CALL TO FORM - Climate Change MSCA-ID Consortium to research the gradual effects of climate change on the operations of the General Lighthouse Authorities

Background

The General Lighthouse Authorities of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (referred to as the GLA) hold the responsibility of delivering navigational services that underpin a safety critical, efficient and cost-effective service, for the benefit of all mariners.

By 2040, climate change is projected to have significant impact in the UK and Irish waters, which will present new challenges for at-sea operations. The GLA recognise this impact, and that climate change will affect broadly across their operations. Further, they are committed to minimising the negative contributions of GLA operations to the environment.

The GLA wish to rigorously investigate these impacts, in order to make sound evidence-driven decisions. The GLA operate a shared research and development department (GRAD – website: https://www.gla-rad.org/ ) which is recognised as an international centre of excellence on Visual and Radio Navigation, who are leading a programme of themed research activities on specific climate change challenge areas.

Three project themes are being explored:

1. CC1: The gradual effects of climate change on the operations of the General Lighthouse Authorities;

2. CC2: The impact of climate change extreme events on the operations of the General Lighthouse Authorities;

3. CC3: The impact of changing ocean/ sea chemistry, biodiversity considerations, and invasive species on the operations of the General Lighthouse Authorities.

CC1 Research Theme – The gradual effects of climate change on the operations of the General Lighthouse Authorities

The mean sea-level is expected to continue to rise as global temperatures drive thermal expansion and polar ice sheet and glacial melting release into the seas. In the longer term, this sea level rise will alter the coastline, creating new hazards around the UK and Ireland as well as open other routes to deeper draught traffic. Without effective defences and mitigations this could render some ports unviable and may change navigable approaches. The impact of a sea-level rise on the GLA estate and operations will need to be considered, recognising that changes may be required to ensure continued operation.

Ocean salinity is also changing, and it has been observed that this is creating distinct regions of more and less salty water. This may alter the dielectric properties of the sea surface and have implications on the communication channels at sea.

Therefore, this project will investigate the gradual effects of climate change on the operations of the General Lighthouse Authorities. Specifically, it would be beneficial to understand the timeframe and scale of impact of sea level rise and changing ocean salinity around the GLA estate.