Satellite data a life saver for the municipality with ‘water on all sides’

Storm surge wall priced at 63 million

To achieve this goal, Esbjerg Municipality needs knowledge. They need to know what to expect and how bad things can get: How strong will future storm surges be? How high will they be? Where will they hit? And what damage should we expect?

The answers can be found in space, where satellite monitoring of sea levels, tides, height differences and wind conditions can shed light on some of these questions - if the data is processed correctly.

Martin Drews, Professor at DTU Management, specializes in comparing data from these four areas, and using machine learning to calculate the intensity and frequency of future storm surges.

In this case, it has been done with an isolated view of Esbjerg Municipality, where a ‘cascade model’ aims to give the municipality insight into the domino effect that a future storm surge can trigger.

“We use satellite data together with observations on Earth and models to calculate what the spread of a future storm surge will look like, and then how the critical systems such as electricity and traffic could be affected. This knowledge will provide input for future-proofing the municipality,” explains Martin Drews.

The collaboration between DTU and Esbjerg Municipality has run in parallel with the municipality’s decision to build a 2-km-long and 90-cm-tall storm surge wall at the Port of Esbjerg.

According to the municipality’s calculations, the wall will be able to protect the city against storm surges until 2065, and will cost DKK 63 million to build.

The high price tag increases the necessity for an expert assessment of the height, length and location of the wall.

“We are facing some large investments. It’s therefore important that we qualify our decisions. The alternative would be that we either go too far, or not far enough. And that is not in anyone’s interest,” says Bodil Ankjær Nielsen.

Solution gives peace of mind

Martin Drews’ results support Esbjerg Municipality’s decisions regarding construction of the storm surge wall. In just a few years, it will part of the city and bring peace of mind to Esbjerg’s many citizens.

In addition to the wall, the municipality has a dike called Havnestrøget on the drawing board. Under the preliminary plans, it will be built further up towards the city.

Its extensive lawns will be able to absorb large amounts of water, instead of the water pooling on the asphalt surface as it does today.

Data calculations, with input from satellite monitoring, will be brought into play when further planning the city’s future-proofing measures.

Martin Drews, as an expert, and actors from the local community will work together in a ‘living lab’ to work out what a safe and secure Esbjerg should look like, based on data, experience and local insights.

“We are using some of the knowledge we have already generated as input for the process of building—and innovating,” says Martin Drews. He adds:

“We can do what we are doing now largely thanks to the advanced technologies for observation from space that DTU is helping to develop. As the weather becomes more and more extreme, we will need better and better equipment and measurements in the future, so we can stay ahead of the curve.”

For Esbjerg Municipality, the possibilities today mean peace of mind above all.

Bodil Ankjær Nielsen recalls how people were evacuated based on ‘gut feeling and experience’ just 40 years ago. Whereas today she is able to make a difference.

It is like knowing that the lifebuoy you throw out in the future will in all likelihood also be taken hold of.