Earth and Environmental Sciences
The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI)
Illustrative: sea-surface temperature, eddy-driven surface drifters and the ice edge
Risk Academy, led by the Nexus Consortium · Earth and Environmental Sciences
The discipline covers marine ecosystems, coastal hazards such as storm surge, erosion and sea-level rise, ocean observation, and the communities, fisheries, ports and blue economy that depend on the ocean.
The model
From a centimetre of sea level to a flooded street: how a rising mean turns a rare surge into a frequent one, and what a defence must be
DataModelGateDecisionStandard it teachesStandard it relies onNeighbouring discipline
The model From a centimetre of sea level to a flooded street: how a rising mean turns a rare surge into a frequent one, and what a defence must be
The subtopics its courses and labs teach.
Courses in development extend the scope to further subjects: Ocean warming, acidification and marine heatwaves; Fisheries and aquaculture risk; Ocean governance beyond national jurisdiction.
For coastal planners, port and fisheries managers, marine scientists and analysts of coastal risk who need to read a sea-level projection, a storm surge return level or an ocean heat record and know what each can support.
Each method is listed with what it assumes and where it fails.
Bodies and standards are named so learners can find and apply their published work; the Academy teaches their use and links to the publisher, and no affiliation is implied.
Oceans and coasts's own model, as a live chart: move each parameter and read how the outputs respond.
Search any place or open the world; the layers and generators follow oceans and coasts on the planet map, the globe and in 3D.
The boundaries, names and designations shown do not imply any judgement on the legal status of any territory, or any endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. Countries: Natural Earth (public domain).
Select corners to build a signature, then hover a line to read what each sector gives and receives.
Context
Coastal storm surge
Mangroves and dunes absorb the surge; where they are gone, ports, substations and water intakes take it.
W · E · I · F · H · B
The Nexus Standards the discipline teaches toward, grouped by master standard, with the disciplines that teach each.
Nexus Standards at the AcademyThe Academy proposes how each discipline teaches toward the Nexus Standards; the mapping is open for review by the editors of the Nexus Standards.
Open scholarly sources searched with the subject terms of Oceans and coasts.
Search termsOceans and coasts; Sea-level rise and coastal flood; Storm surge and coastal erosion; Marine ecosystems and ocean warming; Ocean acidification and deoxygenation; Fisheries and coastal livelihoodsDerived from the Risk Academy page on Oceans and coasts.
No source is enabled for live display on this site yet: the sources are listed for reference and none is queried. Once the publisher of record enables a source after its terms are reviewed, recent works are listed here. Metadata and links only: title, authors, venue, year, type, open-access status and licence as each source records them; works are listed for orientation, not reviewed or endorsed.
Research and preprints as they are published, by discipline, with the faculty's other tools.
The hub lists the newest research and preprints for Oceans and coasts, each with its source and date. Open the research hub
From the Academy's risk taxonomy: the discipline's own entries and those of its primary courses, with how many courses teach each.
Recent developments in oceans and coasts, each with its source; sources checked on 16 October 2026.
Courses for this discipline are in development; until they open, study it through the connected courses and open lessons below.
Courses with this primary disciplineIn development
Each course has its primary discipline elsewhere and teaches this field as part of its scope.
| Lab | What you do in it | Courses using it |
|---|---|---|
| Map lab | Read hazard, exposure and boundaries on real maps | 7 |
| Exposure lab | Overlay people and assets with hazard footprints | 5 |
| GeoAI lab | Apply Earth observation and machine learning to open imagery | 2 |
| Aspect | In this area |
|---|---|
| Technology that helps | Earth observation and acoustic monitoring, environmental DNA and GeoAI. |
| Risk technology creates | The governance of biotechnology releases, and data sovereignty. |
Field platforms of the ecosystem where the subject is studied and applied.
Nexus Foundry system pages describe what each system and its rooms are designed to do; the courses teach the methods these systems apply.
Start with IPCC, then Church, then Kopp.
Nexus Reports is the Consortium's quarterly publication. What you know about this subject can become evidence, a case or a correction in the next edition, credited to you and published under CC BY 4.0 where it is your own work.
Open courses in connected disciplines teach the methods this discipline will build on.