Understanding and Managing Climate Change: Coping with Sea Level Rise ea Level Rise

Students will explore and become familiar with the following topics:
Causes and consequences of global environmental change and Sea Level Rise: available records, models and future projections.
Global warming and changing oceans: models and examples.
Ecological aspects of the impact of global warming on life in the oceans .
The impact of sea level rise and climate change on global water resources .
Extreme events in coastal areas: data analysis and modelling
Coastal ecogeomorphological processes: modelling of current dynamics and prediction of future changes.
Coastal wetlands ecology, restoration and management.
Observations and monitoring systems for the management of coastal areas.
Social, economic and political impacts of sea level rise.
Climate change, sea level rise and global health in coastal areas.
Students will follow theoretical lectures every morning and will be required to participate in discussions about the impact of global environmental change on coastal areas. The four field trips will be the occasion to collect data and samples that will be analyzed within specific hands-on activities in the VIU computer lab.

Course leader

Prof. Sonia Silvestri , Duke University

Target group

Master students and PhD candidates from VIU partner universities with an interest in environmental issues and ability to read and write fluently in English. Candidates from non-member institutions will be also considered if invited by the scientific coordinator.

Course aim

The Graduate Seminar aims to give students a broad perspective on the impact of Climate Change and Sea Level Rise upon coastal areas from the social, economic and environmental points of view. Causes and consequences of global warming will be presented and its impact on the state of the oceans and internal seas will be addressed. Changes in the hydrological cycle will be discussed. Data and models will be used to explore possible future scenarios, and the impact of the sea level rise on coastal morphology, ecosystems, water resources, population and health will be presented and discussed. Students will explore, in class and in the lab, state-of-the-art monitoring technologies and available datasets. Adaptation and mitigation strategies will be analyzed and students will be involved in discussions on critical management issues, developing their own critiquing concepts in a multidisciplinary framework.
The Venice Lagoon will be used as a “laboratory”, the ideal setup to study the intertwined dynamics of human and natural systems