• Organised by Ficoba and AZTI, the conference broadens the geographical area, encompassing the coasts of the Atlantic Arc.
  • 45 experts will take part in this upcoming conference.
  • 150 conference participants have confirmed their attendance.
  • Guest speakers will include Iñigo Losada and Robert Nicholls.
  • The content of the conference will be reinforced with the participation of a group of exhibiting companies.

(Irun, 1 March 2018). Why should we worry about a 2 degrees rise in global temperature, when this difference is barely noticeable to our bodies?

A warming of this magnitude can, for example, mean a displacement in the distribution areas of marine life of hundreds of kilometres towards the poles. But perhaps most worryingly, it is associated with an uncertainty that is difficult to pinpoint because of the largely unknown role that the ocean can play in regulating climate and the multiple responses of marine ecosystems. This uncertainty is due not only to the inaccuracy of the data and the imperfect knowledge of how the systems work, but also to the non-linear effect of complex processes, feedback effects and the amplification of the climate signal across the ecosystems. Lastly, the greatest uncertainty lies in ourselves, in the changes in the activities of the world’s population in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.

These are the words of Rogelio Pozo, director general of AZTI, which define the magnitude of the challenge we face, and which we wish to address with all modesty, at Uhinak, the cross-border conference on climate and coastal change that will take place on 6 March at Ficoba.

To this end, in this third event, Uhinak will continue to establish a network among experts on the sea and coastline as well as managers and users that will enable them to continue working to find solutions to the effects of extreme weather and adaptation to climate change within the Atlantic Arc.

This latest event will feature 12 expert speakers and all together more than 45 reports, structured in four blocks that cover the fundamentals and challenges of climate change; extreme coastal phenomena; the blue economy and mitigation; and management and decision-making tools. In short, it is a question of bringing the views of scientists and the resources of the managers closer to the problems of the general public. The entire content will be published in a special issue of the Marine Research Journal (http://old.azti.com/rim/).

New contents: posters and exhibitors

In addition, this year Uhinak will also have an exhibition area for communications in poster format, which will be open to participants throughout the conference and in which different experts address topics such as, among others, tools for forecasting surges caused by waves; the use of satellite images for the survey of works on the coast; the problems existing in France with regard to judicially determining the limits of the seashore in the maritime-terrestrial public domain; and the improvement activities being carried out to achieve sustainable management of the Basque beaches.

The contents will also be enriched by the presence of a group of exhibiting companies, mainly connected with oceanographic research. An initiative that Uhinak hopes to continue to develop in future events.

Guest speakers will include Iñigo Losada and Robert Nicholls

For yet another year, the Uhinak conference has been able to attract prominent international climate change scientists, including Iñigo Losada from IHC Cantabria (the Environmental Hydraulics Institute of the University of Cantabria) and Robert Nicholls from Southampton University.

Professor Losada obtained his Civil Engineering doctorate from Cantabria University and has a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Delaware (USA). He has developed a solid research and knowledge transfer career in the fields of coastal and offshore engineering, renewable energies in the marine environment and climate and climatic change on the coastline.

Dr. Robert Nicholls is at the forefront of research and education in coastal engineering. His research is focused on long-term coastal management, especially in the areas of coastal impacts and adaptation to climate change, with special emphasis on the rising sea level.

Increasingly cross-border

Uhinak continues to strengthen its cross-border character both from the point of view of the institutions, associations and companies taking part as well as from the point of view of the speakers and the conference participants.

The typology of the participants confirms Uhinak’s ability to attract diverse audiences such as environmental consultants, port authorities, engineers, construction companies, environmental managers, research centres and universities.

About Uhinak

Uhinak, the Cross-border Conference on Climate and Coastal Change organised by Ficoba and the AZTI technology centre, is supported by a Technical Committee made up of representatives from the Basque Government (Ihobe), the Gipuzkoa Regional Government, Adegi, CSIC/ESADE/CEAB, the Spanish Office for Climate Change, BC3, EUCC Atlantic Center, the Basque Country Association of Civil Engineers, GIS Littoral Basque, the Observatory for Sustainability – Cristina Enea Foundation and AZTI.

In addition, Uhinak is supported by multiple institutions such as the Basque Government Department of the Environment, Regional Planning and Housing through its public company IHOBE, theGipuzkoa Regional Government, Communauté d’agglomération Pays Basque and the Nouvelle Aquitaine Region.

Practical details

The official Uhinak opening ceremony will be held at the Ficoba Auditorium in Irun at 9.00a.m. on Tuesday 6 March.

More information at: www.uhinak.com

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