Dublin Bay South 2019-20

Description

In Dublin Bay South, the CHERISH project surveyed the sandy intertidal area between Dun Laoghaire and Irishtown between 2019 and 2020 using an unmanned aerial vehicle close to low tide. Data from multiple flights were combined to produce one 3D model of the intertidal area. Multiple channels along which water floods and ebbs are traced by dark seaweed. Sand bars help break the force of waves before they reach the coastline. Human activity has altered this coastline: Booterstown Marsh is due to the railway, and sedimentation changed after Dún Laoghaire harbour was built. Climate projections predict increased intensity of extreme weather events (wind and rainfall), increased sea-level rise and increased storm wave heights. These will impact Ireland’s coastline changing erosion patterns and other sediment transport processes. Baseline data like this allow us to monitor change and refine models of water currents operating in this important bay.