EDITO-Model Lab’s Nature-based Solutions for coastal hazards in the Adriatic
The EDITO-Model Lab project is advancing coastal zone management in the northern Adriatic Sea by integrating state-of-the-art What-if Scenarios (WiS) into the European Digital Twin Ocean. These WiS simulations will enable policymakers, scientists, and local authorities to assess the potential benefits of seagrass as a Nature-based Solution (NbS), providing innovative avenues for mitigating coastal hazards such as erosion and flooding. The project equips stakeholders with critical insights into sustainable management strategies, empowering them to make informed decisions in response to climate change and environmental challenges.
By applying WiS, decision-makers can visualise and interact with different future scenarios, exploring how variations in seagrass characteristics — such as shoot density, leaf length, and flexibility — affect coastal resilience. These simulations not only offer a novel approach to planning coastal hazard mitigation but also enhance the collaboration between science and policy, addressing a long-standing gap in coastal zone management.
Satellite image of the coastal area of the Emilia-Romagna region in the northern Adriatic Sea (Sentinel-2). Credits by Copernicus Sentinel data (2024), processed by ESA.
Harnessing Seagrass for Coastal Protection
Seagrass is widely recognised for its capacity to reduce the energy of incoming waves and stabilise sediments, making it a natural buffer against coastal hazards. In the northern Adriatic Sea, Zostera marina (eelgrass) is the most abundant species, thriving in lagoons such as the Venice Lagoon, the Grado and Marano Lagoon and along the western side of the northern Adriatic Sea.
Seagrass can significantly reduce coastal hazards by dampening wave energy, reducing bottom currents, and stabilising the seabed. As a NbS, it offers a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to addressing the increasing threats of coastal flooding and erosion, particularly along the vulnerable northern Adriatic coastline.
However, the effects of climate change and human activities are contributing to the decline of seagrass populations, reducing their capacity to provide these essential ecosystem services.
The Coastal Hazards of the Northern Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a semi-enclosed basin, the northernmost part of the Mediterranean, characterised by shallow waters in the north and depths of up to 1,200 metres in the south. It is significantly influenced by river inflows that affect both circulation and salinity.
Coastal hazards are exacerbated by wind patterns, notably the cold and dry Bora wind from the northeast and the warm and humid Scirocco from the southeast. These winds, along with tidal forces and subsidence, have a considerable impact on the Italian Adriatic coast, particularly in the Emilia-Romagna region, where sea level extremes, coastal flooding, and erosion pose ongoing challenges.
Human infrastructure along the coastline further amplifies the risks, leading to substantial economic losses and endangering lives.
Given these challenges, effective risk mitigation and adaptation strategies are essential. In the context of climate change, these strategies must incorporate the most innovative and sustainable solutions, which is where seagrass and WiS play a pivotal role.
Coastal flooding during a storm surge along the Emilia-Romagna coast (Cesenatico) in February 2015. Source: Perini et al., 2015.
Leveraging Digital Twins for Coastal Zone Management
Powered by the EDITO-Model Lab project, the European Digital Twin Ocean (EU DTO) will integrate ocean data and wind-wave models to deliver high-resolution simulations that mirror real-world ocean conditions. These insights will be generated by two primary numerical models the SHYFEM-MPI circulation model and the WAVEWATCH III wind-wave model run by the University of Bologna (UNIBO) and the Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change (CMCC).
By simulating variables such as sea level, current velocities, and wave heights, the EU DTO offers a detailed understanding of how environmental factors and seagrass characteristics influence coastal hazards.
Incorporating marine vegetation into these models adds an additional layer of realism, as seagrass is represented not just as a static element but as a dynamic component that interacts with waves and currents. This enhanced numerical modelling allows for more accurate predictions, offering a deeper understanding of how seagrass can optimally safeguard coastal areas.
Seagrass meadows (Zostera marina) in the Venice Lagoon. Credits by Associazione Aliusmundi.
Bringing Science and Decision-Makers Together
The EDITO-Model Lab project bridges the gap between scientific research and policymaking, providing hazard mapping and tools that are accessible to a wide range of users — from ocean scientists and digital twin developers to coastal zone managers and policymakers. By leveraging WiS, the project enables stakeholders to test different scenarios for coastal zone protection and refine the potential outcomes of different seagrass parameters in real-time. Specifically, the scenarios will explore different combinations of seagrass shoot density, leaf length and leaf width to quantitatively estimate the effect of seagrass variability on wave and current reduction and to assess which areas are more sensitive to seagrass variability.
This capability empowers coastal managers to select the most effective NbS for reducing coastal hazards, helping to shape future climate adaptation strategies. With the innovative tools developed by EDITO-Model Lab, science and policy finally converge, facilitating more informed and sustainable coastal management practices.
A preliminary study by Pillai et al. (2022), showed the effectiveness of seagrass in reducing the significant wave height in the area (up to 80 cm of wave reduction in the most intense storm). However, in this work did not take into account the flexibility of the seagrass, leading to an overestimation of wave energy reduction. In the framework of EDITO-Model Lab, the seagrass flexibility will be assessed to improve the realism of the simulations, moving toward a reliable DTO.
Map of mean significant wave height (2010-2019) reduced due to seagrass (on the left) and time series (2015) of wave height in Station 2 for the simulations with (red) and without (blue) seagrass. Source: Pillai et al., 2022
Stay Connected: Engage with the European Digital Twin Ocean!
There is much more to explore within the two EDITO projects. Visit the EDITO-Model Lab and EDITO-Infra websites for further details, news, and results. Stay updated on the progress of the EU DTO by following our joint accounts on LinkedIn and X. Do not forget to subscribe to our new LinkedIn Newsletter and mailing list to receive exclusive insights, news, and updates. Several EDITO and EU DTO events are planned for 2025, where you will have the opportunity to explore, test, and contribute to the development of this groundbreaking tool. Stay tuned!
- Portability and interoperability of numerical models and simulation techniques
- Optimisation and adaptation to new and future computing platforms
- Coupling, interaction and hybridisation between different numerical models and Machine Learning components to represent ocean physics, biogeochemistry, biology and ecology
- Flexibility in use, configuration design and simulations to suit applications
- Virtual Ocean Model Lab is a co-development platform to connect developers of various models, users willing to produce simulations using AI and ML, and associated infrastructure providing access to different computing (HPC, CLOUD) and data storage and dissemination resources (data lake)
- Usage examples and user support for Focus Applications and What-if Scenarios
