Estuaries are important from ecological, economic and social points of view. They link land, freshwater and marine environments, delivering different ecological and socioeconomic services. They concentrate human settlements, leisure activities, fisheries and other marine industries that exploit their natural resources, and so, the population, economic assets and urbanisation in estuarine regions have experienced rapid growth. The intensification of human-made interventions and activities in estuaries enhances their vulnerability even more in the present context of climate change.
Estuaries are highly productive areas, essential for fisheries and nature conservation and as natural protection against extreme events. They process nutrients and pollutants, playing a key role in cycling of carbon and other biogenic elements and providing shelter and nursery areas for many species. They are one of the most sensitive areas to environmental stressors due to the strong coupling between physics, sediments, chemistry and biology. Changes in their configuration can have high socio-economic costs.
However, estuarine processes can be difficult to understand due to their strong temporal and spatial variability, anthropogenic pressures and climate change trends. A multidisciplinary approach should be applied to support integrated estuarine management, providing technology and solutions for impact assessment and estuarine defence.
The main objective of InVert is to provide market-oriented bioreceptive and eco-friendly, multifunctional, innovative and sustainable solutions developed based on estuarine Digital Twins (DT). DT can assist in the definition and optimization of innovative solutions for estuarine regions, providing the necessary knowledge of the relevant morpho-hydrodynamic patterns, an understanding of natural processes, hydrodynamic–ecological interactions and the impacts of new solutions. At the same time, they can assess and anticipate the impact of natural and anthropogenic events, supporting an effective and integrated management focused on ensuring the safety of populations and the sustainability of ecosystems and services. InVert will develop an accurate information tool based on comprehensive high-resolution numerical modelling systems to increase the knowledge in response to business and societal challenges of the estuarine regions, enhancing the management capacities.
In recent decades, the focus of coastal engineering research has shifted from simple physical based approaches towards an integrated combination of physical, ecological and socio-economic approaches. Developing nature-based solutions to reduce environmental impacts in estuaries is also a domain of interest. There are many solutions to protect coastlines exposed to ocean waves that are unsuitable for estuaries. Innovative solutions will be specifically designed to solve the main estuarine problems, protecting their activities and ecosystem services, and allowing the physical and biological connectivity within the estuarine environment. Particular attention will be dedicated to hybrid solutions with artificial blocks and vegetation promoting the maintenance and existence of wetlands.
InVert will be applied to a selected demo site: the Douro Estuary. Besides the huge database available and the team’s strong experience, this estuary was also selected due to its conditions. It is a heavily urbanised estuary with different sources of pollution and strong currents. Its dynamics is mainly forced by freshwater flows, being dependent on naturally highly variable conditions and the hydropower production schedule. The southern bank of the mouth presents a dynamic sand spit that partially obstructs the entry of ocean water. To prevent sand spit’s erosion and improve navigability and bank protection, two breakwaters were built. These interfered with local morpho-hydrodynamic patterns, increasing the area and volume of the spit, increasing the effect of a flood, leading to harsher economic losses and structural damage, even more impactful considering the many socio-economic activities of this estuary. The Douro Estuary reflects not only the reality of the Portuguese coast but also that of other international regions. So, the methodologies and the tools developed under InVert will be applicable worldwide.
The acquired knowledge will be transferred considering responsible research and innovation principles. Simulation results will be available to support the definition of optimal strategies to minimise risks. The dissemination plan is expected to provide priceless interaction with other researchers and promote a solid network between scientists and stakeholders. An impact on the local, national and international stakeholders and policy-makers is foreseen, with raising awareness of the need to properly define estuarine management actions and optimal strategies to minimise the vulnerability and increase the resilience of estuarine systems.