Satellite Data For a Coastal Zone Digital Twin Use Case

Currently, more than two billion people live in or near-coastal zones at the ocean-land interface with almost a billion more living in adjacent low-lying coastal areas. These areas and populations are at risk from increasingly severe storms and longer-term sea level rise resulting in coastal erosion, water pollution, urban and agricultural inundation and ecosystems degradation. Earth Science Digital Twins, that is, the combination of data, models, and AI/ML technologies to simulate Earth system processes and enables short- and long-term forecasts, provide understanding and actionable information to reduce risks to humans, infrastructure and ecosystems. Satellite and in situ data are critical components of a coastal zone digital twin (CZDT) to provide timely and spatially relevant input data for models and serve as a check or validation of digital twin performance.The goal of this paper is to introduce a CZDT concept being developed as part the Satellite Climate Observatory with joint participation of NASA, NOAA and CNES and discuss initial use cases, satellite data, modeling, and advanced technology components.