FOCCUS project: New Insight into High-resolution Coastal Observations for Enhancing Models and Applications

Due to the high densities of human populations, diverse human activities, and a variety of anthropogenic pressures, coastal zones rank among the most heavily impacted areas of the global ocean. With climate change impacts escalating and the European Union's prioritization of a sustainable blue economy, comprehensive and high-resolution coastal observations have become critical to enhance community resilience. The FOCCUS EU-funded project (Forecasting and Observing the Open-to-Coastal Ocean for Copernicus Users) directly address this challenge by enhancing existing ocean monitoring and forecasting capabilities in coastal regions as part of the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS), and developing innovative coastal data products.

FOCCUS will develop novel observation-based data products through advanced multi-platform in-situ and remote sensing observations, merging multi-platform observing data, leveraging satellite multi-sensors, exploiting satellite mission synergies (e.g., SWOT), and utilizing data fusion techniques with artificial intelligence for image processing and data analysis. These efforts will yield improved estimates of essential climate variables, coastal ocean circulation, biogeochemical anomalies, harmful algal blooms (HABs), seagrass and macroalgae coverage, high-resolution topo-bathymetries, beach profiles, waves, and shoreline positions.

The new high-resolution data products generated by FOCCUS will significantly enhance weather and marine services, as well as monitor the health of the ocean, ecosystems, and coastal changes. Insights from these high-resolution observations will support hydrological and coastal model assessments, satellite calibration and validation, and the development of targeted coastal applications such as HABs and marine heat waves monitoring. These initiatives are driven by EU policies like the European Green Deal and Horizon Europe Mission, which mandate Member States to actively monitor, assess, manage, and protect their coastal waters.

By aligning with the UN Ocean Decade CoastPredict Program, FOCCUS addresses the urgent need for improved coastal management strategies. Integrating these data into CMEMS contributes to a sustainable blue economy, empowering informed decision-making for enhanced coastal resilience in the face of intensifying environmental challenges.

FOCCUS is funded by the European Union (Grant Agreement No. 101133911). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.