The third episode of Green Tides: Resilience Conversations, the podcast series developed by the Decade Collaborative Centre for Coastal Resilience (DCC-CR), is now available on all major streaming platforms.
Titled Digital Twin of the Ocean: The New Frontiers of Coastal Science, the episode takes listeners behind the scenes of one of the most ambitious scientific initiatives currently being developed within the ocean science community: the Digital Twin of the Ocean.
As coastal regions around the world face increasing risks associated with climate change, sea-level rise, coastal flooding, erosion, and extreme events, the ability to anticipate future scenarios is becoming increasingly important. Scientists and decision-makers need tools that can help them understand not only what is happening today, but also what could happen tomorrow.
This is where the Digital Twin of the Ocean comes in.
A Digital Twin is a living, virtual replica of the real ocean, continuously updated through observations, satellite data, coastal monitoring systems, ocean models, and artificial intelligence. By integrating these different sources of information, it becomes possible to simulate complex coastal processes, test scenarios, and support more informed decision-making.
In this episode, listeners are introduced to the technologies and scientific infrastructures that make these systems possible. The discussion explores how digital twins, artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and forecasting systems are helping researchers anticipate coastal flooding, erosion, wave overtopping, and other climate-related hazards affecting coastal communities worldwide.
At the same time, the episode highlights an often overlooked aspect of digital innovation: trust. Producing reliable forecasts and simulations requires enormous amounts of data, sophisticated modelling approaches, secure infrastructures, and continuous scientific validation. Behind every prediction lies a complex ecosystem of expertise, technology, and collaboration.
The episode features three experts from the CMCC – Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change:
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Giovanni Coppini, Scientist and expert in ocean forecasting systems
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Megi Hoxhaj, Telecommunications Engineer and Technical Lead
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Salvatore Causio, Coastal Ocean Modeler
Together, they provide insights into how advanced digital technologies are transforming the way we observe, understand, and manage coastal environments.
Green Tides: Resilience Conversations is a five-episode podcast series developed by the DCC-CR to explore the science, people, and ideas shaping coastal resilience around the world. Following previous episodes on the foundations of coastal resilience and the role of education and capacity development, Episode 3 focuses on the technological innovations that are helping societies prepare for future coastal challenges.
A new episode will be released next Monday.
Follow the podcast on your preferred platform and stay tuned for Episode 4, which will explore community resilience in island states and the unique challenges faced by coastal communities on the front line of climate change.