Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

A Harbour Seal photographed at Dun Laoghaire Marina on Dublin Bay, Ireland. Also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. The most widely distributed species of pinnipeds, they are found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Baltic and North seas. Photo: AfloatA photograph of a Harbour Seal taken at Dun Laoghaire Marina on Dublin Bay, Ireland. Also known as the common seal, this species can be found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines throughout the Northern Hemisphere. They are the most widely distributed species of pinnipeds and can be found in the coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as the Baltic and North Seas. Photo: Afloat

Displaying items by tag: Trinity

#Rowing: NUIG had an exciting win over ASR Nereus of the Netherlands in the Prince Albert Cup for student coxed fours at Henley Royal Regatta. The early stages were tight, but the Dutch took the lead and held it down most of the course. Coming into the enclosures NUIG exerted fierce pressure – and it worked. They drew level and won by a canvas.

 Trinity beat the University of London B by one and three-quarter lengths in the first round of the Temple Cup at Henley Royal Regatta. The Dublin University crew started well and fashioned a strong lead which their opponents could not whittle away.

Henley Royal Regatta, Day One (Selected Results; Irish interest)

Thames Cup (Eights, Club): Cork Boat Club bt Potomac, United States ¾ l, 6 min 35 sec.

Temple Cup (Eights, College): Trinity bt University of London B 1¾l, 6:40.

Prince Albert (Fours, coxed; Student): NUIG bt ASR Nereus, The Netherlands canvas, 7:13

Fawley (Quadruple, Junior): Neptune bt Tideway Scullers’ School ‘C’ 2/3l, 7:04.

Published in Rowing
Tagged under

#Rowing: Two strong senior composite crews took home the Division One quadruple titles as the action concluded late into the evening on the first day of Cork Regatta at the National Rowing Centre. The women’s final saw Margaret Cremen join Skibbereen’s Lydia Heaphy, Denise Walsh and Aoife Casey to good effect, and the men’s winners were the prospective Ireland Under-23 lightweight quad. Workmen’s and Shandon junior 18 crews were good runners up in the women’s and men’s races.

Cork Boat Club won the Division One men’s coxed four title, while Trinity took the women’s.

Cork Regatta, National Rowing Centre (Selected Results)

Men

Eight – Div Two: Neptune (club two) 6:22.95; 4 Trinity (nov) 6:34.32; 5 Col Iognaid (jun 16) 6:35.63; 6 Shandon (jun 18B) 6:43.79.

Four – Div One, coxed: Cork (inter) 6:34.299; 3 Enniskillen A (jun 18A) 6:39.299. C Final: 2 Neptune (club one) 6:48.37.

Pair – Div One: 1 UCD (S Mulvaney, D O’Malley; sen) 6:53.31, 2 Skibbereen (M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll; sen) 6:59.98, 3 Enniskillen (jun 18A) 7:06.75; 6 Cork A (inter) 7:23.68. B Final: 6 Neptune A (club one) 7:24.50.

Sculling, Quadruple – Div One: 1 Tara, UCD, Commercial, UCC (sen) 6:00.93, 2 Shandon (jun 18) 6:10.96

Double – Div Two: CRCC (jun 18B) 7:06.99; 5 Cork A (jun 16) 7:15.37. B Final: Cappoquin (club two) 7:20.43

Single Sculls: 1 Skibbereen (P O’Donovan; sen) 6:59.73. B Final: UCC (H Sutton; lwt) 7:20.63. C Final: 1 Shandon (E Gaffney; jun 18A) 7:28.92; 2 Queen’s (N Hull; inter) 7:29.86

Women

Eight- Div Two: Trinity A (club two) 6:52.696; 6 Commercial (jun 16) 7:15.45. B Final: 1 Queen’s (nov) 7:19.09.

Four, coxed – Div One: 1 Trinity (inter) 7:25.63, 2 Commercial (sen) 7:30.06; 5 Shandon (club one) 7:46.78.

Pair – Div One: 1 Skibbereen (A McCarthy, N Casey; sen) 7:49.73; 4 Col Iognaid (Jun 18A) 8:07.86; Shandon (club one) 8:08.78. C Final: 4 Shandon (inter) 8:36.00.

Sculling, Quadruple – Div One: 1 Skibbereen/Lee 6:50.49; 2 Workmen’s (jun 18A) 7:05.596. Div Two: 1 Cork A (club two) 7:50.05; 3 Carlow (jun 16) 8:03.97. B Final: Carlow (jun 18B) 8:13.43; 4 Queen’s (nov) 8:25.47.

Double – Div Two: 1 Killorglin (jun 18B) 7:41.63, 2 New Ross (club two) 7:56.41, 3 Carlow (jun 16) 8:00.41

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Commercial finished second to Leander in the men’s Championship Eights at London Metropolitan Regattta at Dorney Lake today. It was one of a string of good results for Irish clubs. NUIG and Tribesmen shone and teamed up to win the women’s Championship coxed four. UCC – who took second in the Championship single sculls through Ronan Byrne – also excelled. Trinity, the University of Limerick, Shandon and Castleconnell also had wins. 

London Metropolitan Regatta, Dorney Lake (Irish interest; selected results, winners unless stated)

Men

Eight – Championship: 1 Leander 5:49.90, 2 Commercial 5:52.74.

Four – Championship: 3 Commercial 6:12.20. Tier Two: Shandon.

Four, coxed – Tier Three: Tribesmen 6:32.26. Academic, Tier Two: NUIG.

Pair – Tier Two: UCC 7:14.93.

Double Sculls – Championship: 2 UCC (R Byrne, H Sutton) 6:32.50. Tier Two: Castleconnell 6:42.50.

Single Sculls – Championship: 2 UCC (R Byrne) 7:03.99. Tier Two: Univ of Limerick (K Mannix) 7:18.36. Tier Three: St Michael’s (D O’Connor).

Women

Eight – Club, Tier Two: NUIG/Tribesmen 6:50.64. Academic, Tier Two: Trinity 6:57.77.

Four – Academic, Tier Two: Trinity 7:08.62.

Four, coxed – Championship: NUIG/Tribesmen 7:20.88. Tier Four: Univ of Limerick.

Pair – Championship: 2 Commercial (H O’Neill, R Morris) 7:46.57. Tier Two: NUIG 7:39.84.

Double Sculls – Championship: 3 London/Skibbereen (M Jackson, N Long) 7:28.48.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Trinity won the women’s senior eight at Trinity Regatta. The host crew were commanding winners over a Commercial eight made up of UCD alumni. In the semi-final they had beaten a Commercial eight made up of Trinity alumni.

 Blue Star, the alumni club of Newcastle University, won the men’s intermediate eight. UCD were unable to finish after a race which featured a number of clashes and a restart. Blue Star featured British Olympians George Nash and Scott Durant (both gold medallists in 2016)  as well as Irish Olympian Cormac Folan.  

Trinity Regatta, Islandbridge, Saturday (Selected Results)

Men

Eight – Senior: Trinity bt Commercial 1 1/3 l. Club: Commercial bt Neptune A 1 ¾ l. Novice: UCD A; Trinity disuqual.

Four – Sen, coxed: Commercial B.

Sculling,

Quadruple – Jun 18: Neptune bt Three Castles 4l. Jun 18B, coxed: Blackrock. Jun 16: Graiguenamanagh. Masters, coxed: Commercial.

Single – Sen: Commercial (N Beggan) bt Carlow (L Keating) 1l.  Inter: Sligo (G Patterson). Club One: Bann A (Christie).  Junior: Carlow (J Keating) bt Neptune (J Butler) easily. Jun 16: Neptune (T Orlic). Masters: Thames (C George).

Women

Eight – Senior: Trinity bt Commercial, 2l. Inter: Trinity B bt Trinity A ¼ l. Club One: Commercial bt Neptune 2l. Nov: UCD A. Jun 18: Bann bt Graiguenamanagh, easily. Jun 16B: Graiguenamanagh. Masters: Tribesmen A.

Four – Inter: Trinity A. Masters, coxed: Belfast BC/Tribesmen.

Sculling,

Quadruple, Club One, coxed: Neptune. Nov, coxed: Trinity r/0. Jun 18B, coxed: Graiguenamanagh bt Neptune 1 ½ l.

Double – Senior: Neptune bt Njord easily.

Single – Inter: Neptune (Feerick). Club One: Neptune (Clarke). Club Two: Neptune (Clarke). Jun 18A: Neptune (Clarke). Jun 16: City Of Derry (E Murphy).

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Trinity won the men’s senior eights’ title at Trinity Regatta with a convincing display this morning. Commercial disputed the lead in the early stages of the race, but Trinity moved clear and won by one and one-third lengths. Conditions for the contest were perfect, with bright warm sunshine and calm water.

Trinity’s women’s senior eight won their semi-final against Commercial A.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Trinity won the men’s senior eights at the University Championships of Ireland at the National Rowing Centre in Cork today. The race had a thrilling finish: Trinity led by less than a length, but UCD finished strongly and almost caught them. NUIG won the women’s senior eight much more comfortably, from Trinity.

 The overall winners were NUIG, who also won the Bank of Ireland Trophy for women. The men’s award, the Wylie Cup, went to Trinity.

 Fintan McCarthy of UCC won the senior single sculls from Andrew Goff of UCD and Selma Bounane of UCC topped the rankings in the women’s senior single.

University Championships of Ireland, National Rowing Centre (Selected Results)

Men

Eights – Senior: 1 Trinity, 2 UCD, 3 UCC. Inter: 1 Trinity, 2 UCD, 3 UCC. Club: 1 Trinity, 2 NUIG, 3 UCC. Novice: 1 UCD A, 2 Trinity A, 3 Queen’s A.

Four – Sen: UCD. Inter, coxed: Trinity. Club, coxed: UCC.

Pair – Sen: UCD.

Sculling, Quadruple, coxed – Novice: University of Limerick. Double – Inter: Queen’s. Single - Sen: UCC (F McCarthy). Inter: Univ of Limerick (K Mannix)

Women

Eights – Senior: 1 NUIG, 2 Trinity A, 3 Trinity B. Inter: 1 NUIG, 2 Trinity A, 3 Queen’s. Club: 1 NUIG, 2 Queen’s, 3 UCD A. Novice: 1 UCD, 2 Queen’s A, 3 Queen’s B.

Four – Sen: NUIG. Inter, coxed: NUIG A. Club, coxed: NUIG A.

Pair – Sen: UCC.  

Sculling, Quadruple – Nov: Queen’s B. Double – Inter: NUIG. Single – Sen: UCC (Bounane). Inter: UCC (L Heaphy).

Overall Winners: NUIG. Wylie Cup for Men: Trinity. Bank of Ireland Trophy for Women: NUIG.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Trinity looked strong as they beat UCD in the men’s senior eights final at Neptune Regatta this evening. The final verdict was under a length, but as the crews passed the Neptune boathouse the men in white looked in control.

Neptune took two wins by tiny margins. They won the club one coxed fours by two feet and the club two coxed quadruple by just one foot.

There was a spectacular incident at the end of the women’s masters’ eight final. Tribesmen beat the hosts, but crashed against the bank just after the finish.

The regatta was hit by a hail and rain shower just after 5.20 and the programme ran late.

Neptune Regatta, Islandbridge, Saturday (Selected Results)

Men

Eight – Senior: Trinity bt UCD ¾ l, 3:13. Club One: UCD B bt Neptune ¾ l, 3:20. Novice: UCD B bt Trinity 3l, 3:30. Junior 18: Neptune bt Col Iognaid 2l, 3:27. Jun 16: Col Iognaid bt Blackrock 3l, 3:49. Jun 15: Bann bt St Joseph’s 1 ½ l. Masters: Old Collegians bt Neptune 1l.

Four – Senior, coxed: Trinity B bt UCD 2l, 3:35. Club One, coxed: Neptune bt UCD 2ft, 3:43. Jun 18, coxed: Col Iognaid bt Commercial 2/3 l, 4:14. Masters, coxed: Athlone bt Neptune ¾ l.

Sculling, Quadruple – Club Two, coxed: Neptune bt Bann 1ft, 3:57. Jun 18: Col Iognaid bt Three Castles 2l, 4:06. Jun 16, coxed: Fermoy bt Bann 3:50. Jun 15, coxed: Blackrock A bt Galway easily, 4:16.

Double – Jun 16: Col na Coiribe bt Commercial A 3l, 4:01.

Single – Senior: Commercial (N Beggan) bt Portadown (A Laivins) easily, 3:58. Inter: Offaly (C Brady) bt Garda (P Ryan) 2 ½ l, 4:40. Club One: Commercial (D Crowley) bt Portadown (A Laivins) 2/3 l 4:10. Club Two: Clonmel (S O’Donnell) bt Garda (P Ryan) 4l, 4:25. Jun 18: New Ross (L Sutton) bt Commercial (C Kelly) easily, 4:00. Jun 16: Neptune (T Orlic) r/0.  

Women

Eight – Club One: Commercial bt UCD B 2l, 3:50. Jun 18: Graiguenamanagh bt Col Iognaid, canvas 3:53. Novice: UCD A bt UCD B 4l, 4:00. Jun 16: Commercial bt Fermoy 2 ½ l, 4:07. Jun 15: Galway bt Enniskillen 4l. Masters: Tribesmen bt Neptune 3l.

Four – Club One, coxed: UCD B bt UCD A 2 ½ l, 4:48.

Sculling, Quadruple – Club Two, coxed: Graiguenamanagh A bt King’s Hospital 2l, 4:27. Jun 18: Col Iognaid bt Neptune 3l, 4:56. Jun 16, coxed: Commercial bt Carlow 2 ½, 4:12. Jun 15, coxed: Carlow bt Athlone 2 ½ l. Double – Jun 16: Fermoy A bt Commercial B, easily, 4:34.

Single – Club One: Athlone (Y Curley) r/0. Club Two: Clonmel (S McGrath) bt Clonmel (E Fitzpatrick) 4l. Jun 18: Commercial (K Dolan) bt Neptune (N Clarke) 1ft, 4:30. Jun 16: Carlow (S Scully) r/o.

 

Published in Rowing
Tagged under

#Rowing: The first set of finals at Neptune Regatta was a good one for UCD. Their B crew beat Neptune – by three-quarters of a length – in the competitive club one eights and their B crew beat Trinity in the novice eights. However, Trinity won the battle of the senior coxed fours – their B crew beat UCD. The host club provided be the top junior 18 eight, beating Coláiste Iognáid in the final.

 The women’s junior 18 eight gave Graiguenamanagh a win over Coláiste Iognáid by a canvas, while the club one eights went to Commercial, who beat UCD B. In the closest race of the session, Katie Dolan of Commercial beat Niamh Clarke of Neptune by just one foot in the women’s junior 18 single sculls. Luke Sutton of New Ross won the men’s junior 18 single.

Neptune Regatta, Islandbridge, Saturday (Selected Results)

Men

Eight – Club One: UCD B bt Neptune ¾ l, 3:20. Novice: UCD B bt Trinity 3l, 3:30. Junior 18: Neptune bt Col Iognaid 2l, 3:27. Jun 15: Bann bt St Joseph’s 1 ½ l.

Four – Senior, coxed: Trinity B bt UCD 2l, 3:35. Masters, coxed: Athlone bt Neptune ¾ l.

Sculling, Quadruple – Jun 16, coxed: Fermoy bt Bann 3:50.

Double – Jun 16: Col na Coiribe bt Commercial A 3l, 4:01.

Single – Club Two: Clonmel (S O’Donnell) bt Garda (P Ryan) 4l, 4:25. Jun 18: New Ross (L Sutton) bt Commercial (C Kelly) easily, 4:00.  

Women

Eight – Club One: Commercial bt UCD B 2l, 3:50. Jun 18: Graiguenamanagh bt Col Iognaid, canvas 3:53. Novice: UCD A bt UCD B 4l, 4:00. Jun 15: Galway bt Enniskillen 4l.  

Sculling, Quadruple – Jun 16, coxed: Commercial bt Carlow 2 ½, 4:12. Double – Jun 16: Fermoy A bt Commercial B, easily, 4:34.

Single – Club Two: Clonmel (S McGrath) bt Clonmel (E Fitzpatrick) 4l. Jun 18: Commercial (K Dolan) bt Neptune (N Clarke) 1ft, 4:30.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing; Trinity won the Gannon Cup with a fine performance today. The Colours races were run on a reverse of the Trinity Regatta course above the weir for safety reasons. There was a strong east wind and a powerful flow.

 UCD took a one-length lead in the Gannon Cup at the first bend, but Trinity came back to lead and held on. Trinity’s senior women won the Corcoran Cup with a commading performance.

 The novice women’s title (the Sally Moorhead Trophy) was won easily by UCD. The closest race of the day was the novice men’s race, which was a thrilling contest. Trinity led past the boat clubs, but UCD overtook them and led by a length. Trinity came back to retake the lead … only for UCD to overhaul them right at the finish line.   

Colours Races 2018, Islandbridge (raced above the weir because of bad weather)

Senior Men (Gannon Cup): Trinity (B Cronin, D Butler, W Doyle, G Moore, A Liadov, D Pierse, T Hughes, M Quigley; cox: R Hamilton) bt UCD, ¾ l.

Novice Men (Dan Quinn Shield): UCD bt Trinity 2ft.

Senior Women (Corcoran Cup): Trinity  (D Maguire, S Kelly, A Byrne, J Hogg, A Corcoran, C Dempsey, L McHugh, S Higgins; cox: M Jungmann) bt UCD easily.

Novice Women (Sally Moorhead Cup): UCD bt Trinity easily

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Trinity’s senior eight were the fastest crew at the re-fixed Erne Head of the River in Enniskillen today. It was their fourth consecutive win, achieved this year in rainy conditions. Junior crews did well: Enniskillen RBC’s junior men’s eight were third fastest overall and the fastest women’s crew was the host club’s junior eight.

 In Amsterdam, UCC’s men’s eight were the best Irish crew at the Heineken Roeivierkamp. They took 32nd in the men’s race over 2,500 metres in seven minutes 36.8 seconds.

Erne Head of the River, Saturday (Selected Results)

Overall: 1 Trinity men’s senior eight 19 minutes 17 seconds, 2 Commercial sen eight 19:50, 3 Enniskillen jun eight 20:04, 4 Trinity inter eight 20:27, 5 Neptune club two eight 20:49, 6 Lagan senior quadruple 20:57: 17 Enniskillen women’s junior eight 22:39.  

Men

Eight – Senior: Trinity 19:17. Inter: Trinity 20:27. Club Two: Neptune 20:49. Nov: Trinity A 21:26. Junior: Enniskillen 20:04. Masters: Commercial (D) 21:42. Jun 16: Col Iognaid 22:20.

Four – Jun, coxed: Commercial 22:35.

Sculling, Quadruple – Sen: Lagan Scullers 20:57. Inter: Belfast 21:53. Nov, coxed: Commercial 27:13. Jun: Neptune A 21:12. Jun 16, coxed: Bann 23:17. Masters, coxed: City of Derry (E) 24:31.  

Women

Eight – Inter: Trinity 22:48. Club One: Bann 22:46. Club Two: Carlow 25:59. Jun: Enniskillen 22:39. Jun 16: Enniskillen A 23:53. Masters: Portora (D) 30:27.

Four – Sen: Trinity 24:25. Inter, coxed: Trinity 26:35.

Sculling, Quadruple – Jun: Col Iognaid 25:22. Jun 16, coxed: Carlow 25:08. Masters, coxed: City of Derry, Lagan, Offaly (C) 29:42.

Roeivierkamp, Amsterdam (Selected Result)

Men, 2500 metres: 1 Nereus 1e Eight 6:48.6; 8 Nereus 2e Eight 7:10.8; 32:UCC 2e Eight 7:36.8.

Published in Rowing
Page 2 of 9

For all you need on the Marine Environment - covering the latest news and updates on marine science and wildlife, weather and climate, power from the sea and Ireland's coastal regions and communities - the place to be is Afloat.ie.

Coastal Notes

The Coastal Notes category covers a broad range of stories, events and developments that have an impact on Ireland's coastal regions and communities, whose lives and livelihoods are directly linked with the sea and Ireland's coastal waters.

Topics covered in Coastal Notes can be as varied as the rare finding of sea-life creatures, an historic shipwreck with secrets to tell, or even a trawler's net caught hauling much more than just fish.

Other angles focusing the attention of Coastal Notes are Ireland's maritime museums, which are of national importance to maintaining access and knowledge of our nautical heritage, and those who harvest the sea using small boats based in harbours where infrastructure and safety pose an issue, plying their trade along the rugged wild western seaboard.

Coastal Notes tells the stories that are arguably as varied as the environment they come from, and which shape people's interaction with the natural world and our relationship with the sea.

Marine Wildlife

One of the greatest memories of any day spent boating around the Irish coast is an encounter with Marine Wildlife. It's a thrill for young and old to witness seabirds, seals, dolphins and whales right there in their own habitat. And as boaters fortunate enough to have experienced it will testify, even spotting a distant dorsal fin can be the highlight of any day afloat. Was that a porpoise? Was it a whale? No matter how brief the glimpse, it's a privilege to share the seas with Irish marine wildlife.

Thanks to our location in the North Atlantic, there appears to be no shortage of marine life to observe. From whales to dolphins, seals, sharks and other ocean animals, the Marine Wildlife category documents the most interesting accounts around our shores. And we're keen to receive your observations, your photos, links and video clips, too!

Also valuable is the unique perspective of all those who go afloat, from coastal sailing to sea angling to inshore kayaking to offshore yacht racing, as what they encounter can be of great importance to organisations such as the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG). Thanks to their work we now know we share the seas with dozens of species who also call Ireland home. But as impressive as the list is, the experts believe there are still gaps in our knowledge. Next time you are out on the ocean waves, keep a sharp look out!

Weather

As an island in the North Atlantic, Ireland's fate is decided by Weather more so than many other European countries. When storm-force winds race across the Irish Sea, ferry and shipping services are cut off, disrupting our economy. When swollen waves crash on our shores, communities are flooded and fishermen brace for impact - both to their vessels and to their livelihoods.

Keeping abreast of the weather, therefore, is as important to leisure cruisers and fishing crews alike - for whom a small craft warning can mean the difference between life and death - as it is to the communities lining the coast, where timely weather alerts can help protect homes and lives.

Weather affects us all, and Afloat.ie will keep you informed on the hows and the whys.

Marine Science

Perhaps it's the work of the Irish research vessels RV Celtic Explorer and RV Celtic Voyager out in the Atlantic Ocean that best highlights the essential nature of Marine Science for the future growth of Ireland's emerging 'blue economy'.

From marine research to development and sustainable management, Ireland is developing a strong and well-deserved reputation as an emerging centre of excellence. Whether it's Wavebob ocean energy technology to aquaculture to weather buoys and oil exploration, the Marine Science category documents the work of Irish marine scientists and researchers and how they have secured prominent roles in many European and international marine science bodies.

Power From The Sea

The message from the experts is clear: offshore wind and wave energy is the future. And as Ireland looks towards the potential of the renewable energy sector, generating Power From The Sea will become a greater priority in the State's 'blue growth' strategy.

Developments and activities in existing and planned projects in the pipeline from the wind and wave renewables sector, and those of the energy exploration industry, point to the future of energy requirements for the whole world, not just in Ireland. And that's not to mention the supplementary industries that sea power projects can support in coastal communities.

Irish ports are already in a good position to capitalise on investments in offshore renewable energy services. And Power From The Sea can even be good for marine wildlife if done properly.

Aside from the green sector, our coastal waters also hold a wealth of oil and gas resources that numerous prospectors are hoping to exploit, even if people in coastal and island areas are as yet unsure of the potential benefits or pitfalls for their communities.

Changing Ocean Climate

Our ocean and climate are inextricably linked - the ocean plays a crucial role in the global climate system in a number of ways. These include absorbing excess heat from the atmosphere and absorbing 30 per cent of the carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere by human activity. But our marine ecosystems are coming under increasing pressure due to climate change.

The Marine Institute, with its national and international partners, works to observe and understand how our ocean is changing and analyses, models and projects the impacts of our changing oceans. Advice and forecasting projections of our changing oceans and climate are essential to create effective policies and management decisions to safeguard our ocean.

Dr Paul Connolly, CEO of the Marine Institute, said, “Our ocean is fundamental to life on earth and affects so many facets of our everyday activities. One of the greatest challenges we face as a society is that of our changing climate. The strong international collaborations that the Marine Institute has built up over decades facilitates a shared focusing on our changing ocean climate and developing new and enhanced ways of monitoring it and tracking changes over time.

“Our knowledge and services help us to observe these patterns of change and identify the steps to safeguard our marine ecosystems for future generations.”

The Marine Institute’s annual ocean climate research survey, which has been running since 2004, facilitates long term monitoring of the deep water environment to the west of Ireland. This repeat survey, which takes place on board RV Celtic Explorer, enables scientists to establish baseline oceanic conditions in Irish waters that can be used as a benchmark for future changes.

Scientists collect data on temperature, salinity, water currents, oxygen and carbon dioxide in the Atlantic Ocean. This high quality oceanographic data contributes to the Atlantic Ocean Observing System. Physical oceanographic data from the survey is submitted to the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) and, in addition, the survey contributes to national research such as the VOCAB ocean acidification and biogeochemistry project, the ‘Clean Atlantic’ project on marine litter and the A4 marine climate change project.

Dr Caroline Cusack, who co-ordinates scientific activities on board the RV Celtic Explorer for the annual survey, said, “The generation of long-term series to monitor ocean climate is vital to allow us understand the likely impact of future changes in ocean climate on ecosystems and other marine resources.”

Other activities during the survey in 2019 included the deployment of oceanographic gliders, two Argo floats (Ireland’s contribution to EuroArgo) and four surface drifters (Interreg Atlantic Area Clean Atlantic project). The new Argo floats have the capacity to measure dissolved ocean and biogeochemical parameters from the ocean surface down to a depth of 2,000 metres continuously for up to four years, providing important information as to the health of our oceans.

During the 2019 survey, the RV Celtic Explorer retrieved a string of oceanographic sensors from the deep ocean at an adjacent subsurface moored station and deployed a replacement M6 weather buoy, as part of the Irish Marine Data Buoy Observation Network (IMDBON).

Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the IMDBON is managed by the Marine Institute in collaboration with Met Éireann and is designed to improve weather forecasts and safety at sea around Ireland. The data buoys have instruments which collect weather and ocean data including wind speed and direction, pressure, air and sea surface temperature and wave statistics. This data provides vital information for weather forecasts, shipping bulletins, gale and swell warnings as well as data for general public information and research.

“It is only in the last 20 years, meteorologists and climatologists have really began to understood the pivotal role the ocean plays in determining our climate and weather,” said Evelyn Cusack, Head of Forecasting at Met Éireann. “The real-time information provided by the Irish data buoy network is particularly important for our mariners and rescue services. The M6 data buoy in the Atlantic provides vital information on swell waves generated by Atlantic storms. Even though the weather and winds may be calm around our shores, there could be some very high swells coming in from Atlantic storms.”