperature (T), Pplat, PIP, PEEP, peak inspiratory flow (PIF), and tidal volume (Vt) were measured. Results: In each FiO(2) group absolute humidity (AH) was similar with FP regardless of the IPAP level employed compared to IT and RP (P < .001). Except for RP at FiO(2) 0.3, AH increased significantly in IT and RP groups as IPAP increased (P < .001). PIP, Pplat, PEEP, PIF, and Vt values were significantly higher with FP and RP in each FiO(2) group compared to IT (P < .001). Conclusions: Humidification performance varied significantly among the three circuits, being FP the only one able to maintain stable AH values during the study with no influence on ventilatory parameters. (C) 2019 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Shoreline recession due to the combined effect of waves, tides and sea level rise is increasingly becoming a major threat to beaches, one of the main assets of seaside tourist destinations. Given such an uncertain future climate and the climate-sensitive nature of many decisions that affect the long term, there is a growing need to shift current approaches towards probabilistic frameworks able to take uncertainty into account. This study contributes to climate change research by exploring the effects of erosion on the recreation value of beaches as a key indicator in the tourism sector. The new paradigm relates eroded sand to geographic and socioeconomic aspects and other physical settings, including beach type, quality and accesses, yielding monetary estimates of risk in probabilistic terms. Additionally, we look into policy implications regarding tourism management, adaptation and risk reduction. The methodology was implemented in 57 beaches in Asturias (north of Spain).

This paper presents a methodology to evaluate the influence of downtime on the long-term energy yield of a floating wind farm. It is based on the definition and integration of three models: a discrete event model, which simulates failures and reparation times, a floating wind turbine model, which simulates platform motions and operational stops, and a wind farm model, which models wake effects between turbines. The methodology is applied to a wind farm composed by ten floating turbines and located off the coast of Cantabria, Spain. Results indicate that downtime affects significantly the mean energy yield of the farm, which decreases linearly with the mean failure rate, mean reparation time and probability of exceedance of the operational thresholds for the considered case studies.

One approach to identifying and mapping the state of marine biophysical conditions is the identification of large-scale ecological units for which conditions are similar and the strategies of management may also be similar. Because biological processes are difficult to directly record over large areas, abiotic characteristics are used as surrogate parameters. In this work, the Mediterranean Sea was classified into homogeneous spatial areas based on abiotic variables. Eight parameters were selected based on salinity, sea surface temperature, photosynthetically active radiation, sea-wave heights and depth variables. The parameters were gathered in grid points of 0.5° spatial resolution in the open sea and 0.125° in coastal areas. The typologies were obtained by data mining the eight parameters throughout the Mediterranean and combining two clustering techniques: self-organizing maps and the k-means algorithm. The result is a division of the Mediterranean Sea into seven typologies. For these typologies, the classification recognizes differences in temperature, salinity and radiation. In addition, it separates coastal from deep areas. The influence of river discharges and the entrance of water from other seas are also reflected. These results are consistent with the ecological requirements of the five studied seagrasses ( Posidonia oceanica , Zostera marina , Zostera noltei , Cymodocea nodosa , Halophila stipulacea ), supporting the suitability of the resulting classification and the proposed methodology. The approach thus provides a tool for the sustainable management of large marine areas and the ability to address not only present threats but also future conditions, such as climate change.

This study presents IH-LANS (Long-term ANthropized coastlines Simulation tool), a numerical model for addressing long-term coastline evolution at local to regional scales in highly anthropized coasts. In IH-LANS, a hybrid (statistical-numerical) deep-water propagation module and a data-assimilated shoreline evolution model are coupled. Longshore and cross-shore processes are integrated together with the effects of man-made interventions. For every simulation, shoreline changes in response to time varying wave conditions and water levels are evaluated while reducing calibration uncertainty by means of an extended Kalman filter that allows to assimilate shoreline observations. To test model performance, IH-LANS is applied to a highly anthropized 40 km stretch located along the Spanish Mediterranean coast. The model is run during the period 1990–2020 using high space-time resolution climate data and satellite-derived shorelines in order to calibrate the free parameters and validate model outputs. Shoreline evolution is successfully represented (

Although mangroves reduce the daily risk of flood for millions of people, it is still difficult to estimate the protection they provide for variable wave conditions and forest characteristics. This aspect is crucial for the promotion of conservation and restoration of mangrove forests and for the estimation of how the coastal protection service they provide will evolve over time. This paper presents evidence and a new method for the estimation of the relationship between mangrove forest age and wave attenuation. The forest under analysis is characterised by the age of the Rhizophora mangrove trees, where consideration is given to the differences in the maturity of its individual trees and the density of the forest. Environmental conditions are defined by water levels and incoming wave height and period. A set of empirical and analytical relations expressing wave attenuation as a function of the submerged solid volume fraction (SVF) are presented. Changes is tree morphology and forest characteristics with forest age, as well as the contribution of the tree canopy, are taken into account. Results indicate that, after restoration, it may take only 5 years to obtain a forest's maximum coastal protection capacity. Additionally, such capacity appears to be maintained throughout the forest's lifetime with minor variations, provided the forest is not affected by any conditions altering its health, such as extreme wave events or anthropogenic action that may modify its habitat. Our findings present a new approach to quantifying the protection provided by mangroves without requiring any calibration. These findings can also assist in planning mangrove restoration and assessing associated benefits by providing the incorporation of nature-based solutions or ecosystem-based adaptation into coastal management.

In the context of growing concern about the threat of flooding posed by climate change in coastal areas, the Spanish plan for coastal adaptation to climate change gave rise to stringent requirements on risk consequence estimates at the regional scale O (100 km). Within this framework, we propose a methodology that combines high space-time resolution climate information (reanalysis databases and projections), local data on exposure that accounts for the most relevant sectors, site-specific vulnerability functions, and flood risk consequence valuation, gridded at 5 m. This approach involves efficient multiple-forcing flood modeling, in which the connection between climate change and potential inundation is primarily established through the definition of a total water level index. This research tackles challenging issues, including the importance of incorporating the effects of existing coastal defenses and local wave effects in port areas, dealing with data at different spatial scales and sectors in an integrated way, and the impact of discounting. The results provide insights into the possible consequences of inaction for a range of future scenarios based on changes in climate and socio-economics over the most relevant sectors. With the goal of prioritizing adaptive action and the efficient assignment of funds, we propose a weight-based integration of the sectoral value-at-risk through the application of Bayesian techniques and expert judgment. The methodology described here was applied to a pilot case study on the coast of Asturias in northern Spain.

A family of heterometallic [Cat][TixMO(x+1)(O2CtBu)2x+2] rings is reported where Cat=a secondary or tertiary alkyl ammonium ion, x=7, 8 or 9, and M=FeIII, GaIII, CrIII, InIII and AlIII. The structures are regular polygons with eight, nine or ten vertices with each edge bridged by an oxide and two pivalates. The size of the ring formed is controlled by the alkylammonium cation present. In each case a homometallic by-product is found [Cat][TixO(x+1)(O2CtBu)2x−1].

This study presents the design, development, scheme and field validation of an early-alert ocean wave system. It is designed to automate, improve, analyse, design and manage the daily construction activities of any harbour at construction stage. The objective is threefold: a) maximise construction safety, with regards to well-known hazards which occur during construction, especially breakwaters that interact with high-energy sea states, b) optimise the transport, by means of specialised vessels, of the refill material, and c) to minimise the construction delay and disruption on a daily basis, thanks to short-term construction forecasting (96 h). The system, known as PATO, offers short-term sea states characteristics, at any point near harbour structures, and relevant wave-structure interaction parameters at any harbour construction stage. The system is able to assist harbour project managers by providing accurate ocean wave data through a user-friendly interface.

Global wave hindcasts provide wave climate information for long time periods which helps to improve our understanding of climate variability, long term trends and extremes. This information is extremely useful for coastal studies and can be used both directly or as boundary conditions for regional and local downscalings. This work presents the GOW2 database, a long-term wave hindcast covering the world coastline with improved resolution in coastal areas and along ocean islands. For developing the GOW2 hindcast, WAVEWATCH III wave model is used in a multigrid two-way nesting configuration from 1979 onwards. The multigrid includes a global grid of half degree spatial resolution, specific grids configured for the Arctic and the Antarctic polar areas, and a grid of higher resolution (about 25 km) for all the coastal locations at a depth shallower than 200 m. Available outputs include hourly sea state parameters (e.g. significant wave height, peak period, mean wave direction) and series of 3-h spectra at more than 40000 locations in coastal areas. Comparisons with instrumental data show a clear improvement with respect to existing global hindcasts, especially in semi-enclosed basins and areas with a complex bathymetry. The effect of tropical cyclones is also well-captured thanks to the high resolution of the forcings and the wave model setup. The new database shows a high potential for a variety of applications in coastal engineering.

En un contexto de crecientes impactos y riesgos socio-económicos en las costas del planeta, la protección costera basada en ecosistemas surge como un nuevo paradigma que une los principios de protección, sostenibilidad y resiliencia, a la vez que proporciona múltiples beneficios. Este artículo ofrece una perspectiva sobre qué son y cómo se pueden utilizar las defensas naturales en el diseño, planificación y gestión de costas. La política pública muestra un creciente interés por su implementación general y el cuerpo de conocimiento y experiencia alrededor de la también denominada infraestructura ?verde? es creciente, pero aún existen importantes barreras que salvar. Una de ellas es estandarizar su diseño en términos ingenieriles, así como reconocer los aspectos que los diferencian respecto a enfoques tradicionales. La adaptación climática y la reducción de riesgos son áreas en las que su utilización puede ser más significativa, debido a la variedad de servicios que ofrecen. Tanto desde el punto de vista técnico como económico, existen argumentos sólidos para evitar la degradación de los ecosistemas, avanzando su restauración y conservación, como también desde la perspectiva de la defensa de las costas. In a context of increasing socio-economic impacts and risks in the coastal areas of the planet, coastal protection based on ecosystem features becomes a new paradigm that combines the principles of conservation, sustainability and resilience, while providing multiple benefits. This paper provides a perspective on what these are and how they can be used in the design, planning and management of the coastal zones. Policy-makers are calling for further uptake and implementation across the board and the body of knowledge and experience around the socalled ?green? infrastructure is growing, but there are still major barriers for a widespread uptake. One of them is to standardize designs in engineering terms, recognizing the different characteristics compared to traditional engineering solutions. Climate adaptation and risk reduction are areas where its use may be more significant, for the variety of services they offer. Both technically and economically, there are strong arguments to prevent degradation of ecosystems and to advance in their restoration and conservation, as well as from a coastal defense perspective.