#CoastalNotes - The extreme Atlantic storms of the first weeks of this year have proved a boon for archaeologists and other heritage enthusiasts on the western coastline, from the exposing of the wreck of a century-old schooner to the remains of Neolithic graves and the traces of an ancient 'drowned' forest.
And as The Irish Times reports, the aftermath of that serve weather is continuing to reveal more artefacts from Ireland's past, such as a forgotten harbour from the medieval period, early Christian burial sites and tools from the Mesolitic era.
Meanwhile, the drowned forest discovered on the northern shore of Galway Bay is providing evidence of what can happen when our planet experiences climate change, according to a local geology academic.
“That forest drowned because of weather,” says Prof Michael Williams of NUI Galway. “It was flourishing 5,000 years ago and then the climate in the north Atlantic changed. It became cooler and wetter, and the sea level began to rise."
Even so, Prof Williams doesn't deny the effects of the human footprint on climate change today, but warns that regardless of human action, future generations must prepare for rising seas over the next tens of thousands of years.
The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.
