Description
As a consequence of climate change, we are experiencing an increase in both the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. The problems related to strong winds and waves on the sea and coastal area are many: flooding, traffic problems, deteriorating impact on coastal agriculture areas and aquifers, sinking of the small vessels at mooring positions, destruction of harbour infrastructure, etc. The available data as a product of meteorological and ocean forecast models are often at a resolution too coarse for localized applications. We are providing the solution by applying the dynamical downscaling model for the real-time forecast of the Wave Hazard Index that we specially designed to match the needs of our target users: boat owners, professional skippers, marina owners, and insurance companies. As input data, we are using a variety of Copernicus products such as the Mediterranean Sea Forecasting System, Med-WAV modeling system, satellite observations (CMEMS), reanalysis data, and in addition the ECMWF wind products. One of our final products is the mobile phone application developed for easy access to our Wave Hazard Index forecast. Although the Wave Hazard index is primarily intended to face the Supporting sustainable infrastructure development challenge, it has a significant perspective in solving the problem of flooding the coastal agricultural areas and aquifers which fits in the scope of the Strengthening food security & access to clean water challenge. Our team JugoSolutions consists of two members. We are both meteorologists and oceanographers involved in research and forecasting. Josipa is a professional forecaster with extensive experience in weather models and satellite data interpretation and presentation. Boris is a code maker, researcher, and educator. Our professional interests are genuinely intertwined with our personal passion for the sea. We are kayaking, sailing, spearfishing, and arguing about weather forecasts on a daily basis.