IHCantabria in collaboration with the Guardia Civil successfully completes the COSNORTH project

COSNORTH is a pioneering initiative aimed at developing an operational coastal and estuarine oceanography system to improve the forecasting of marine variables and strengthen environmental, maritime, and climate services along the northern coast of Spain

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This month, the Guardia Civil and the Environmental Hydraulics the Institute of the Universidad de Cantabria (IHCantabria) held the final dissemination event for the COSNORTH project at the Maritime Police Headquarters in Madrid.

The COSNORTH project began in January 2025 with the goal of developing an operational coastal and estuarine oceanography system to improve the prediction of marine variables and strengthen environmental, maritime, and climate services along the northern coast of Spain. This pioneering initiative, which spanned 18 months, was funded by Mercator Ocean International as part of the Copernicus Marine Service’s National Collaboration Program: EU COASTAL MONITORING DEMONSTRATORS.

The final day of the COSNORTH project was attended by more than 30 people from national and regional institutions, public agencies, academic institutions, and companies in the Santander Bay area. Notable attendees included the Maritime Service of the Guardia Civil, the Provincial Maritime Service of Cantabria, and the Underwater Activities Unit (UAS), as well as representatives from Puertos del Estado and Maritime Rescue. Also participating remotely were the Special Underwater Activities Group (GEAS), the Santander Port Authority, the Civil Protection and Emergency Service of Cantabria, the Santander City Council, the Spanish Navy, and representatives from the scientific and technological sectors, in addition to companies from the Santander Bay area.

During the event, the project’s main results were presented, including the operational oceanography systems at the coastal and local scales, which provide new data on marine variables for the coast of Cantabria and the Bay of Santander; the early warning system for flood risks in port areas located in estuaries (FLOODPORT-DSS); and the decision-support system for maritime surveillance and search and rescue at sea (SEMAR-DSS), co-designed and developed in collaboration with the Guardia Civil.

The closing session served as a forum for sharing knowledge and experiences, highlighting the value of inter-institutional collaboration in promoting innovative solutions that strengthen maritime safety, coastal risk management, and the protection of the marine environment.

Through the development of COSNORTH, IHCantabria has helped strengthen the coastal and estuarine modeling system by providing high-resolution data based on the Copernicus Marine Service.

Impact and contribution to European policies

COSNORTH will contribute to the implementation of several European Union policies and directives, such as: protection of the environment and reduction of marine pollution (Directive 2009/123/EC); adaptation to climate change by improving coastal resilience (Directive 2007/60/EC); improvement of maritime safety and enforcement of environmental crime regulations (Directive 2024/1).

Key Results and Tools of the COSNORTH Project