Forecasting and Observing the Open-to-Coastal Ocean for Copernicus Users (FOCCUS): Advances in Coastal Monitoring and Forecasting to Enhance Europe’s Coastal Hazard Resilience

The Horizon Europe FOCCUS project ( Forecasting and Observing the Open-to-Coastal Ocean for Copernicus Users, foccus-project.eu), brings together  19 partners from 11 countries. In collaboration with  Member State Coastal Systems (MSCS) and users  this interdisciplinary and international effort aims to improve the existing capabilities of CMEMS and develop innovative coastal products that will contribute to resilience against coastal hazards and climate change. Recently endorsed by the UN Ocean Decade and part of the CoastPredict program (coastpredict.org), FOCCUS develops innovative coastal products through 3 key pillars: i) developing new coastal observations, ii) developing advanced hydrology and coastal models, and iii) establishing coastal applications for enhanced coastal risk management. FOCCUS develops novel high-resolution data products by integrating multi-platform coastal observations (in-situ coastal data and satellite and land-based remote sensing) with simulated data to enhance weather and marine services, and monitor ocean health, ecosystems and coastal changes.  New coastal products are created by data fusion, merging diverse data sources, implementing new approaches with numerical models and Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods for image processing and data analysis. FOCCUS builds on existing pan-European hydrological models and develops a pan-European ensemble to provide improved river discharge (sediment, nutrients, water volume and active tracers) for ocean and coastal ocean models and their two-way feedbacks at the land-sea interface. New methodologies are being tested, taking advantage of stochastic simulation, ensemble approaches, and AI. Working to improve coastal management, FOCCUS will facilitate advanced, seamless ocean monitoring and forecasting, from CMEMS global/regional systems to coastal systems, through demonstrations of new products and improved co-produced services. This includes focused coastal applications, co-designed with stakeholders, to address three areas of coastal protection: i) coastal management and protection (including the prediction of coastal erosion risk, marine pollution, and sediment tracking), ii) enhancement of the blue economy (including the co-use of wind and aquaculture resources), and iii) building resilience to coastal climate change (including tracking marine heatwaves, monitoring ecosystem degradation and harmful algae blooms, and predicting storm surge/waves). FOCCUS aims to provide the marine knowledge needed to support Marine Protected Areas, and address natural hazards and extreme events.

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.