Data Science Hackathon

* 1. We have provided 6 Use Case options covering both inland and coastal sectors facing climate change issues. We would like to invite you to participate and choose one Use Case and decide what role you would like to play in the Hackathon. What Use Case would you like to participate (choose only one)?

Water scarcity
Due to climate change and socio-economic developments water scarcity is increasing and may further increase in the future. This can negatively affect agricultural production through the need for irrigation and availability of irrigation water. You will analyze the future change in precipitation and water availability to identify arid regions and see whether your region of interest will experience an increase in water stress.

Urban heat island
Urban areas are highly built up and have little green space, the hottest urban spots the temperature can be several degrees higher than in the rural surroundings. This can have impacts on the frequency of occurrence of heat waves and thus health. Is your city a heat island or will it become one in the future and is green adaptation needed? The answer will be sought from the data in the CDS.

Extreme rain
Local extreme rain events can have serious flood impacts in cities. The latest high-resolution regional climate model data provide new information on future changes in frequency of occurrence and severity of these events. Using the data platform from the H2020 EUCP (European Climate Projection System) project local climate model rainfall time-series can be retrieved and statistically analyzed to detect these changes.

Coastal erosion
Global climate variability and global climate change produce shifts in the regional wave climate and water levels that subsequently shape our sandy coastlines through several processes. Together, we will explore the signature of these changing climates in the coastal landscape, this is essential for optimal coastal planning and adaptation in anticipation of climate change and SLR.

Coastal flooding
Densely populated coastal zones are prone to flood risk due to the combination of rising sea-levels, storm-surges and potentially coinciding high-tides. The interaction of these three components and their evolution under climate change is provided in the CDS along all European coasts. With knowledge of the local coastline geometry, land topography and coastal structures, flood risk maps can be derived, and potential flood protection measures and adaptation policies can be designed.

Port operability
Several flood prone cities, like Venice, London and Rotterdam, are protected by storm surge barriers. With 1.0 m of sea-level rise, these barriers would need to close much more frequently. This which would block navigation and comprise the operability of the ports, which can have enormous economic consequences. Using projections of extreme sea levels in the CDS, you will analyze the frequency of closure of the Rotterdam surge barrier, estimate impacts on port operability, and design of innovative solutions to adapt.