Data

FRACCEO data and model insights to improve coastal flood prediction and climate risk assessment

The combines satellite Earth Observation (EO) data, hydrodynamic model outputs, and ancillary datasets to improve flood risk assessments in coastal cities under climate change.

Altimetry Data

A core component of the project is the use of satellite altimetry data to detect and analyse sea level and sea state extremes. These data are primarily sourced from ESA’s Climate Change Initiative (CCI) Sea Level and Sea State products, which provide long-term, consistent Essential Climate Variable (ECV) datasets. The altimetry data are processed to:

• Detect extreme sea level events using statistical filtering and smoothing techniques (e.g., 1-Hz smoothing),
• Validate hydrodynamic model outputs,
• Improve open boundary conditions for coastal models.

Altimetry-derived sea level and wave height data are validated against in situ observations (e.g., tide gauges) and used to compute wave setup contributions to total water levels.

Hydrodynamic Models

The project employs two hydrodynamic modelling systems:

• SFINCS (Super-Fast INundation of CoastS), a rapid flood model for high-resolution urban-scale simulations,
• Delft3D-FM, a flexible mesh model for simulating coastal hydrodynamics and storm surge.

These models are used to simulate coastal water levels under current and future climate scenarios. They are calibrated and validated using EO data and in situ observations, and their outputs are referenced to a common vertical datum using workflows developed by TU Delft.

Destination Earth (DestinE) Data

FRACCEO aligns with the objectives of the European Commission’s Destination Earth (DestinE) initiative. Where available, DestinE datasets, such as high-resolution digital twins and climate projections, will be used to provide boundary conditions and forcing data for hydrodynamic models.

Ancillary Data

Additional datasets include:

• Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) for urban topography,
• Land use and infrastructure maps,
• In situ observations (e.g., tide gauges, meteorological data).