Scientific advisory council (SAC)

Description

A scientific advisory council is tasked with evaluating processes and approaches in various societal fields ranging from industries and trade via administrative and governmental tasks to research and development utilizing universally applicable quality standards.

Within a research context, as is the case here, the scientific advisory board takes on the distinguished role of evaluating research results against the wide background of scientific knowledge gain. Furthermore, research goals and formulated hypotheses are graded regarding their alignment with the overall research project. Finally, the council members advise the responsible decision-makers within the project to ensure best scientific practice.

Members

Climate consequence research is a complex and transdisciplinary field of research – challenging multiple disciplines as for example coastal research. Most prominent stress is exerted by the sea, which has to be kept at bay by the coastline under rising sea levels. How do impeding storm surges and waves change with increasing water levels? What are the implications for human kind and their settlements with critical infrastructure? Can consequences be    
                                             estimated and projected?

      • Renowned expert for extreme sea levels and storm surges
      • Research focus on climate consequence under compound events
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Already today we can observe climate change impacts upon the German coastal area as well as globally.

If we want to experience and use coasts in the future, we need good ideas, open-minded people, cutting edge technology as well as wisdom and courage to embrace also unconventional solutions.

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      • Since 2007 at the competence center „KomPass – Climate Impacts and Adaptation in Germany“ (KomPass) at the German Federal Environmental Agency (UBA)
      • Member of the interministerial work group on “Adaptation to Climate Change”
      • Member of a federal and state board for the adaption to the consequences of climate change
      • Coordinator for governmental assessment of the IPCC reports in working group II on „Consequences, vulnerability, adaptation“.
      • Focal points are transformation and climate change adaptation in coastal management and the coping with extreme events

GIS-based scenarios allow the connection of abiotic landscape information with biodiversity information, to design future oriented and well balanced landscape usages.

How flora and fauna develop and adopt to a dynamic environment with incrementally changing spatio-temporal parameters to ensure their survival is a driving research question we are investigating. Ecosystem services are vital for biodiversity, environment and coastal protection.

      • Professor for landscape ecology and planing
      • Coordinator of the working group Landscape Ecology at the Carl von Ossietzky Universität of Oldenburg
      • Expert for functional vegetation ecology and landform use management
      • Research expertise in diverse landscapes from urban areas and agricultural regions to forests in Europe, Africa und South-America
      • Experienced coordinator of transdisciplinary joint research groups (DFG, BMBF, EU, ESF)
      • Found on social media https://twitter.com/KleyerLab

Facing rapidly changing coasts, real world laboratories, which place the interaction between society and research at the center, are a key instrument to foster sustainable transformation. Gute Küste Niedersachsen uses this tool, once orginiated in urban planning and applies it, for the first time in research, to the North Sea coast. I am delighted to be a member of the scientific advisory council of the project.

SchrumCoastal areas, the boundary regions between land, sea and
atmosphere, are sensitive geosystems and home to unique ecosystems. At the same time, they are among the most important habitats for humanity and are important economic areas, which are increasingly intensively used. Climate, climate change and maritime extremes are of crucial importance for the development of coastal regions and the use of land and sea by us humans.

Which future concepts do we need for the coast, to ensure it can adapt to changing conditions so that the Wadden sea with its islands and holms are not drowned by sea level rise? Concepts that are in tune with nature, visually attractive and climate proof need to be invented and tested to reliably develop resilient coastal landscapes for the future and support their upkeep.

Wherever technologically possible and in line with coastal protection requirements, natural dynamics should be given enough space and the artificial separation of land and water should be a matter of discussion.

      • Professor for architecture and landscape at the HafenCity Universität Hamburg
      • Head of the cooperative and interdisciplinary research association LILAS (Transformation from grey to blue-green and climate proof infrastructure) at the HafenCity Universität Hamburg
      • Expert for ecosystem and water related design and layout strategies