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Les descàrregues submarines d'aigua subterrània (SGD) són determinants per a la conservació del bon estat dels ecosistemes costaners en aportar nutrients, no obstant això, també poden ser font de contaminants. A Catalunya pocs estudis es desenvolupat respecte a les SGD, a causa de la dificultat que impliquen els seus patrons espacials heterogenis i difusos i la seva complexa dinàmica temporal. En aquest treball es van determinar 3 noves zones potencials de SGD mitjançant la identificació d'anomalies tèrmiques en imatges de la temperatura de la superfície de la mar (SST) obtingudes del processament d'imatges satel·litàries termals Landsat 8-9 TIRS. La metodologia d'identificació de les anomalies es va realitzar a través de 2 anàlisi; un d'imatges úniques i un altre d'imatges multitemporals amb el càlcul píxel-a-píxel de la desviació estàndard i el rang de la SST, paràmetres estadístics els valors baixos dels quals indiquen baixa variabilitat, la qual cosa és un indicatiu de l'aportació d'aigües subterrànies amb temperatures més estables en el temps., Las descargas submarinas de agua subterránea (SGD) son determinantes para la conservación del buen estado de los ecosistemas costeros al aportar nutrientes, sin embargo, también pueden ser fuente de contaminantes. En Cataluña pocos estudios se desarrollado con respecto a las SGD, debido a la dificultad que implican sus patrones espaciales heterogéneos y difusos y su compleja dinámica temporal. En este trabajo se determinaron 3 nuevas zonas potenciales de SGD mediante la identificación de anomalías térmicas en imágenes de la temperatura de la superficie del mar (SST) obtenidas del procesamiento de imágenes satelitales termales Landsat 8-9 TIRS. La metodología de identificación de las anomalías se realizó a través de 2 análisis; uno de imágenes únicas y otro de imágenes multitemporales con el cálculo pixel-a-pixel de la desviación estándar y el rango de la SST, parámetros estadísticos cuyos valores bajos indican baja variabilidad, lo cual es un indicativo del aporte de aguas subterráneas con temperaturas más estables en el tiempo., Submarine Groundwater Discharges (SGDs) are crucial for preserving the health of coastal ecosystems by supplying nutrients; however, they can also be a source of contaminants. In Catalonia, few studies have been conducted on SGD due to the difficulty posed by their heterogeneous and diffuse spatial patterns and their complex temporal dynamics. In this work, three new potential SGD zones were identified by detecting thermal anomalies in Sea Surface Temperature (SST) images obtained from processing Landsat 8-9 TIRS thermal satellite imagery. The anomaly identification methodology involved two analyses: one using single images and another using multi-temporal images with pixel-by-pixel calculation of SST standard deviation and range, where low values indicate low variability, indicative of groundwater contributions with more stable temperatures over time.

Actualment, tant dins de la comunitat científica com en la vida quotidiana, es parla constantment del "canvi climàtic" i els seus efectes. Aquest fenomen pot ser estudiat i simulat utilitzant diverses eines, com els models numèrics, els quals permeten fer prediccions basades en dades històriques. Tanmateix, tots aquells fenòmens ambientals (inundacions, augment de temperatura, increment del nivell del mar, entre d'altres) relacionats amb el canvi climàtic també poden ser estudiats i previstos. Aquest estudi s'emmarca en el projecte europeu anomenat DOORS, que té com a objectiu principal millorar l'estat del Mar Negre combinant ciència, gestió i indústria, per fer-lo més sa, productiu i resilient. Amb la finalitat d'assolir aquest objectiu multidisciplinari, el projecte està dividit en diferents temàtiques, una de les quals es centra en la recopilació i generació de noves dades per a la zona. Per tant, s'utilitzen diferents tipus de models per simular les corrents, les onades, la temperatura i la dinàmica costanera de la zona. Així doncs, en el següent document s'explica com s'ha dut a terme l'extracció i preparació de noves dades per a la desembocadura del riu Dniéster (zona d'Ucraïna). Per a poder estudiar les tempestes de la zona i predir-ne els impactes, mitjançant aquest estudi s'ha millorat un model d'ondes ja existent realitzant: a) el desenvolupament i implementació d'un model d'alta resolució eniuat a l'anterior i b) la generació d'una batimetria millorada de l'àrea de la desembocadura basada en cartes nàutiques. Aquest nou model d'alta resolució, basat en el codi SWAN (Simulating WAves Nearshore), s'utilitzarà en el projecte DOORS per simular la morfodinàmica i les inundacions del perfil de la platja barrera amb el model numèric XBeach., Actualmente, tanto dentro de la comunidad científica como en la vida cotidiana, se habla constantemente del "cambio climático" y sus efectos. Este fenómeno puede ser estudiado y simulado utilizando diversas herramientas, como los modelos numéricos, los cuales permiten realizar predicciones basadas en datos históricos. Sin embargo, todos aquellos fenómenos ambientales (inundaciones, aumento de temperatura, incremento del nivel del mar, entre otros) relacionados con el cambio climático también pueden ser estudiados y previstos. Este estudio se enmarca en el proyecto europeo llamado DOORS, que tiene como objetivo principal mejorar el estado del Mar Negro combinando ciencia, gestión e industria, para hacerlo más sano, productivo y resiliente. Con el fin de lograr dicho objetivo multidisciplinar, el proyecto se encuentra dividido en distintas temáticas, una de las cuales se centra en la recopilación y generación de nuevos datos para la zona. Por ende, se utilizan diferentes tipos de modelos para simular las corrientes, las olas, la temperatura y la dinámica costera de la zona. Así pues, en el siguiente documento se explica cómo se ha llevado a cabo la extracción y preparación de nuevos datos para la desembocadura del río Dniéster (zona de Ucrania). Para poder estudiar los temporales de la zona y predecir sus impactos, mediante este estudio se ha mejorado un modelo de oleaje ya existente mediante a) el desarrollo e implementación de un modelo de alta resolución anidado en el anterior y b) la generación de una batimetria mejorada del área de la desembocadura en base a cartas náuticas. Este nuevo modelo de alta resolución, basado en el código SWAN (Simulating WAves Nearshore) se utilizará en el proyecto DOORS para simular la morfodinámica y las inundaciones del perfil de la playa barrera con el modelo numérico XBeach., Currently, both within the scientific community and in everyday life, there is constant discussion about "climate change" and its effects. This phenomenon can be studied and simulated using various tools, such as numerical models, which enable predictions based on historical data. However, all those environmental phenomena (floods, temperature rise, sea level increase, among others) related to climate change can also be studied and predicted. This study is part of the European project called DOORS, which aims to enhance the condition of the Black Sea by integrating science, management, and industry to make it healthier, more productive, and resilient. To achieve this multidisciplinary objective, the project is divided into different themes, one of which focuses on the collection and generation of new data for the area. Therefore, various types of models are utilised to simulate currents, waves, temperature, and coastal dynamics of the area. Thus, the following document explains how the extraction and preparation of new data for the Dniester River estuary (Ukraine's zone) have been carried out. In order to study the storms in the area and predict their impacts, this study has enhanced an existing wave model by a) developing and implementing a high-resolution model nested within the previous one and b) generating an improved bathymetry of the estuary area based on nautical charts. This new high-resolution model, based on the SWAN code (Simulating WAves Nearshore), will be used in the DOORS project to simulate the morphodynamics and flooding of the barrier beach profile with the XBeach numerical model.

In this study, we use observations and numerical simulations to investigate the effect of meteorological parameters such as wind and atmospheric pressure on harbour water exchanges. The modelled information is obtained from the SAMOA (Sistema de Apoyo Meteorológico y Oceanográfico de la Autoridad Portuaria) forecasting system, which is a high-resolution numerical model for coastal and port-scale forecasting. Based on the observations, six events with high renewal times have been proposed for analysis using the SAMOA model. Therefore, the conclusions of this study have been possible due to the combination of observed data from the measurement campaigns and the information provided by the model. The results show that days with higher renewal times coincide with favourable wind-direction events or increases in atmospheric pressure. After analysing these events using model results, it was observed that during these episodes, water inflows were generated, and in some cases, there was a negative difference in levels between inside and outside the harbour produced by atmospheric pressure variations. The latter may be due to the fact that the water in the harbour (having a lower volume) descends faster and, therefore, generates a difference in level between the exterior and the interior and, consequently, inflow currents that imply an increase in the renewal time. These results are a demonstration of how meteorological information (normally available in ports) can be used to estimate currents and water exchanges between ports and their outer harbour area., This research received funding from the EuroSea project, under agreement with the European Social Fund (ESF) through a grant from FI AGAUR 2020 (Agency for the Management of University and Research Grants). This research has received funding from EuroSea project GA862626 funder H2020-EU.3.2.5.1 The authors want to acknowledge the ECO-BAYS research project (PID2020-115924RB-I00, financed by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033). The lead author has been financed by the Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca de la Generalitat de Catalunya and the European Social Fund (ESF)., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

This paper intends to assess the potential impacts of the future SLR on the operability of berthing structures and to estimate in monetary terms the adaptation costs to it. To do this, three scenarios of SLR are considered, two corresponding to the last assessment report of IPCC (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) and the other being a high-end scenario (HES), with a low probability of occurrence but physically possible. The research is focused on the case study of Tangier-Med port, which is considered as an economic magnet for the northern region of Morocco and the centerpiece of the government strategy for port development. The results show that the operability of the port will be affected only under the HES and from 2090 onwards. However, by 2100, in this scenario all the docks would be affected, especially the service terminal and those dedicated to containers, hydrocarbons, vehicles and general cargo, in which the percentage of inoperability could exceed 30% of the time. This would lead to traffic losses of 1.9 million TEUS and more than 22 million tons of cargo by 2100 while the adaptation costs would exceed 40 million euros (in present monetary units)., The work described in this publication was funded by the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme through the grant to the budget of the Collaborative Project RISES-AM-, Contract FP7-ENV-2013-two-stage-603396. The support of the Secretaria d'Universitats i Recerca del Departament d'Economia i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya (Ref 2014SGR1253) is also acknowledged., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

The Puertos del Estado SAMOA coastal and port ocean forecast service delivers operational ocean forecasts to the Spanish Port Authorities since 01/2017 (originally set-up for 9 ports). In its second development phase (2019–2021), the SAMOA service has been extended to 31 ports (practically, the whole Spanish Port System). Besides, the next generation of the SAMOA service is being developed. Research is being focused on (1) updating atmospheric forcing (by combining the AEMET HARMONIE 2.5 Km forecasts and the IFS-ECMWF ones), (2) upgrading the circulation model (ROMS), and (3) testing new methodologies to nest SAMOA systems in the Copernicus IBI-MFC regional solution (with emphasis on its 3D hourly dataset). Evaluation of specific model upgrades is here presented. Model sensitivity tests have been assessed using the available in-situ and remoted sensed (i.e., RadarHF) observations. The results show that SAMOA outperforms IBI-MFC in sea level forecasting at meso- and macro-tidal environments. Improvements by the herein proposed upgrades are incremental: some of these set-ups were used in the last SAMOA operational releases (i.e., the SAM_INI and the SAM_ADV ones; the later currently in operations), whereas the latest test (SAM_H3D) ensures more nesting consistency with the IBI-MFC and improves significantly surface currents and sea-surface temperature simulations., The authors acknowledge support from the SAMOA-2 initiative (2018–2021), co-financed by Puertos del Estado (Spain) and the Spanish Port Authorities. This contribution has been conducted using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information. Specifically, from its NRT forecast products at the IBI area. Likewise, ocean in-situ and HF-radar observations from the Puertos del Estado monitoring network are also duly acknowledged., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Mediterranean ports feature complex layouts and exert important environmental pressures in squeezed coastal zones. They experience mild meteo-oceanographic conditions during part of the year, leading to water velocities that are close to the resolution limits of observation equipment. The paper addresses the challenge of characterising summer port hydrodynamics by designing intensive field campaigns, focused on hydrodynamic variables, such as harbour entrance fluxes. The approach was developed for three Spanish microtidal harbours with different domain sizes and one or two entrances. These elements play a key role in harbour exchanges through the entrance and the subsequent water renovation. The paper will present and discuss the meteocean data and inferred variables, such as renovation times, which is a key indicator of water quality. From this basis, the paper will discuss the changing estuarine circulation patterns and the role of upwelling and downwelling on observed water temperature peaks. The conclusions will address the role of harbour hydrodynamics in integrated coastal water quality and port engineering, particularly for ports’ environmental impacts on adjacent beaches. To assess the full hydrodynamic domain, forecasting models are helpful. The continuous observations presented in this work would also help in the implementation and validation of these models., This research received funding from the Samoa 2 project, under agreement with Puertos del Estado and by the European Social Fund (ESF) through a grant from FI AGAUR 2020 (Agency for the Management of University and Research Grants)., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Storm Gloria was the 10th named storm in Europe for the 2019–2020 winter season, and it severely affected Spain and France. This powerful storm represents an excellent study case to analyze the capabilities of the different ocean model systems available in the Spanish Mediterranean coasts to simulate extreme events, as well as to assess their suitability to enhance preparedness in maritime disasters with high impacts on coastal areas. Five different operational ocean forecasting services able to predict the storm-induced ocean circulation are evaluated. Three of the systems are delivered by the Copernicus Marine Service (hereafter CMEMS): the CMEMS global scale solution (GLO-1/12°), the specific Mediterranean basin scale one (MED-1/24°), and the regional solution for the Atlantic façade (IBI-1/36°), which includes also part of the western Mediterranean. These CMEMS core products are complemented with two higher resolution models focused on more limited areas, which provide operational forecasts for coastal applications: the WMOP system developed at the Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System (SOCIB) with a horizontal resolution of roughly 2 km and the Puertos del Estado (PdE) SAMOA systems with a 350-m resolution that cover the coastal domains of the Spanish Port Authorities of Barcelona, Tarragona, Castellón and Almeria. Both the WMOP and SAMOA models are nested in CMEMS regional systems (MED and IBI, respectively) and constitute good examples of coastal-scale-oriented CMEMS downstream services. The skill of these five ocean models in reproducing the surface dynamics in the area during Gloria is evaluated using met-ocean in situ measurements from numerous buoys (moored in coastal and open waters) and coastal meteorological stations as a reference to track the effects of the storm in essential ocean variables such as surface current, water temperature, and salinity throughout January 2020. Furthermore, modeled surface dynamics are validated against, This study has been conducted using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information. Specifically, from its NRT forecast products for the global, Mediterranean basin and the IBI area. Likewise, HF radar and ocean in situ observations from the Puertos del Estado and the SOCIB observing networks and systems have been used. The authors acknowledge the MEDCLIC project (LCF/PR/PR14/11090002), funded by “La Caixa” Foundation, contributing to the development of the WMOP hydrodynamic model., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Recent advances in numerical modeling, satellite data, and coastal processes, together with the rapid evolution of CMEMS products and the increasing pressures on coastal zones, suggest the timeliness of extending such products toward the coast. The CEASELESS EU H2020 project combines Sentinel and in-situ data with high-resolution models to predict coastal hydrodynamics at a variety of scales, according to stakeholder requirements. These predictions explicitly introduce land discharges into coastal oceanography, addressing local conditioning, assimilation memory and anisotropic error metrics taking into account the limited size of coastal domains. This article presents and discusses the advances achieved by CEASELESS in exploring the performance of coastal models, considering model resolution and domain scales, and assessing error generation and propagation. The project has also evaluated how underlying model uncertainties can be treated to comply with stakeholder requirements for a variety of applications, from storm-induced risks to aquaculture, from renewable energy to water quality. This has led to the refinement of a set of demonstrative applications, supported by a software environment able to provide met-ocean data on demand. The article ends with some remarks on the scientific, technical and application limits for CMEMS-based coastal products and how these products may be used to drive the extension of CMEMS toward the coast, promoting a wider uptake of CMEMS-based predictions., The work of UPC team included in this paper has been funded by the Ecosistema-BC Spanish Research Project (CTM2017-84275-R/MICINN-AEI-FEDER,UE) of the 2017 RETOS State Research Program., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

La bahía del Fangar presenta un gran interés ambiental, aunque los usos antrópicos de la misma están alterando sus ecosistemas. Uno de los factores afectados es la dinámica sedimentaria en la propia bahía, que durante los episodios de resuspensión de sedimentos del fondo afecta a la turbidez y calidad de las aguas. Por lo que en este trabajo se propone modelizar numéricamente estos episodios para analizar sus repercusiones en el ecosistema de la bahía tras un episodio de viento intenso.

The Fangar Bay, located at the northern lobe of the Ebro delta in the Spanish Mediterranean coast, supports an important aquaculture industry that must coexist with eco-tourism and water sports enterprises.These activities have experienced an important growth in the recent years, which, together with the increase in temperature and acidification associated to climate change have led to water quality degradation and mortality events affecting aquaculture production.The bay mouth is controlled by the morphodynamic evolution of a fronting sand spit subject to longshore sand transport gradient.The sheltered character of this bay result in limited wave and tidal flushing power, leading to limited water renovation and quality degradation.The low water fluxes and long renewal times result in eutrophication and anoxia episodes, aggravated by the effects of global warming that increases the duration of high temperature periods.The present growth of the spit is narrowing the shallow bay entrance, reducing even more the water circulation inside the bay, therefore jeopardizing the sustainability of current socio-economic activities within the bay domain.The objective of this work is to explore different Nature-based strategies to increase water renovation and quality within the bay, without compromising the overall morphodynamic sustainability of the delta and without generating a significant Carbon footprint. Two main alternatives are considered to increase the circulation inside the bay: combining irrigation discharges with favourable wind events and controlled appearance of breaching channels and overwash fluxes to promote exchanges between bay and coastal sea waters. The performance of these Nature-based solutions will be assessed by means of nested and coupled hydro-morphodynamic models validated with in-situ and Satellite data. The paper will end with some conclusions on the exportability of the proposed Nature-based solutions for this and other micro tidal environments., Preprint

This work investigates the hydrodynamic response of two small and shallow bays located in the Ebro Delta, in order to solve the problems affecting mussel farms, such as the high temperatures reached in the summer period (>28 °C), causing the death of these bivalves, and the limited water renewal that causes anoxia within the bay. Nature Based Solutions are described focusing on two aspects: one, modifying the flow of these drainage channels, increasing the arrival of freshwater to the bays; and two, opening a gap in the sand bars so that there is a flow of sea water in and out through the innermost zone, which is where both bays have greater problems of water renewal. The impact of those solutions simulated with the Regional Oceans Modeling System (ROMS), consist of a set of nested domains that use CMEMS-IBI data for the initial and open boundary conditions (coarser domain). To validate the numerical model, data from in situ campaigns have been used for one full year (2014) for Alfacs Bay, and for the summer period (July-August 2017) for Fangar Bay. In addition, the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) is also studied as an indicator to reduce the mortality problems of mussels, but the results obtained do not reduce this variable. What the results do show is a decrease in residence time in both bays for both experiments, with the increase in flow being more viable than the increase in sand bar breakage., The authors are grateful to Ceaseless (GA730030 Horizon 2020 EC), ECOSISTEMA-BC (CTM2017-84275-R AEI/MINECO/FEDER/UE) and Curae (66-SE-CMEMS-Call2) projects. We would like to thank Jordi Cateura and Joaquim Sospedra (LIM-UPC, Barcelona, Spain) and Margarita Fernández (IRTA, Sant Carles de la Ràpita, Spain) for the data acquisition campaign., Postprint (published version)

The increasing demand for energy and the impacts generated by CO2 emissions make it necessary to harness all possible renewable sources of energy, like wave power. Nevertheless, climate change may generate significant variations in the amount of wave energy available in a certain area. The aim of this paper is to study potential changes in the wave energy resource in the Mediterranean coast of Morocco due to climate change. To do this, wave datasets obtained by four institutes during the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment in the Mediterranean Region (Med-CORDEX) project are used. The future conditions correspond to the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios from the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The results show that projected future wave power is very similar to that of the present considering the whole area, although at some specific points there are slight changes that are more evident for the RCP8.5 scenario. Another remarkable result of this study is the significant increase of the temporal variability of wave power in future scenarios, in particular for RCP8.5. This will be detrimental for the deployment of wave energy converters in this area since their energy output will be more unevenly distributed over time, thus decreasing their efficiency., The authors acknowledge the CMCC (Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici, (Italy), CNRM (Centre National de Recherches Météorologiques, France), GUF (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Germany) and LMD (Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique, France) for generating the datasets used in this study. The support of the Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca del Departament d’Economia i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya (Ref 2014SGR1253) is also acknowledged., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Ports are a potential focus of sea pollution and therefore port authorities and operators have a key role on the sustainability and environmental protection of the coastal waters. In the last decades, monitoring techniques of the marine environment have been implemented in ports, and accurate meteo-oceanographic prediction systems have been developed. New available systems may be used to obtain real-time data in order to improve risk assessment and the management of pollution events (e.g. video surveillance systems, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), remote sensing products, etc.). The availability of meteo-oceanographic operational services (for instance, the SAMOA initiative from the Spanish Port Agency) allows to implement statistical techniques, such as Monte Carlo simulations, to perform probabilistic studies of potential pollution events. This contribution aims to develop new strategies, focusing on two aspects of the marine management: 1) The incorporation of the statistical methods and the available data of the physical environment; and 2) The design of environmental risk management strategies adapted to the present regulations. These tools may enhance efficiency in the environmental management of port waters and nearby coastal areas reducing the negative impact of pollutant discharges., Postprint (published version)

El objetivo de este artículo es la presentación del Sistema PORT 21 de previsión de oleaje y Oceanografía Operacional (OO) de aplicación en la Región Sudamericana. Para la comprensión integral del sistema se citan los modelos usados y se muestra en primer lugar la metodología adoptada para su integración en la implementación de PORT 21. Posteriormente se describen los casos estudiados para ilustrar el funcionamiento del sistema, incluyendo un caso de validación y calibración del sistema en el sur de Chile, para finalmente resumir los resultados hasta ahora obtenidos. Se presenta una revisión de las dependencias de datos de entrada que tiene el sistema describiéndose los diferentes modelos y fuentes de datos de viento y de oleaje existentes en el estado del arte, alguno de los cuales han sido seleccionados para el uso rutinario del sistema. En las conclusiones sobre los resultados obtenidos, se realiza un análisis crítico respecto de los objetivos alcanzados hasta la fecha y se describen las tareas a realizar en el futuro., Se señala que este trabajo ha sido parcialmente apoyado por la infraestructura de supercomputación del NLHPC (ECM-02), liderado por el Centro de Modelamiento Matemático (CMM) de la Universidad de Chile., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Managing coastal lagoons, under present and particularly future climate scenarios, requires a robust and yet effective hydro-morphodynamic coupling. This is because the limited water depth and mouth width effectively restrict water renovation and control water quality. This has been applied to a Mediterranean coastal bay where warming and anoxia events are becoming more severe associated to the global temperature increases. The proposed coupling in terms of a sediment motion initiation criteria can be used for coupling hydrodynamic and morphodynamic models and can also be applied as a proxy for a sustainable management of these and another similar coastal case. The paper explores such an approach for the Fangar bay, in the Ebro delta (Spanish Mediterranean coast). However, the technique and conclusions can be applied to any micro-tidal semi-enclosed domain exposed to increasing warming and constrained by morphodynamic evolution., This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, through the project COBALTO (Ref.CTM2017-88036-R). The support of the Secretaria d'Universitats i Recerca del Dpt. d'Economia i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya (Ref 2014SGR1253) is also acknowledged. Finally, the authors are grateful to the Organismo Público Puertos del Estado (Spanish Ports and Harbors Authority) for providing wave data., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

Oil spill accidents during port operations are one of the main hydrocarbon pollution threats for coastal waters. Appropriate environmental risk assessment and pollution events management tools are needed to achieve sustainability and environmental protection in port activity. Recent developments in monitoring techniques and accurate meteo-oceanographic prediction systems have been implemented in many ports, providing tools for environmental management. A novel method based on meteo-oceanographic operational services, in conjunction with Monte Carlo experiments using an oil spill model, is implemented to perform probabilistic maps of potential pollution events. Tarragona port area was chosen as the study case for three reasons: it accommodates a hub of petrochemical industry, the availability of high-resolution wind and water current data, and previous studies at the area offer the possibility to check the results’ accuracy. The interpretation of the impact probability maps reveals a specific pattern explained by the mean hydrodynamic conditions and the energetic north-westerly wind conditions. The impact probability maps may enhance efficiency in the environmental management of port waters and nearby coastal areas, reducing the negative impact of pollutant discharges., The authors are grateful for the data provided by Puertos del Estado, Repsol Petróleo and Port de Tarragona. This work received funding from SAMOA 2 project under agreement with Puertos del Estado. The authors also want to thank the Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca del Dpt. d’Economia i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya (ref. 2014SGR1253), who supported our research group., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

La Unió Europea està promovent les energies renovables per tal de reduir les emissions generades pels combustibles fòssils. Entre aquestes energies hi ha la de les ones del mar. No obstant, el canvi climàtic modificarà els patrons de circulació atmosfèrica i d'onatge. En aquest treball, es pretén analitzar com el canvi climàtic pot afectar a la producció d'energia de les ones a una zona de la costa Mediterrània, concretament al Marroc.

The availability of tidal stream energy in the Ría of Ferrol (NW Spain) has been assessed using a long term hydrodynamic simulation (351 days). A priori, a strait in the central part of the estuary seems a promising site for tidal energy tapping, but the results show that barotropic currents rarely exceed 0.9 m/s during spring tides, with a maximum peak power density of 0.45 kW/m2 estimated at a spring tide mid-ebb. The maximum annual energy density is estimated at 415 kWh/m2, significantly lower than at other nearby estuaries. A comparison of the annual resource estimates shows that differences of up to 35% can be introduced depending on whether a simulation of one tidal cycle, one lunar month, or a full year is used for the calculations. This proves that usual tidal resource estimations, based on a single tidal cycle, can significantly misestimate the tidal energy potential of a site., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

In this contribution we investigate the hydrodynamic response in Alfacs Bay (Ebro Delta, NW Mediterranean Sea) to different anthropogenic modifications in freshwater flows and inner bay–open sea connections. The fresh water coming from rice field irrigation contains nutrients and pesticides and therefore affects in multiple ways the productivity and water quality of the bay. The application of a nested oceanographic circulation modelling suite within the bay provides objective information to solve water quality problems that are becoming more acute due to temperature and phytoplankton concentration peaks during the summer period when seawater may exceed 28 °C, leading to high rates of mussel mortality and therefore a significant impact on the local economy. The effects of different management “solutions” (like a connection channel between the inner bay and open sea) are hydrodynamically modelled in order to diminish residence times (e-flushing time) and water temperatures. The modelling system, based on the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS), consists of a set of nested domains using data from CMEMS-IBI for the initial and open boundary conditions (coarser domain). One full year (2014) of simulation is used to validate the results, showing low errors with sea surface temperature (SST) and good agreement with surface currents. Finally, a set of twin numerical experiments during the summer period (when the water temperature reaches 28 °C) is used to analyse the effects of proposed nature-based interventions. Although these actions modify water temperature in the water column, the decrease in SST is not enough to avoid high temperatures during some days and prevent eventual mussel mortality during summer in the shallowest regions. However, the proposed management actions reveal their effectiveness in diminishing water residence times along the entire bay, thus preventing the inner areas from having poor water renewal and the corresponding ecological problems., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

La variabilidad de la circulación en el mediterráneo está determinada por el efecto de los procesos locales y remotos generados por el viento, así como de la configuración de la batimetría y la línea de orilla. En este trabajo se realiza la caracterización la circulación utilizando datos de un radar localizado cerca de Salou, y datos de viento de la boya exterior de Tarragona y del Centro Europeo de Previsiones Meteorológicas a Medio Plazo.

SAMOA is a revolution in the way solutions are provided to the Operational Oceanography needs of the Port Authorities. An integrated system, ultimately based on CMEMS data, has been developed. A total of 10 new high-resolution atmospheric models (1 km resolution, based on Harmonie), 10 wave models (5 m., mild slope model) and 9 circulation models (70 m., ROMS) have been developed and operationally implemented. In terms of instrumentation, SAMOA improved the already existing large network of Puertos del Estado by means of 13 new meteorological stations and 3 GNSS associated to the tide gauges. 25 Ports from 18 Port Authorities will benefit from these new modeling and monitoring advances., Postprint (published version)

The implementation of operational oceanography in the past 15 years has provided many societal benefits and has led to many countries adopting a formal roadmap for providing ocean forecasts. Continuing the tradition of two very successful international summer schools held in France in 2004 (Chassignet and Verron, 2006) and in Australia in 2010 (Schiller and Brassington, 2011), a third international school that focused on frontier research in operational oceanography was held in Majorca in 2017. In the coming years, graduate students and young scientists will be challenged by many new observations (SWOT, Sentinel, AUVs, floats, etc.), complex high resolution numerical models and data assimilation (high resolution, predictability, uncertainty, changing computing platforms, etc.), and the need to work on many scales (open ocean-shelf interactions, coupled ocean-ice-atmosphere, biogeochemistry, etc.). The latter school brought together senior experts and young researchers (pre- and post-doctorate) from across the world and exposed them to the latest research in oceanography, specifically how it will impact operational oceanography. This book is a compilation of the lectures presented at the school and presents a summary of the current state-of-the-art in operational oceanography research., Postprint (published version)

In this paper, the wave energy potential in the western coast of France is assessed, analyzing 58 years of data from numerical models at 10 points located between latitudes 43º30'N and 47ºN. The study focuses on the temporal variability at different scales (monthly, seasonal and inter-annual). The northern part of this stretch is the most energetic (wave powers greater than 22 kW/m), with a decrease of the wave power southwards. The results show that both the wave power resource and the energy output of two wave energy converters (WECs) at the Atlantic coast of France have strong intra-annual and inter-annual variability. From one year to another the wave power may present variations of up to 200%, and the WEC energy output may almost double. These results illustrate that the average mean power alone is not sufficient for adequate wave resource quantification, and it is necessary to consider the intra-annual and inter-annual variability of the wave power and the WEC output when analyzing the potential installation of a wave energy farm in a certain area., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

Harbours are essential infrastructures for economic activity that are susceptible to impacts from climate change driven processes, like sea level rise (SLR), or alterations in wave patterns. In this paper, the impact of climate change on wave agitation in ports (oscillations due to wind waves) and, therefore, on port operability is analyzed. This is carried out through a numerical model suite, considering the RCP8.5 scenario to project changes in wave fields, and three values of SLR. The study is particularized for the port of Barcelona (NW Mediterranean), but the used methodology can be applied to other harbours. Results suggest that changes due only to waves will be minimal and with a general trend to slightly decrease wave agitation. On the contrary, the effect of SLR and the associated increase of water depth will favor the penetration of waves within the harbour, leading to a certain reduction of port operability, the magnitude of which will depend on the SLR value. However, the complexity of wave patterns within the harbours, due to multiple reflections of waves on port structures, implies that the reduction of operability strongly varies according to the position and orientation of the berthing zones inside the harbour., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

The exergy of the tidal currents in the ría de Vigo area (NW Spain) is quantified using the results of a 28-day long simulation of the tidal flows. The results show that the northernmost strait connecting the ría with the Atlantic Ocean is a promising site for tidal energy tapping, in contrast with the energetically weaker estuary. On the basis of the average power density (APD), a 7.5 km2 region is identified in this strait as the most advantageous area to install tidal energy converters (TECs), with a total annual exergy of around 3865 MWh/m2. Similar analyses using only 14-day simulations change this value in ±16%, depending on whether the tidal cycle considered is apogean or perigean. The study contributes to enlarge the inventory of sites along the NW Spanish coast at which tidal stream energy can be potentially extracted., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

The potential power output expected from the installation of a tidal farm near the mesotidal Ria de Vigo (NW Spain) is assessed using two different tidal stream energy converters (TEC). For this, the results of a previous resource assessment based on a 28-day long hydrodynamic simulation are used. From this data we identify the areas susceptible of hosting the farms, select the optimal location for them, and assess the total available and extractable energy for each turbine type. Finally, using a simple farm design based on standard inter-turbine separation, we estimate the expected power supplied by the farm. Irrespective of the site, the total available tidal power in the areas susceptible of hosting the farms is around 150 MW; at the optimal location, the hourly extractable power is about 22.5 MW, of which only between 10% and 15% can be harnessed by the designed farms, powering between 4411 and 6638 homes. A local analysis of the most energetic subregions within these sites increases this ratio up to 30%. Nevertheless, the power output is sufficient to fulfil the needs of between 1660 and 2213 households, depending on the chosen site and the selected TEC., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

Flow intensification episodes lasting more than 12 h are observed occasionally at different locations along the Northwestern Mediterranean coast. In the last years, these pulses have hindered ship operations outside the Barcelona harbour, thus attracting the attention of the port authorities. In this paper, the strongest intensification events in the Barcelona coast area are quantified and characterized in order to identify the mechanisms which generate them. For this, current, sea level and meteorological measured and modelled data, at local and regional scale, are analysed. The results show that the flow accelerations are due to the combination of a narrow coastal shelf and the prevalence of a strong and sustained wind from the NE to SE. The synoptic atmospheric conditions that lead to this meteorological scenario are described. For one of the events, the presence and contribution to the current fluctuations of a coastal trapped wave, likely generated at the Eastern edge of the Gulf of Lions shelf, and other factors such as a freshwater discharge are also identified and discussed., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

This study analyses the wave energy resource along the Atlantic coast of Morocco using a 44-year series of data obtained from numerical modeling (hindcasting). The spatial distribution of wave power is analyzed using data from 23 points along that coast. The estimated resources (average wave power up to 30 kW/m and average annual wave energy up to 262 MW h/m) are considerable and slightly lower than at the neighboring Canary Islands. The central part of this area (between latitudes 29°30'N and 34°N) is the most productive, while in the northern and southern parts the resource is significantly lower due to the shadow effect of the Iberian Peninsula and the Canary Islands, respectively. The study of the temporal variability indicates a considerable seasonal trend, being the wave energy resource over four times greater in winter than in summer. Moreover, the power matrices of two wave energy converters (WECs) are considered to estimate the average power output at all the studied points. Finally, a multi-criteria analysis is carried out considering five different factors in order to select the best places for WEC deployment., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

The fate and concentration of plastic pollutants in coastal seas depends on meteo-oceanographic factors and the multiple entry points in the domain. This will in turn control the implications for water quality, transmission of various biological diseases and the efficiency of recovery. In this paper we shall present a robust numerical model linked sequence that has been prepared jointly by Puertos del Estado and LIM-UPC. It is based on advanced, coupled meteo-oceanographic models that account for the main physical mechanisms responsible for circulation and dispersion. From here concentrations, times of renewal and trajectories can be derived with enough resolution so as to capture the important gradients in topography and bathymetry characteristic of coastal seas. The validation of these forecasts will require suitable data that address the various fields numerically predicted. This includes wind, atmospheric pressure, waves, currents and also the variations in mean water level. Such an observational effort needs also initial and boundary conditions that for dynamically narrow shelfs can shape the water, sediment and pollutant fluxes in the platform. In the paper we shall discuss the nested sequence that has been prepared and is now run pre-operationally for a set of Canary island harbours, where the Plocan data can provide valuable boundary information for model assessments. The simulated current dispersion patterns will be the basis to discuss impacts and recovery policy so as to maintain a water quality status in harbour areas and adjacent coastal tracts that comply with regulations and the requirements of coastal users., Postprint (published version)

The relationship between aquaculture activities and water quality plays an important role in determining the volume and quality of production as well as the impact of aquaculture on the aquatic environment. The natural assimilation capacity of a waterbody is often insufficient to cope with the continuous input of wastes from fish farms. Their impact depends not only on the waste itself, but also on other factors such as the local hydrodynamics at the farm site or the cultured species’ feeding pattern. We combine a hydrodynamic model with a transport code to simulate the deposition of fecal pellets and uneaten feed from a gilthead seabream farm in the western Mediterranean Sea. The simulation spans a full 17-month rearing cycle and considers the natural variations in the feed demand of the fish during this period. The results indicated that the maximum benthic concentrations of organic matter and nutrients were found within a 100–500 m distance from the cages, depending on the type of particulate waste and on the local current characteristics. The combination of a long simulation period and realistic hydrodynamic patterns highlights the importance of considering long-term current variability when assessing the environmental impact of fish farms, and stresses the limitations of current simplistic assessment practices., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10113-015-0879-x, The overtopping of port breakwaters may affect the assets located at the breakwater lee side. If adaptation measures are not taken, the sea level rise will increase the overtopping discharges putting those assets at significant risk. This study compares, at a regional scale, overtopping discharges over port breakwaters for three storm conditions (return periods of 1, 5 and 50 years) under present climate as well as for three scenarios of sea level rise based on recent projections. The results indicate that, for the worst storm and sea level rise conditions, the overtopping discharge would not be negligible (larger than 1 l/s/m) in 35 ports (84 %), in contrast to only 18 ports (42 %) being affected under present conditions. In addition, in 28 ports (65 %) the overtopping would be at least one order of magnitude larger than for present conditions. In the case of large storms, in 2 ports the overtopping discharge exceeds 200 l/s/m (the discharge that can initiate breakwater damage) under present conditions, while in the worst scenario of sea level rise the number of ports exceeding this value would be 7. On the other hand, the vulnerability of each port for which overtopping flow is greater than an acceptable discharge flux is assessed, and regional maps of vulnerability are plotted. For the worst storm conditions, 23 % of the Catalan ports have risks associated with overtopping under present climate conditions. This percentage would increase to 47 % in the worst sea level rise scenario., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

En el presente estudio se evalúa la dilución del efluente descargado a través del emisario submarino proyectado frente al puerto de Sagunto, y que vierte las aguas combinadas procedentes de distintas fuentes. Los objetivos principales del estudio son: i) Simular la evolución del vertido procedente de un emisario submarino en la costa de Sagunto, analizando sus posibles implicaciones sobre el medio, bajo distintas condiciones ambientales y de vertido. ii) Proponer, en caso de afectación ambiental, mejoras al diseño del emisario con la finalidad de aumentar la dilución del vertido. Los análisis realizados en este estudio se han basado en información proporcionada por GLOBAL Consulting Engineering, así como en datos extraídos de estudios previos. En concreto, se han utilizado el “Estudio de impacto ambiental del proyecto del refuerzo del sistema de abastecimiento del área metropolitana de Valencia y el Camp de Morvedre. Desaladora de Sagunto (Valencia)” y el “Análisis ambiental del emisario para aguas pluviales e industriales de Sagunto”. En la Instrucción para el proyecto de conducciones de vertido desde la tierra al mar (orden de 13 de Julio de 1993) se proporcionan una serie de ecuaciones para estimar la dilución de un efluente para casos relativamente sencillos, en función de la relación existente entre la profundidad de vertido (H) y la separación entre difusores (s), y que determina la interacción o no entre distintos penachos. Para s/H > 0.20 se asume que no existe esta interacción en el campo cercano, mientras que para s/H < 0.03 sí puede existir interacción entre penachos antes de alcanzar la zona de mezcla. En el presente caso, sin embargo, dicha relación es cercana a 1, queda por tanto fuera del ámbito de aplicación de estas ecuaciones, y es necesario recurrir al modelado numérico., Preprint

Intensive fish culture in floating cages is one of aquaculture activities that has grown fastest in recent years. However, this activity produces impacts ranging from alterations in the natural environment to social and cultural changes at the local level. The major negative impacts on the system associated with marine aquaculture are eutrophication, oxygen depletion and the disruption of local biodiversity (due to the input of organic matter and nutrients from uneaten food, feces and fish excreta), as well as other harmful effects in the medium and long term related to the various chemicals and therapeutic products normally used in aquaculture. Since the early 1990s, several models have been developed to investigate and assess the environmental impact of fish farming, and are used, together with field measurements, as production management tools. However, most of these use very simplified approaches, primarily in the physical aspects of the problem (bathymetry and hydrodynamics of the study area), and have been generally used to determine the benthic impact of particulate matter near the cages, ignoring the environmental impact associated with the discharge of dissolved nutrients and other substances from farms on the aquatic environment in general. In this thesis, two advanced models (the 3D hydrodynamic model ROMS and the Lagrangian dispersión code LIMMIX) have been adapted and applied to model the patterns of dispersion and concentration oforganic matter (carbon), nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and copper from the antifouling products that coat fishpen nets, from two farms located in the Valencian Community(Spanish Mediterranean coast), dedicated to the intensive cultivation of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata). A complete fish rearing cycle (17 months) has been simulated, taking into account the natural variations in food demand and biomass throughout the cycle. Specifically, the simulations have included the dispersion and concentration on the sea bed of, La piscicultura intensiva en jaulas flotantes es una actividad que produce impactos que van desde alteraciones en el medio ambiente natural en el cual se desarrolla hasta cambios sociales y culturales a escala local. Los principales impactos negativos sobre el sistema asociados a la piscicultura marina son la eutrofización, el agotamiento de oxígeno y la alteración de la biodiversidad local (relacionados todos con la introducción de materia orgánica y nutrientes contenidos en el alimento no comido, las fecas y las excreciones de los peces), así como otros efectos perjudiciales, a medio y largo plazo, relacionados con las diversas substancias químicas y productos terapéuticos usados normalmente en acuicultura. Desde los años 90 se han desarrollado varios modelos para investigar y evaluar el impacto ambiental de la piscicultura que se utilizan, junto con mediciones de campo como herramientas de manejo productivo. Sin embargo, la mayoría de estos utiliza planteamientos muy simplificados, sobre todo en los aspectos físicos de la situación (batimetría e hidrodinámica de la zona de estudio), y se han utilizado para determinar el impacto béntico del material particulado cerca de las jaulas, ignorando el impacto ambiental asociado al vertido de nutrientes disueltos y otras substancias provenientes de las piscifactorías sobre el medio acuático en general. En este trabajo se han adaptado y aplicado dos modelos avanzados (el modelo hidrodinámico 3D ROMS y el modelo lagrangiano LIMMIX), para modelar los patrones de dispersión y la concentración de materia orgánica (carbono), de nutrientes (nitrógeno y fósforo) y de cobre procedente de los productos antifouling con que se impregnan las redes, desde dos piscifactorías ubicadas en la Comunidad Valenciana, dedicadas al cultivo intensivo de dorada (Sparus aurata). Se ha simulado un ciclo completo de crecimiento de los peces (17 meses), considerando la variación en la demanda de alimento y en la biomasa a lo largo de todo el ciclo. E, La piscicultura intensiva en gàbies flotants és una de les activitats aqüícoles que més ha crescut en els darrers anys, degut sobretot a factors econòmics i a la necessitat d‘augmentar la productivitat per unitat de superfície en aquelles zones disponibles per al cultiu de peixos. No obstant, aquesta activitat, com qualsevol altra activitat econòmica, produeix impactes que, en aquest cas, poden anar des d’alteracions del medi ambient natural en el qual es desenvolupa fins a canvis socials i culturals a escala local. Des del punt de vista ecològic, els impactes negatius més importants associats a la piscicultura marina sobre el medi aquàtic són l’eutrofització, l’esgotament de l’oxigen i l’alteració de la biodiversitat local, que es deriven de la introducció permanent de residus de matèria orgànica i nutrients continguts en l’aliment no consumit, les partícules fecals, i les excrecions dels organismes cultivats. També cal tenir en compte els efectes contaminants i els impactes negatius sobre els ecosistemes aquàtics que poden tenir, a llarg i mitjà termini, les diverses substàncies químiques i productes terapèutics utilitzats normalment en les pràctiques aqüícoles. Des dels anys 90 fins a l’actualitat s’han estat desenvolupant diferents models numèrics com a instruments per a investigar i avaluar els impactes de la piscicultura sobre el medi aquàtic. En combinació amb mesures de camp, aquests models són utilitzats per productors i agències reguladores com una eina de gestió de la producció. Tanmateix, la majoria dels models fan servir plantejaments i anàlisis molt simplificats de la realitat, sobretot en els aspectes físics del problema, com poden ser la batimetria i la hidrodinàmica de la zona d’estudi. A més, generalment s’han utilitzat per a determinar els impactes sobre el bentos degut al material particulat que es diposita en el fons marí a prop (o directament a sota) de les gàbies, sense considerar els impactes ambientals que generen el vessament de nutrients d, Postprint (published version)