A window to the sea: environmental indicators for NW-Iberian coastal risk management under the RAIA observatory

The international RAIA Observatory (www.marnaraia.org) resulted from the effort of 12 research and academic institutions and public agencies (Spanish and Portuguese) working in the field of meteorology and oceanography. The RAIA Observatory serves the main maritime activities of the Galicia-Northern Portugal Euroregion and contributes to collaborative observational networks. Under the framework of coastal risk management, environmental indicators are fundamental tools for the evaluation and mitigation of environmental risks, showing the current state and helping to predict future changes on ecosystem health regarding environmental risks. In last years, the different partners of the RAIA Observatory have identified 38 environmental indicators, in which 12 key risks affecting the ecosystem services of the Euroregion Galicia-Northern Portugal are being evaluated. Data was analyzed and compiled by the various partners of the RAIA Observatory and the development and optimization of the environmental indicators has been done according to the specifications provided by the European Environmental Agency (EEA) and the International Panel for Climate Change (IPCC). The resulting environmental indicators are included and shared on a publicly-accessible Web service, georeferenced and accompanied by graphics (https://marrisk.inesctec.pt/public/#!/indicators). So far, the current status of the indicators has allowed us to establish risk assessment protocols for the Euroregion, and identify critical gaps in temporal and spatial coverage. The inclusion of the environmental indicators in the RAIA Observatory is of great relevance for national and international data exchange and promotes future collaborations.Interreg POCTEP Spain Portugal, 0262 MARRISK 1