CONNECT: high-resolution coastal forecasting and monitoring service for Portugal

Anticipating and quantifying the risks of human activities and climate change in coastal zones is essential to support the management of these areas, guaranteeing environmental protection and supporting the blue economy.

CONNECT is a high-resolution, user-driven coastal service that provides continuous insight into the status of coastal waters, seamlessly integrating model-based forecasts and observations to deliver physical and water quality data on Portuguese coastal systems. The coastal service main features are:

i) shelf-to-estuary-to-river, high-resolution, circulation, wave and water quality operational modelling, using SCHISM and downscaling Copernicus Marine Service regional forecasts to produce daily forecasts of physical, biogeochemical and faecal indicator bacteria variables;

ii) real-time physical and biogeochemical data acquisition from in-situ observation networks, including data from the CoastNet monitoring network, and remote sensing data from the Copernicus Marine Service;

iii) AI-based prediction of river flows at the models’ upstream boundaries;

iv) automatic model-observations comparison, enhancing confidence in both;

v) synthesized information through physical and water quality indicators (e.g., statistics) and weekly reports;

vi) on-demand particle tracking simulations allowing users to explore “what-if” scenarios analysis, such as contaminated discharges;

viii) seamless integration with Copernicus Marine Service regional models and Earth Observation data.

Built in collaboration with its users and delivering open-access information through a tailored webGIS portal (https://connect-portal.lnec.pt/connect/), CONNECT supports informed decision-making for different environmental and blue economy challenges, as well as the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the Floods Directive (FD), the Bathing Water Directive (BWD) and other EU policies (e.g., Green Deal).

The coastal service is under operation for four Portuguese coastal systems, addressing extreme water levels and water quality management (Tagus and Mondego estuaries), shellfish aquaculture management (Ria Formosa) and bathing waters quality management (Albufeira coastal region).

The service’s modular architecture facilitates its extension to other coastal systems, making it a core service toward Digital Twins for coastal areas.