<p>The ocean is an essential part of the planet that plays a crucial role in the global life system and provides vital resources for humanity. Coastal areas are the most affected by direct pressure from human activity, and their management is very complex due to the multiple interconnected processes that occur there. To conserve and protect our coastal areas, we must observe and understand how they interact. Despite its paramount importance to society, there are fundamental gaps in coastal observing and modelling. Therefore, current forecasting systems limit our capacity to manage this narrow border between land and sea sustainably. Improved numerical models and sustained observations of our ocean are needed to make informed decisions and ensure that human-coastal interaction is sustainable and safe.</p><p>EuroSea initiative is an innovation action of the European Union entitled "Improvement and integration of the European oceans Observation and prediction systems for the sustainable use of the oceans'. EuroSea brings together the leading European players in the ocean observation and forecasting with users of oceanographic products and services and provides high-resolution coastal operational prediction systems in domains such as ports, beaches and nearby coastal waters.</p><p>In the EuroSea project framework, we present a 3D hydrodynamic tool to improve Barcelona's beaches' inner dynamics solution. We use the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere - Wave - Sediment Transport (COAWST) Modeling System that utilizes the Model Coupling Toolkit to exchange prognostic variables between the ocean model ROMS, wave model SWAN, and the Community Sediment Transport Modeling System (CSTMS) sediment routines. As part of the system, the wave and ocean models run with nested, refined, spatial grids to provide increased resolution, scaling down to resolve nearshore wave-driven flows, all within selected regions of a larger, coarser-scale coastal modelling system.</p><p>Bathymetry was built using a combination of bathymetric data from EMODnet (European Marine Observation and Data Network), and specific high-resolution sources provided by local authorities. Copernicus products have driven these high-resolution simulations.</p><p>Results have been validated with field campaigns data, displaying preliminary agreements between model outputs and in-situ observations. The model provides results that will be used to study interactions between sea-level hazards, economic activity, and risk. These results will develop new forecast capabilities, such as erosion and flooding, rip currents, floating debris and flushing times.</p><p>Finally, we look ahead to the future of the operational prediction systems as useful tools to make informed decisions, minimize risks and improve environmental management.</p>

<p>Working in the coastal marine environment is highly challenging, among other reasons, due to the variety of extreme, seasonal, short and long-term environmental conditions that affect the coastline, beaches, infrastructures and port operations. The maritime climate directly affects the construction and maintenance of port infrastructures, the access of ships to ports, the safety of cargo handling operations, emergency response or the environmental management of effects of port operations. Currently, the ability to predict the sea state from a few hours to days has reached levels of precision and reliability unbelievable a few years ago. And all this, in combination with numerical measurements and predictions, has enabled significant advances in knowledge about meteorological and oceanographic conditions, making possible the development of forecasting systems to provide real, accurate and safe support in decision making in ports.</p><p>SAMOA initiative (System of Meteorological and Oceanographic Support for Port Authorities), developed by Spanish Port System (Puertos del Estado), in cooperation with Spanish Port Authorities, provides high-resolution coastal operational prediction systems in domains such as harbours and nearby coastal waters.</p><p>We present a high-resolution coastal operational prediction system which simulates the hydrodynamic in the Spanish Mediterranean Ports from April to September 2019. Bathymetry was built using a combination of bathymetric data from GEBCO (General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans), and specific local high-resolution sources provided by port authorities. Daily updated hourly winds and heat and water fluxes from the Spanish Meteorological Agency forecast services were used as a surface forcing. The Regional Ocean Modelling System, ROMS, was used to investigate the hydrodynamics.</p><p>Three-day forecast of three-dimensional currents and other oceanographic variables, such as temperature, salinity, and sea level, were produced. These results were compared with field campaigns data, displaying agreements between model outputs and in-situ observations. Finally, a look ahead to the future of the operational prediction systems is provided as a useful tool to make informed decisions around port safety and efficiency.</p><p>We would like to acknowledge financial support from ECOSISTEMA-BC Project (CTM2017-84275-R), funded by the Spanish State Research Agency.</p>