Coastal & Marine Research Laboratory (CRL) is functioning within the Institute of Applied & Computational Mathematics (IACM) of the Foundation for Research and Technology (FORTH), in Crete island (the second EU island in size and of socio-economic importance after Cyprus) in the SE Mediterranean. The research activities of CRL are related to the integrated study of the coastal environment (atmospheric, terrestrial and marine) with the aspiration of further develop state-of-art scientific contribution in the areas of (i) instrumentation/ field measurements for the coastal zone survey, (ii) risk assessment and prevention related to the impact of climatic change on the coastal zone, and (iii) coupling of coastal air-sea-land interaction related processes.
Research
Modelling & computational methods for incompressible flows and wave propagationApplications
Forecasting waves & currents, marine pollution, hydrodynamics & morphodynamics of coastal areas, operational oceanography
Development of environmental & socioeconomic indices for risk assessment of Climatic Change in coastal areas
Production of useful regional vulnerability maps for the coast (erosion, pollution), coastal infrastructure & Cultural Heritage (resilience to SLR, extreme weather phenomena)
Coastal & Marine environment monitoring and associated big data sets building
Marine Spatial Planning
Smart online systems & services to support maritime surveillance & safety and blue growthMemberships
MONGOOS network, MEDSLIK-II developers consortium, E-RIHS & HELLAS-CH infrastructureCRL has participated in several research projects with major research institutes in Europe and worldwide, as well as the participation in R&D, EU funded projects (e.g. FP7 TRANSFER, INTERREG IIISud BEACHMED-e, Greek State/UK Educational Council). CRL has also secured funds for a joint Greek State/German Academic Exchange Service that cover one-year pilot mutual exchanges between CRL and the Meteorological Institute of the University of Freiburg; this collaboration aims to acquire state-of-the-art know-how on climate change modelling and biometeorology.
Established synergies/clusters between the CRL and the local community of Crete include among others: (i) acquisition of data sets from the environmental monitoring network of Crete, and their operational utilization jointly with the Natural Disasters & Risk Assessment Bureau of the Region of Crete; and, (ii) study of bioclimatic conditions and particulate matter pollution (PM2.5 and smaller, SO2 etc.) in Crete, jointly with the University Hospital of Crete. A common objective is the capability of issuing early warnings for extreme phenomena, contributing to the upgrading of public safety and health in the region. Furthermore, members of CRL often announce their work to local media and advice local stakeholder and public authorities on related issues of environmental management, in a continuous effort to widen the visibility of CRL at a regional level and contribute as well to the regional development and community welfare.
