#CoastalNotes - Solutions to deal with the erosion of Ireland's coastline to not have to cost "millions", a geography lecturer tells The Irish Times.
The comments by University College Cork's Dr Max Kozachenko follow a less heartening scenario described by fellow UCC academic Prof Robert Devoy, who said last month that erosion rates - exacerbated by increasingly extreme weather - will soon force Ireland's coastal counties to look "very clinically" at what parts are most worth saving via expensive engineering works.
However, Dr Kozachenko says that such a take-it-or-leave-it solution is "simplistic" when a co-ordinated approach involving coastal monitoring and new approaches to managing the effects of wind and wave action could stem the damage to Ireland's coastline for little expense.
He cites the placing of rock fragments in front of protective rock armouring or concrete walls to scatter waves and dissipate their energy as a cheap but effective option, and also notes the success of offshore artificial reefs in Japan that have had the added benefit of assisting in biodiversity.
The Irish Times has much more on the story HERE.