New research collaboration aims to assist India in addressing climate challenges

In December 2023, we kicked off the NFR-funded project “C3-eKerala”. C3-eKerala is an Indo-Norwegian, transdisciplinary (scientists, policy-makers and social/citizen science experts) effort to assess the impact of climate change on the marine coastal ecosystem of Kerala

The project is led by the Nansen Center (PI: Roshin P. Raj) in collaboration with University of Bergen (UiB), NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, 7Analytics, Nansen Environmental Research Centre (India), Foundation for Development Action, and the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority. Together, we will build robust scientific knowledge to develop strategies to mitigate and promote transformative adaptation to climate change, designed for the vulnerable coastal communities.

C3-eKerala will investigate in detail the climate-related changes in sea level and wave-climate and its cascading effects on shoreline changes, on sensitive ecosystems such as Mangroves and Seagrass and on the dynamics and intensity of the harmful algal blooms. For this, C3-eKerala will use a multidisciplinary approach including the integrated use of satellite sensor synergy, in-situ observations, statistical and numerical modeling together with state-of-the-art machine learning methods.

The knowledge gained will be used to predict annual shoreline positions until 2050, create an interactive map suggesting seagrass restoration sites, and forecasts of harmful algal bloom events along the Kerala coast. The project results will be communicated directly to the coastal communities and elected policy makers via a series of public meetings and workshops. Collaborating with the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, we turn science into actionable plans, addressing climate change for coastal communities.

Photo: Henni Wilborn, Nansen Center

Date

Thu, 05/30/2024 - 12:00

Submitted by Henrike.Wilbor… on Thu, 05/30/2024 - 14:53