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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: Dilleen

#Rowing: Ireland’s women’s double and lightweight single sculler Denise Walsh finished their campaigns at the World Rowing Championships in Aiguebelette in France with good performances. Walsh took second in her C Final, 14th overall. She sprinted to the line and almost caught winner, Kate Johnstone of South Africa. Helen Hannigan and Lisa Dilleen won their D final, pushing Italy into second. The Ireland crew places 19th overall.

World Rowing Championships, Aiguebelette, France – Day Six (Irish interest)

Men

Lightweight Four – Semi-Final Two (First Three to A Final): 4

Britain (2 P Chambers) 6:58.68.  

Lightweight Pair – A Final: 1 Britain (J Cassells, S Scrimgeour) 6:29.40. B Final (Places 7 to 12): 1 Ireland (M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll) 6:46.44, 2 Spain 6:46.59, 3 Czech Republic 6:47.54.

Single Sculls – Semi-Final Two: 5 Britain (A Campbell) 6:51.24.

Women

Four – A Final: 1 United States 6:25.22, 2 Britain 6:31.52, 3 China 6:35.56; 5 Ireland (A Keogh, M Dukarska, L Kennedy, B O’Brien)  6:43.49.

Double Sculls – D Final (Places 19 to 24): 1 Ireland (H Hannigan, L Dilleen) 7:17.04, 2 Italy 7:18.38, 3 Ukraine 7:21.82.

Single Sculls – Semi-Final (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 China 7:24.41, 2 Czech Republic 7:26.48, 3 United States 7:27.39; 5 Ireland (S Puspure) 7:33.94.

Lightweight Single Sculls – C Final (Places 13 to 18): 1 South Africa 8:07.16, 2 Ireland (D Walsh) 8:07.96.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: The Ireland women’s double of Lisa Dilleen and Helen Hannigan finished fifth in their semi-final at the World Cup regatta in Lucerne today. Belarus and Germany took control of the race, with Greece moving in the third quarter to secure their place in the top three and nail down a place in the A Final. Italy could not progress beyond fourth and Ireland could not improve on their fifth place.

World Cup Regatta, Lucerne – Day One (Irish interest; selected results)

Men

Lightweight Pair – Repechage (First Four to A Final): 4 Ireland (M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll) 6:50.28.

Women

Double Sculls – A/B Semi-Final (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Belarus 7:14.98, 2 Germany 7:17.52, 3 Greece 7:19.13; 5 Ireland (H Hannigan, L Dilleen) 7:26.75.

Lightweight Double – A/B Semi-Final (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 South Africa 7:35.26, 2 US 7:36.79, 3 Germany 7:39.14; 5 Ireland (C Lambe, S Jennings) 7:44.11

Lightweight Single – Repechage One (Two to A Final; rest to B Final): 3 Ireland (D Walsh) 8:11.47.

Published in Rowing

# Rowing: Helen Hannigan and Lisa Dilleen showed fighting spirit in their heat of the double sculls at the World Cup Regatta in Lucerne in Switzerland. There were just two direct qualification places on offer in their heat: New Zealand and Greece zipped into the lead and held off all the challengers. Ireland and Austria chased them, but only Dilleen and Hannigan kept up the fight. They finished third, 3.25 seconds behind Greece, and are now set to compete in a repechage. 

World Cup Regatta, Lucerne – Day One (Irish interest; selected results)

Men

Lightweight Pair – Heat One (First Directly to A Final; rest to repechages): 1 France 6:45.55; 2 Ireland (M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll) 6:56.04

Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat Five (First Three Directly to Quarter-Finals): 1 Norway 6:17.32, 2 Ireland (G O’Donovan, P O’Driscoll) 6:20.20, 3 Portugal 6:21.09.

Women

Pair – Heat Three (First Two Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to repechages): 1 Denmark 7:09.27, 2 South Africa 7:16.71; 6 Ireland (L Kennedy, M Dukarska) 7:44.68

Double Sculls – Heat Two (First Two Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to repechage): 1 New Zealand 6:51.71, 2 Greece 6:53.20, 3 Ireland (H Hannigan, L Dilleen) 6:56.65

Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat One (First directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to repechages): 1 South Africa 6:54.01; 2 Ireland (C Lambe, S Jennings) 6:57.98

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: Helen Hannigan and Lisa Dilleen took second in their C Final, 14th overall, in the women’s double sculls at the European Rowing Championships in Poznan in Poland. In a three-boat race, Romania were the first to make a move and they led at halfway. Ireland took over, and led coming up to the line, only for Finland’s Ulla Varvio and Eeva Karppinen to catch and pass them. The winning margin was 1.4 seconds.

European Rowing Championships, Poznan, Day Two (Irish interest)

Men

Lightweight Double Sculls – A/B Semi-Final One (Three to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Britain (R Chambers, W Fletcher) 6:16.83, 2 Norway 6:21.02, 3 Ireland (P O’Donovan, G O’Donovan) 6:22.89; 4 Czech Republic 6:27.58, 5 Austria 6:31.75, 6 Greece 6:41.41.

Women

Pair – A/B Semi-Final One (Three to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Netherlands 7:05.80, 2 Romania 7:09.40,3 France 7:13.10; 4 Czech Republic 7:14.97, 5 Ireland (L Kennedy, M Dukarska) 7:30.00, 6 Germany 7:34.45.

Double Sculls – C Final (Places 13 to 15): 1 Finland 7:01.27, 2 Ireland (H Hannigan, L Dilleen) 7:02.31, 3 Romania 7:04.02.

Lightweight Double Sculls – A/B Semi-Final One (Three to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Poland 6:58.39, 2 Denmark 7:02.24, 3 Ireland (C Lambe, D Walsh) 7:02.82; 4 Russia 7:02.99, 5 Romania 7:03.82, 6 Czech Republic 7:17.73.

Single Sculls – Repechage (First Two to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Belarus 7:32.81, 2 Ireland (S Puspure) 7:36.20; 3 Germany 7:40.65, 4 Belgium 7:47.19.

Lightweight Single Sculls – A/B Semi-Final One (Three to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Russia 7:42.99, 2 Lithuania 7:44.09, 3 Britain (I Walsh) 7:44.62; 4 Ireland (S Jennings) 7:45.99, 5 Austria 7:58.39, 6 Latvia 8:02.81.

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: Ireland’s Lisa Dilleen and Helen Hannigan missed out on a place in the semi-finals of the European Rowing Championships when they finished fourth in their repechage of the women’s double sculls. The Ireland crew looked well-placed behind winners Denmark at 1500 metres, but were ousted from the crucial top three by Sweden and France. The men’s lightweight four performed competitively in the early stages of their repechage and showed some form late on, but they finished outside the qualifying spots, in fourth.

European Rowing Championships, Poznan, Day One (Irish interest)

Men

Lightweight Four – Heat One (First Three Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Britain 6:07.57, 2 Germany 6:09.56, 3 Russia 6:09.72; 4 Austria 6:25.53, 5 Ireland (M Bailey, A English, M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll ) 6:38.91. Repechage (Three to A/B Semi-Finals): 1 Poland 6:23.21, 2 Czech Republic 6:24.04, 3 Austria 6:27.15; 4 Ireland 6:31.10.

Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat Three (Two Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 France 6:20.55, 2 Czech Republic 6:27.16; 3 Ireland (P O’Donovan, G O’Donovan) 6:28.06, 4 Greece 6:41.16, 5 Poland 7:04.83. Repechage (Three to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to C Final): 1 Austria 5:54.92, 2 2 Switzerland 5:457.02, 3 Ireland 5:58.15; 4 Poland 5:58.52, 5 Denmark 6:00.12, 6 Ukraine 6:13.88.

Women

Pair – Heat Three (First Three Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Netherlands 7:12.68, 2 Spain 7:16.31, 3 Ireland (L Kennedy, M Dukarska) 7:17.07; 4 Poland One 7:17.84.

Double Sculls (First Three Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Poland 6:49.73, 2 Britain 6:53.58, 3 Serbia 6:55.67; 4 Romania 7:06.54, 5 Ireland (H Hannigan, L Dilleen) 7:24.08. Repechage (Three to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to C Final): 1 Denmark 7:11.44, 2 Sweden 7:12.78, 3 France 7:12.87; 4 Ireland 7:14.04, 5 Finland 7:16.42, 6 Romania 7:12.87.

Ireland

Lightweight Double Sculls (First Three Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Poland 7:06.62, 2 Netherlands 7:09.30, 3 Ireland (C Lambe, D Walsh) 7:15.74; 4 Ukraine One 7:28.07.

Single Scull – Heat One (Winner to A Final; rest to Repechage): 1 Switzerland (J Gmelin) 7:38.33; 2 Lithuania 7:41.28, 3 Germany 7:45.59, 4 Ireland (S Puspure) 7:48.79, 5 Britain 7:53.18, 6 Poland 8:03.51.

Lightweight Single Sculls – Heat Three (First Three Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Germany 7:47.03, 2 Ireland (S Jennings) 7:47.61, 3 Denmark 7:49.41; 4 Poland 8:03.59.

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: Sanita Puspure is the Afloat Rower of the Month for October. The Old Collegians sculler lifted Irish rowing to a new level when she was invited to be part of the ‘Great Eight’ at the Head of the Charles River in Boston. The crew, made up of some of the top women’s scullers in the world, went on to win the Championship Eight  by a margin of almost 20 seconds from the US Rowing crew. Puspure then ended the month by winning the Ireland trial for single scullers, overcoming a tremendous challenge from Lisa Dilleen.

Rower of the Month awards: The judging panel is made up of Liam Gorman, rowing correspondent of The Irish Times and David O'Brien, Editor of Afloat magazine. Monthly awards for achievements during the year will appear on afloat.ie and the overall national award will be presented to the person or crew who, in the judges' opinion, achieved the most notable results in, or made the most significant contribution to rowing during 2014. Keep a monthly eye on progress and watch our 2014 champions list grow.

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: Lisa Dilleen and Leonora Kennedy kept the good results coming for Ireland on the first day of the World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam. The women’s pair took an impressive second place in their heat behind the dominant crew, Olympic champions Helen Glover and Heather Stanning of the United Kingdom, thus qualifying directly for the semi-finals. Russia and Ireland battled it out for second in the middle stages, and as the Russians faded Canada launched an attack, but Dilleen and Kennedy won both battles. Canada took the third qualification spot.

World Rowing Championships, Amsterdam (Selected Results; Irish interest)

Men


Lightweight Single Sculls
– Heat Two (First Four Directly to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Portugal (P Fraga) 6:53.62, Australia (P Ward) 6:54.96, 3 Ireland (P O’Donovan) 6:57.65,

4 China (Jingbin Zhao) 7:03.13; 5 Slovakia 7:04.81, 6 Quatar 9:52.93.

Women

Pair – Heat Two (First Three Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Britain (H Glover, H Stanning) 7:04.64, 2 Ireland (L Kennedy, L Dilleen) 7:15.29, 3 Canada (J Martins, K Bauder) 7:04.64; 4 Serbia 7:21.06, 5 Russia 7:24.48.

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: Sanita Puspure qualified for the semi-finals of the World Cup regatta in Lucerne today with a steady second place in her heat. Kim Crow of Australia was the clear winner, but Puspure slotted into the only other qualification spot early on and held off a challenge by Italy’s Sara Magnaghi.

The Ireland women’s pair found it tougher in their heat. Britain’s Helen Glover and Heather Stanning won and took the one qualifying spot. Ireland finished fifth.

World Cup Regatta, Lucerne, Day One (Selected Results, Irish interest)

Women

Pair – Heat Two (Winner directly to A Final; rest to Repechage): 1 Britain (H Glover, H Stanning) 7:13.07; 2 New Zealand 7:16.01,3

Netherlands 7:26.54, 4 Australia 7:32.52, 5 Ireland (L Kennedy, L Dilleen) 7:40.89, 6 Czech Republic 7:46.63.

Single Sculls – Heat One (First Two Directly to A/B Semi-Final; rest to Repechage): 1 Australia (K Crow) 7:39.88, 2 Ireland (S Puspure) 7:45.55; 3 Italy 7:52.04, 4 Lithuania 7:58.75, 5 Serbia 8:07.62.

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: Paul O’Donovan won the B Final of the lightweight single sculls at the World Cup Regatta in Aiguebelette in France this morning. The UCD man was fourth at 500 metres but headed the field in the final quarter and moved clear to win well and secure seventh overall.

The women’s pair of Leonora Kennedy and Lisa Dilleen finished third in their B Final, ninth overall. New Zealand’s Louise Trappitt and Rebecca Scown – who won the A Final at the first World Cup in Sydney – were impressive winners of this race, while Ireland and Canada battled for second, well ahead of Germany One, Britain Two and France.

The Ireland lightweight women’s double scull of Claire Lambe and Denise Walsh finished their first regatta together as a crew fifth in the B Final, 11th overall. China Two won from the United States, Australia and Denmark while behind them Ireland outpaced Brazil all the way down the course.

World Cup Regatta, Aiguebelette, France, Day Three (Irish interest, selected results)

Men

Lightweight Single Sculls – B Final (Places 7 to 12): 1 Ireland One (P O’Donovan) 7:07.46, 2 Azerbaijan (J Afandiyev) 7:08.23, 3 Britain (Z Lee-Green) 7:10.55, 4 France 7:13.96, 5 Algeria 7:17.64, 6 Switzerland 7:19.68.

Women

Pair – B Final (Places 7 to 12): 1 New Zealand (L Trappitt, R Scown) 7:10.55, 2 Canada (N Mastracci, S Grainger) 7:15.16, 3 Ireland (L Kennedy, L Dilleen) 7:16.53, 4 Germany 7:24.64, 5 Britain 7:26.55, 6 France 7:27.64.

Lightweight Double Scull – B Final (Places 7 to 12): 1 China Two (Huan Zhang, Le Chen) 7:11.20, 2 United States (D Karz, M Sechser) 7:12.17, 3 Australia (E Flecker, A McNamara) 7:13.42, 4 Denmark 7:14.02, 5 Ireland (C Lambe, D Walsh) 7:16.71, 6 Brazil 7:23.33.

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Published in Rowing

#ROWING: Ireland’s Lisa Dilleen and Leonora Kennedy finished fifth in the pairs’ semi-final at the World Cup Regatta in Aiguebelette today. Three United States crews drawn from their eight took the qualification spots with Canada – also a crew drawn from the country’s eight – fourth. Dilleen and Kennedy tried to break into the dominant leading group but could not.

The lightweight women’s double of Claire Lambe and Denise Walsh stuck gamely to their task in their semi-final, but finished sixth. China One, Sweden and Britain’s Kat Copeland and Imogen Walsh collared the three qualification spots, with Copeland and Walsh judging their finish well to win.

World Cup Regatta, Aiguebelette, France, Day Two (Selected Results, Irish interest)

Men

Single Sculls – D Final (Places 19 to 23): 1 Bulgaria 7:14.01, 2 Ireland (J Keohane) 7:16.48, 3 China 7:19.41.

Lightweight Single Sculls – Semi-Final Two (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Germany Two (J Schoemann-Finck) 7:00.71, 2 Bulgaria (V Nedelcho) 7:03.69, 3 France (D Piqueras) 7:04.23; 4 Ireland One (P O’Donovan) 7:06.99, 5 Switzerland One 7:14.8, 6 Algeria 7:21.36. C Final (places 13 to 18): 1 Ireland Two (M O’Donovan) 7:17.11, 2 Tunisia One 7:17.40, 3 Switzerland Two 7:19.58.

Women

Pair – A/B Semi-Final One (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final):

1 United States Three (V Opitz, M Musnicki) 7:02.27, 2 United States One (M Kalmoe, K Simmonds) 7:02.33, 3 United States Four (A Polk, L Schmetterling) 7:04.23; 4 Canada 7:07.94, 5 Ireland (L Kennedy, L Dilleen) 7:16.80, 6 France 7:32.46.

Double Sculls – C Final (Places 13, 14): 1 France 7:12.84, 2 Ireland (M Dukarska, E Moran) 7:20.78.

Lightweight Double Sculls – A/B Semi-Final One (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Britain (I Walsh, K Copeland) 7:05.84, 2 China One (Tianyu Teng, Wenyi Huang) 7:07.25, 3 Sweden (C Lilja, E Fredh) 7:08.90; 4 Australia 7:13.07, 5 China Two 7:13.17, 6 Ireland (C Lambe, D Walsh) 7:14.79.

Published in Rowing
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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.”