At the meeting of the Pôle Métropolitain de la Côte d'Opale (PMCO) on Tuesday 10 December, Patrice Vergriete, Chair of the PMCO, Catherine Lagneau, Chair and CEO of BRGM, and Laurent Robert, Director of Specialist Solutions at SUEZ Eau France, officially signed a partnership agreement for the launch of the SIRENES project, covering the period 2025-2028.
© BRGM
The coastline of Hauts-de-France is regularly affected by storms, and some parts are particularly vulnerable to coastal flooding and erosion. Although local authorities and government departments currently receive marine weather forecasts and flood wave alerts from Météo-France, they do not have the tools to forecast the impact of these storms at local level. To rapidly prepare for any damage to exposed areas, the existing national system needs to be further developed at local level to model the impact of storms according to their degree of intensity.
In 2021, BRGM was commissioned by the Pôle métropolitain de la Côte d'Opale (PMCO), bringing together 11 public entities from along the coast (Communauté urbaine de Dunkerque, Communauté de communes Région d'Audruicq, Grand Calais Terre et Mer, Terre des 2 Caps, Communauté d'agglomération du Boulonnais et des Deux Baies en Montreuillois) as well as the Nord and Pas-de-Calais departmental councils, to carry out a feasibility study for the implementation of a forecasting and alert system for coastal flooding and erosion on the coastline of Hauts-de-France. The next step in this project is the launch of the SIRENES programme, incorporating the expertise of the Rivages Pro Tech centre set up by SUEZ.
Storm on the Merlimont-Plage seafront (February 2022).
© BRGM - A. Crapoulet
The name SIRENES comes from the French acronym for computerised information system to prevent erosion and flooding, an innovative Research & Development project
The purpose of this collaborative research and development project is to put in place a forecasting and alert system for coastal flooding and erosion along the coastline of northern France, from the Belgian border to Le Tréport. It is designed to meet the operational needs of the PMCO and its partners to better plan for the impact of storms on the Hauts-de-France coastline. This system will enable the authorities to prepare and implement targeted measures at local level in order to protect both people and property.
Drawing on the scientific advances of recent years, BRGM and the SUEZ Rivages Pro Tech centre will implement a combination of innovative techniques, based primarily on remote sensing, digital modelling and artificial intelligence. SIRENES will be developed as a local extension of the national reference marine weather forecasts issued by Météo-France, which it will use to produce:
- Coastal impact indicators for stretches of the regional coastline, taking account of the different morphologies and types of associated risk (risk of wave overtopping, flooding of protective structures, dune erosion or lowering of beaches);
- In the event of coastal flooding, the extent of the flooding on land across eight high-risk areas (from south to north): Mers - Le Tréport; the Picardy coastal plain; Canche Bay; the seafronts of Audresselles, Ambleteuse, Wimereux and Wissant; Oye-Plage; and the Grand Port Maritime of Dunkerque.
Looking beyond the scientific and technical challenge, the co-construction of the system with user input is another key aspect of this approach. The idea is to support early action by effectively making forecasts part of local crisis management procedures, with information structured for different purposes and different decision-making levels.
The project is expected to take three-and-a-half years in total. The first regional model is expected for winter 2025-2026, and should be followed by local modules at a rate of 2 to 3 sites per year through to winter 2027-2028.
A new tool designed to serve the region and all its stakeholders
The coastline of the Hauts-de-France department is around 200 km long. The hinterland is primarily made up of low-lying areas protected by dunes or dyke systems.
Historically, the coastline has been impacted by winter storms on several occasions, leading to major damage, sudden erosion or flooding. Storms Xaver (2013) and Eleanor (2018), for example, were memorable events involving wave overtopping and damage to many seafront breakwaters (Wissant, Wimereux, Malo-les-Bains, Cayeux, Merlimont, etc.). More recently, Storm Patricia (August 2023) served as a reminder that this type of event is likely to occur more frequently as a result of climate change. A forecasting, warning and early action support system could therefore play a fundamental role in limiting the consequences of coastal flooding and erosion.
At national level, alerts for high waves and coastal flooding are issued by Météo-France through the flood wave alert (VVS) system. The weather alert map informs the population, authorities and civil defence services of any dangerous weather events expected in the following 48 hours at departmental and sub-departmental level. In addition to this national system of reference, which is constantly being improved, SIRENES will provide the PMCO and its partners with a forecasting and alert system tailored to local needs and defence strategies, feeding directly into local management protocols.
The SIRENES system is aimed at local players involved in managing crises caused by coastal flooding and erosion events. It primarily concerns the Établissements publics de coopération intercommunale (EPCIs) and the Syndicats Mixtes de Bassin Versant, which are responsible for managing dyke systems and acting as the main contacts for local authorities in crisis situations, as well as local government departments, in particular the Référents Départementaux Inondation (RDI), whose role is to support the Prefect as part of the ORSEC civil defence system. The local authorities and public bodies responsible for facilities and networks will also be able to make use of SIRENES (in this case, the Hauts-de-France Region and the Grand Port Maritime de Dunkerque).
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