ElbeXtreme
ElbeXtreme is part of the third DAM research mission, mareXtreme, focusing on studying and managing marine extreme events, such as floods, droughts, heatwaves, and storm surges.
Extreme events pose significant risks to coastal ecosystems and human communities. Global climate change and ecosystem degradation are increasing the frequency and intensity of these events. The Elbe Estuary and the German Bight are vulnerable to extreme hydrodynamic and environmental events such as storm surges, heatwaves, floods and pollution events due to their geographical location and intensive use. These events can cause significant damage to water quality and ecosystems as well as affect biodiversity.
Our objective is to assess the consequences that extreme events have on ecosystems and ecosystems services of estuarine and coastal systems. Ultimately, we aim to develop sustainable adaption and mitigation strategies in collaboration with stakeholders.
In practice, we will identify and analyze historical extreme events through data mining, refine observational approaches, and integrate these observations into coupled models, leading to a Digital Twin of the Elbe and its estuary. Furthermore, ElbeXtreme will use the region as a Living Lab to test strategies and measures to reduce risks and adapt to extreme events. A Digital Toolbox will be developed to enhance the information flow between science, politics and practice, and, eventually, to act as a prototype for new early warning systems to enhance risk management.
Hereon leads Work Package 5, Knowledge integration and transfer products.
The Global Coast department is involved in ElbeXtreme in several topics. On one hand, we contribute our expertise in data management, mining, & analysis. One of ElbeXtreme’s first results was a harmonized definition of extreme events and a working concept of extreme event chains, that all partners agreed on. The department is involved in the development of an innovative power supply for autonomous sensor platforms. Using our expertise from earlier projects, we are also responsible for the development of an ElbeXtreme Digital Toolbox, that provides stakeholders with comprehensible and interactive information tools, as well as expert tools to simplify the use of ElbeXtreme data products. In close cooperation with THW (German governmental disaster relief organization), we will also investigate the possibility to enhance the THW Deichläufer training app with a riverine component and develop a suitable prototype.
Hereon’s Ecosystem Modelling department’s involvement in ElbeXtreme focusses on implementing a Digital Twin of the Elbe, based on a coupled biogeochemical ecosystem model describing the tidal Elbe, the Elbe estuary and parts of the German Bight. The Digital Twin will then be used to explore what-if scenarios and assess the impacts of extreme scenarios on ecosystem services in the region.
To enhance data assimilation into the coupled model, Hereon’s Model-Driven Machine Learning department is developing new machine-learning based approaches to data assimilation.
Involved Departments
KCG, KSE, KSM
External partners
AWI, BSH, GEOMAR, Hereon, IOW, CAU, MARUM, SST, s.Pro, Thünen, THW, URO, UFZ, UNU, DAM