Mark van Koningsveld

The Effect of the 18.6-Year Lunar Nodal Cycle on Regional Sea-Level Rise Estimates

Abstract BAART, F.; VAN GELDER, P.H.A.J.M.; DE RONDE, J.; VAN KONINGSVELD, M., and WOUTERS, B., 2012. The effect of the 18.6-year lunar nodal cycle on regional sea-level rise estimates. Sea-level rise rates have become important drivers for policy makers dealing with the long-term protection of coastal populations. Scenario studies suggest that an acceleration in sea-level rise is imminent. The anticipated acceleration is hard to detect because of spatial and temporal variability, which consequently, have become important research topics. A known decadal-scale variation is the 18.6-year nodal cycle. Here, we show how failing to account for the nodal cycle resulted in an overestimation of Dutch sea-level rise. The nodal cycle is present across the globe with a varying phase and a median amplitude of 2.2 cm. Accounting for the nodal cycle increases the probability of detecting acceleration in the rate of sea-level rise. In an analysis of the Dutch coast, however, still no significant acceleration was found. The nodal cycle causes sea level to drop or to rise at an increased rate; therefore, accounting for it is crucial to accurately estimate regional sea-level rise.

Matching Science with Coastal Management Needs: The Search for Appropriate Coastal State Indicators

Abstract Through an analysis of the interaction between end users and researchers participating in the European Union–funded CoastView project (EVK3-CT-2001-0054), this article illustrates some of the difficulties associated with end user–oriented research. A way of structuring and focusing discussion between end users and researchers, which was applied and further developed during the course of the project, is suggested as a method to deal with these difficulties. The analysis in this article indicates that successful specialist support of decision making is related to the use of a systematic “frame of reference.” This involves explicit definitions of both strategic and operational objectives applied in a four-step decision recipe consisting of (1) a quantitative state concept, (2) a benchmarking procedure, (3) a design procedure for measures or interventions, and (4) an evaluation procedure.

Trends in Sea-Level Trend Analysis

Abstract BAART, F.; VAN KONINGSVELD, M., and STIVE, M., 2012. Trends in sea-level trend analysis. Discussions on sea-level rise trend estimates as, for example, the one recently published in this Journal of Coastal Research, reveal different perspectives on proper methods of deriving sea-level trend estimates. This editorial discusses various methodological considerations and proposes a number of best practices for sea-level trend analysis.

A Comparison between WCS and OPeNDAP for Making Model Results and Data Products Available through the Internet

Numerical models produce output with a large number of variables, grid cells and time steps. The same applies to algorithms that produce gridded datasets from sparse or abundant raw data. Further use of the resulting data products has been challenging, especially for dissemination outside the institute of origin. Due to the gradually increasing size of data products, simply downloading copies of them is becoming impossible. A gradual transition from traditional download methods to web services is therefore observed. Web services allow for on-the-fly access to subsets of data that were hitherto considered as indivisible granules. Here we compare the most mature candidates to serve gridded data through the web: the Open-source Project for a Network Data Access Protocol (OPeNDAP) and Web Coverage Service (WCS) protocols. In the framework of the new Dutch National Model and Data Centre (NMDC.eu) a distributed data storage has been created by coupling OPeNDAP servers. A WCS service layer is provided for the same data. This allows us to compare OPeNDAP and WCS. Using several use cases, we compare the usability, performance and features of the two protocols.

Applicability of the "Frame of Reference" approach for environmental monitoring of offshore renewable energy projects

This paper assesses the applicability of the Frame of Reference (FoR) approach for the environmental monitoring of large-scale offshore Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) projects. The focus is on projects harvesting energy from winds, waves and currents. Environmental concerns induced by MRE projects are reported based on a classification scheme identifying stressors, receptors, effects and impacts. Although the potential effects of stressors on most receptors are identified, there are large knowledge gaps regarding the corresponding (positive and negative) impacts. In that context, the development of offshore MRE requires the implementation of fit-for-purpose monitoring activities aimed at environmental protection and knowledge development. Taking European legislation as an example, it is suggested to adopt standardized monitoring protocols for the enhanced usage and utility of environmental indicators. Towards this objective, the use of the FoR approach is advocated since it provides guidance for the definition and use of coherent set of environmental state indicators. After a description of this framework, various examples of applications are provided considering a virtual MRE project located in European waters. Finally, some conclusions and recommendations are provided for the successful implementation of the FoR approach and for future studies.