Earth Observations for Monitoring Marine Coastal Hazards and Their Drivers

Coastal zones have large social, economic and environmental values. They are more densely populated than the hinterland and concentrate large economic assets, critical infrastructures and human activities such as tourism, fisheries, navigation. Yet, coastal zones are exposed to various natural and anthropogenic hazards. To reduce the risks associated with marine hazards, sustained coastal zone monitoring programs, forecasting and early warning systems are increasingly needed. Earth observations, and in particular satellite remote sensing, provide invaluable information: satellite-borne sensors allow an effective monitoring of the quasi-global ocean, with synoptic views of large areas, good spatial and temporal resolution, and sustained time-series covering several years to decades. They can also be integrated in numerical models for a 4D monitoring and forecasting of marine forcing factors. The European Union’s Earth Observation Programme, Copernicus, monitors our planet and its environment, for the ultimate benefit of society. This capacity includes the monitoring of coastal hazards and their forcing factors. However, Earth observations do not always meet the precision required by users, in particular in dynamic coastal zones, characterized by shorter-scale variability. In this presentation, we review how Earth observations can monitor coastal hazards and their drivers, in particular in the Copernicus Programme, together with observational gaps and foreseen evolutions. An emphasis is given on observational systems for coastal flooding and shoreline changes, on several physical characteristics of coastal zones, and on meteorological and oceanic variables that can act as forcing factors for coastal flooding.