Sea Level Change Effecting the Spatial Development in the Baltic Sea Region

Programme 2000 - 2006 Baltic Sea Region

Date of latest update: 2021-04-06

Description

Description (EN):

The project aimed at supporting local and regional planners by transforming existing data sets from natural scientific research projects into an applicable format for spatial planning. The main objective was to create a tool for regional planners and natural scientists how to cooperate in the light of climate change in long term spatial planning. The tool was going to be designed as a decision support system that addresses the water level rise of the Baltic Sea over next 200 years and its implications for the spatial development of the Baltic Sea Region. In addition the project wanted to form a discussion platform that bring together experts on both local and regional level and from different disciplines as well as to formulate concrete recommendations to contribute to long-term decision making processes for sustainable spatial planning in the BSR. Climate change and its subsequent effects are currently discussed among the scientific community and the public. In order to better understand the possible spatial effects and impacts of sea level rise, the BSR Interreg IIIB project "Sea Level Change Affecting the Spatial Development of the Baltic Region" (SEAREG) focuses on presenting the results of climate modelling and subsequent changing shoreline calculations to end-users, such as planners and stakeholders. This process involves natural and social scientists, planning authorities and decision makers. The Baltic Sea presents a special case because of several reasons: For example, at present times the speed of sea level rise is slow and has not yet lead to major (catastrophic) impacts. Also, the southern shore of the Baltic Sea suffers from a higher sea level rise than the northern shorelines because the Fennoscandian shield is experiencing land uplift due to isostatic movements caused by the melting of glaciers that covered Fennoscandia during the last ice age. Large parts of the southern shore on the other hand face land subsidence caused by both the uplift in the north and other epirogenic crustal movements. The SEAREG project calculated the Rossby Centre Atmosphere Ocean Model (RCAO) and modelled the sea level rise in the Baltic Sea, utilizing two emission scenarios (A2 and B2) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC and downscaling these models to the BSR, including changing river runoff patterns. The net sea level rise in relation to the present shoreline is calculated by taking into account the land uplift rates, i.e. the land subsidence over a period of 100 years from present. The effects of the risen sea level are then shown on maps that contain the present land use. Furthermore, the sea level rise impacts are assessed by the Decision Support Frame (DSF) developed by the Seareg project. The DSF has four main pillars of which the climate modeling and the GIS calculations are the first step. The other tools of the DSF are: 2) A Discussion platform that brings scientists, planners, decision makers and other stakeholders together to ensure common understanding of the overall problem and the risks involved. 3) A vulnerability assessment that takes natural and socio-economic impacts as well as institutional coping capacity into consideration. 4) A knowledge base that ensures the appropriate knowledge transfers, enabling an interdisciplinary and cross-border exchange of views and experiences and an online application tool of the DSF.

Achievements (EN):

The main outcome of the project is the Decision Support Frame (DSF), a tool for decision makers for assessing sea level rise impact in the Baltic Sea Region. The four sections of the tool are Discussion Platform, Knowledge Base, Modelling & GIS Applications and Vulnerability Assessment. The DSF is applicable online under www.gtk.fi/slr. The goal of the webpage is to inform the user how the DSF was developed and applied in order to facilitate an own sea level rise study in other areas of the BSR. The webpage guides the user through the four sections of the DSF. All steps that are necessary for a sea level rise impact study are described in several articles. The practical application of the DSF is shown in case study areas. In addition to the DSF tool the project produced three general overview maps on net sea level change scenarios in the BSR in the 21st century as well as regional and local sea level rise effect maps and storm surges in all case study areas. In some case study areas the results of SEAREG are taken into account in future planning strategies. A final report of the project containing the methodology of the project and the case study reports is going to be published in the special paper series of the Geological Survey of Finland. The project has initiated a follow-up project for further investigations on climate change impacts. This ASTRA project was approved in the BSR INTERREG III B 7th application round.

Thematic information

Coastal management and maritime issues Regional planning and development Climate change and biodiversity

Partners (15)

Lead Partner: Geological Survey of Estonia (EGK)

Address: Kadaka tee 82, 12618 Tallinn, Estonia

Legal status: n/a

Helsinki City Planning Department

Name: Helsinki City Planning Department

Address: PL 2100, 00099 Helsinki, Finland

Legal status: n/a

Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI)

Name: Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI)

Address: SMHI/Rossby Centre, 60176 Norrköping, Sweden

Legal status: n/a

Polish Geological Institute (PGI)

Name: Polish Geological Institute (PGI)

Address: ul. Koscierska 5, 80328 Gdansk, Poland

Legal status: n/a

Geological Survey of Finland

Name: Geological Survey of Finland

Address: Betonimiehenkuja 4, P.o. Box 96, 02151 Espoo, Finland

Legal status: n/a

Regional Council of East Uusimaa

Name: Regional Council of East Uusimaa

Address: Rauhankatu 29, 06100 Porvoo, Finland

Legal status: n/a

City Hall of Gdansk, Environmental Protection Department

Name: City Hall of Gdansk, Environmental Protection Department

Address: Ul. Nowe Ogrody 8/12, 80803 Gdansk, Poland

Legal status: n/a

Uudenmaan liitto

Name: Uudenmaan liitto

Address: Aleksanterinkatu 48 A, 00100 Helsinki, Finland

Legal status: n/a

Centre for Urban and Regional Studies (YTK) / Helsinki University of Technology

Name: Centre for Urban and Regional Studies (YTK) / Helsinki University of Technology

Address: Box 9300 (Luolamiehentie 7), 02015 Espoo, Finland

Legal status: n/a

City Government of Pärnu

Name: City Government of Pärnu

Address: Uus 4, 80098 Pärnu, Estonia

Legal status: n/a

Regional Planning Office Vorpommern

Name: Regional Planning Office Vorpommern

Address: Am Gorzberg, Haus 14, 17489 Greifswald, Germany

Legal status: n/a

Stockholm City Planning Administration

Name: Stockholm City Planning Administration

Address: Box 8314, 10420 Stockholm, Sweden

Legal status: n/a

Ministry for Rural Areas, Planning, Agriculture and Tourism Schleswig Holstein

Name: Ministry for Rural Areas, Planning, Agriculture and Tourism Schleswig Holstein

Address: Düsternbrooker Weg 104, 24105 Kiel, Germany

Legal status: n/a

Greifswald University

Name: Greifswald University

Address: F.-Ludwig-Jahn-Str. 16, 17487 Greifswald, Germany

Legal status: n/a

Office of Regional Planning and Urban Transportation Stockholm County

Name: Office of Regional Planning and Urban Transportation Stockholm County

Address: Box 4414, 10269 Stockholm, Sweden

Legal status: n/a

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Helsinki City Planning Department

Sea Level Change Effecting the Spatial Development in the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI)

Sea Level Change Effecting the Spatial Development in the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

Polish Geological Institute (PGI)

Sea Level Change Effecting the Spatial Development in the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

Geological Survey of Finland

Sea Level Change Effecting the Spatial Development in the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

Regional Council of East Uusimaa

Sea Level Change Effecting the Spatial Development in the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

Geological Survey of Estonia (EGK)

Sea Level Change Effecting the Spatial Development in the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

City Hall of Gdansk, Environmental Protection Department

Sea Level Change Effecting the Spatial Development in the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

Uusimaa Regional Council

Sea Level Change Effecting the Spatial Development in the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

Centre for Urban and Regional Studies (YTK) / Helsinki University of Technology

Sea Level Change Effecting the Spatial Development in the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

City Government of Pärnu

Sea Level Change Effecting the Spatial Development in the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

Regional Planning Office Vorpommern

Sea Level Change Effecting the Spatial Development in the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

Stockholm City Planning Administration

Sea Level Change Effecting the Spatial Development in the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

Ministry for Rural Areas, Planning, Agriculture and Tourism Schleswig Holstein

Sea Level Change Effecting the Spatial Development in the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

Universität Greifswald

Sea Level Change Effecting the Spatial Development in the Baltic Sea Region

Partners and Projects info

Office of Regional Planning and Urban Transportation Stockholm County

Sea Level Change Effecting the Spatial Development in the Baltic Sea Region

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Sea Level Change Effecting the Spatial Development in the Baltic Sea Region

Project acronym: SEAREG

Project start date: 2002-06-22

Project end date: 2005-04-01

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 1 551 940.00

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 840 970.00

Co-financing sources:

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2000 - 2006 Baltic Sea Region

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2019-07-08

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

136 / 136 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

3 143 / 3 143 (100%)

Notes on the data

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Sea Level Change Effecting the Spatial Development in the Baltic Sea Region

Description

Thematic information

Partners (15)

Partners map

Summary

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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