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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: Islandbridge

#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 had a good run in the early set of finals at Neptune Regatta in Islandbridge today. Their senior coxed four – with a strong set of rowers in Patrick Moreau, Mark Kelly, Liam Hawkes and David Butler, beat UCD, and Michael Corcoran won the senior single sculls. Monika Dukarska of Killorglin took on and beat Breanna Larsen in a semi-final and Jacqueline Ryan in the final of the women’s single.

Neptune Regatta, Islandbridge Saturday (Selected Results)

Men

Eight – Club One: Commercial B bt St Michael’s 2l, 3:44. Novice: Trinity bt UCD, disq. Junior 18: Neptune bt Commercial 1¾ l, 3:40.

Four – Senior: Trinity bt UCD 1¼ l, 3:50. Intermediate, coxed: Trinity bt Commercial 2l, 4:23. Masters, coxed: Carlow, Athlone, Northridge bt Neptune 3l.

Sculling, Quadruple – Jun 16, coxed: Commercial bt Castleconnell, disq

Double – Jun 16: Killorglin bt Graiguenamanagh easily, 4:25. Jun 15: Three Castles bt Blackrock easily, 4:34.

Single – Senior: Trinity (M Corcoran) bt Neptune (K Coughlan), 2l 4:23. Club Two: Trinity (S Addison) bt Clonmel (J McKenna) 3l, 4:40. Jun 18: Graiguenamanagh (A Lennon) bt Commercial (N Beggan) 1½ l.

Women

Eight – Club One: Commercial bt Trinity 1l, 4:20. Novice: UCD bt Trinity B 4l, 4:22. Jun 16: Portora bt Carlow easily, 4:28.

Sculling, Quadruple – Jun 18: Commercial bt Belfast RC easily, 4:50. Jun 15, coxed: St Michael’s A bt Offaly 6l, 4:56.

Single – Senior: Killorglin (M Dukarska) bt Garda (J Ryan) easily, 4:42. Club Two: Garda (Ryan) bt Garda (Moore) easily, 5:14.

Jun 16: Belfast RC (A Hall) bt Castleconnell (L Mulligan) easily, 5:22.

Published in Rowing
1st April 2016

Neptune Draw Changed

#Rowing: The Neptune Regatta on Saturday at Islandbridge has revised its draw, moving a number of crews around on the schedule. The overall shape of the regatta, which runs from 8.30am until just after 6pm, remains in place. There are men’s senior eight semi-finals scheduled for 4.24 and 4.27, with the final set for 5.42.

 The changes are highlighted in yellow in the attached draw.

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: Commercial Regatta got back on track after a six-year break with a relatively small event in excellent weather at Islandbridge today. The host club provided the bulk of the entry, but Trinity supplied the two eights which competed in the women’s senior eights final, where the B crew beat the A crew. The men’s senior single sculls final saw Michael Maher beat his Commercial clubmate Colm Dowling.

Commercial Regatta, Islandbridge, Sunday (Selected Results)

Men

Eight – Intermediate: Commercial A bt Commercial B. Club One: Commercial A bt Commercial B.

Four – Intermediate, coxed: Trinity bt UCD

Sculling, Quadruple – Club One: Commercial bt Trinity. Junior 16, coxed: Three Castles bt Commercial A. Junior 15, coxed: Commercial A bt Commercial C.

Double – Senior: Commercial A bt Commercial B. Junior 15: Commercial bt Three Castles

Single – Senior: Commercial (M Maher) bt Commercial (C Dowling). Intermediate: Commercial (N Gahan) bt Commercial (F O’Toole). Junior 16: Three Castles (O Clune) bt Three Castles (D Gilheany). Junior 15 – Final One: Commercial (A Holton) bt New Ross (J Becker). Final Two: Commercial (K Browne) bt New Ross (L Sutton).

Women

Eight – Senior: Trinity B bt Trinity A. Club One: Trinity bt Neptune. Novice: Commercial bt Trinity A. Junior 16: Commercial bt Athlone.

Four – Intermediate, coxed: Commercial bt Trinity B.

Sculling, Quadruple – Club One, coxed: Neptune bt Commercial A. Novice, coxed: Carlow bt Commercial. Junior 16, coxed: Commercial bt Athlone B. Junior 15, coxed: New Ross bt Commercial.

Double – Junior 18: Neptune A bt Athlone. Junior 16: Commercial bt New Ross B.

Single – Intermediate: Trinity (H O’Neill) bt Three Castles (A Feely). Club One: Commercial (C Edwards) bt Commercial (S O’Neill). Junior 15 - Final One: Commercial (A Keogh) bt New Ross (C Flanagan). Final Two: Three Castles bt Commercial (Dolan). Final Three: New Ross (A Coughlan) bt New Ross (L Brown).

 

Race No.TimeGroupEventRoundNorth StationSouth StationNext Race
19:30WC1WC1 4X+QF1Commercial ACommercial B16
29:35MJ16XMJ16 1XQF1Commercial, Lynch, MCommercial, Meehan, E39
39:40MJ16XMJ16 1XQF23 Castles, Clune, O3 Castles, Quinn, R39
49:45MJ16XMJ16 1XQF33 Castles, Irwin, A3 Castles, McKnight, T40
59:50WJ16XWJ16 4X+SF1Athlone BNewRoss41
69:55WJ16XWJ16 4X+SF2Athlone ACommercial41
710:00WIW Int 4+SF1CommercialDULBC A43
810:05WIW Int 4+SF2CarlowDULBC B43
910:10MXM Int 1XQF1Commercial, Gahan, NUCDBC, Toland, S33
1010:15MXM Int 1XQF2UCDBC, Griffin, ACommercial, Groome, F33
1110:20MXM Int 1XQF3Commercial, O'Toole, FCommercial, Joyce, D34
1210:25MXM Int 1XQF4Commercial, Healy, JCommercial, Baskerville, R34
1310:30MC1 MC1 8+SF1Commercial AUCDBC69
1410:35WC1XWC1 1XSF1Commercial, Edwards, CNewRoss, Janet, W47
1510:40WC1XWC1 1XSF2Commercial, O'Neill, SNewRoss, Doyle, J47
1610:45WC1WC1 4X+SF1Commercial AAthlone49
1710:50WC1WC1 4X+SF2CarlowNeptune49
1810:55MJ16XMJ16 4X+SF1Commercial ANewRoss50
1911:00MJ16XMJ16 4X+SF2Commercial B3 Castles50
2011:05WJ15 WJ15 4X+SF1NewRossCarlow65a
2111:10WJ15 WJ15 4X+SF2CommercialAthlone65a
2211:15WJ16XWJ16 2XSF1NewRoss ACommercial51
2311:20MSXMS2XSF1Commercial BUCDBC67
2411:25MSXMS2XSF2Commercial ACommercial C67
2511:30WNWN 8+SF1DULBC ADULBC B64
2611:35MJ15XMJ15 4X+SF1Commercial CNewRoss67a
2711:40MJ15XMJ15 4X+SF2Commercial BCommercial A67a
2811:45WSWS4+FDULBCCommercial 
2911:50MC1 MC1 4+FUCDBCCommercial 
3011:55MS MS 2-FNeptuneBelfast RC 
3112:00WJ18 XWJ18 2XSF1Neptune ANeptune B52
3212:05WJ18 XWJ18 2XSF2AthloneCommercial52
3312:10MXM Int 1XSF1Commercial, Gahan, NCommercial, Groome, F59
3412:15MXM Int 1XSF2Commercial, O'Toole, FWinner 1259
3512:20WJ14WJ14 4X+F1AthloneNewRoss1,000m
3612:25WJ14WJ14 4X+F2CommercialCarlow1,000m
3712:30MJ14MJ14 1XFCommercial, Hanley, RCommercial, Keane, R1,000m
3812:35WC1WC1 8+SF1CommercialDULBC65
3912:40MJ16XMJ16 1XSF1Commercial, Meehan, E3 Castles, Clune, O66
4012:45MJ16XMJ16 1XSF23 Castles, McKnight, T3 Castles, Gilheany, D66
4112:50WJ16XWJ16 4X+FAthlone BCommercial 
4212:55W Int 1XW Int 1XFDULBC, O'Neill, H3 Castles, Feeley, A 
4313:00WIW Int 4+FCommercialDULBC B 
4413:05MC1 MC1 4X+FDUBCCommercial 
4513:10MJ15XMJ15 2XFCommercial3 Castles 
4613:15WNWN 4X+FCarlowCommercial 
4713:20WC1XWC1 1XFCommercial, Edwards, CCommercial, O'Neill, S 
4913:30WC1WC1 4X+FCommercial ANeptune 
5013:35MJ16XMJ16 4X+FCommercial A3 Castles 
5113:40WJ16XWJ16 2XFCommercialNewRoss B 
5213:45WJ18 XWJ18 2XFNeptune AAthlone 
5313:50WJ15 WJ15 1XF1Commercial, Keogh, ANewRoss, Flanagain, C 
5413:55WJ15 WJ15 1XF23 Castles, Darker, SCommercial, Dolan, K 
5514:00WJ15 WJ15 1XF3NewRoss, Brown, LNewRoss, Coughlan, A 
5614:05M IntM Int 4+FUCDBCDUBC 
5714:10MJ168MJ16 8+FCommercial ACommercial B 
5814:15WS8WS 8+FDULBC ADULBC B 
5914:20MXM Int 1XFCommercial, Gahan, NCommercial, O'Toole, F 
6014:25MJ15XMJ15 1XF1Commercial, Holton, ANewRoss, Becker, J 
6114:30MJ15XMJ15 1XF2Commercial, Browne, KNewRoss, Sutton, L 
6214:35WJ14WJ14 2XF1NewRoss ACarlow1,000m
6314:40WJ14WJ14 2XF2NewRoss BAthlone1,000m
6414:45WNWN 8+FDULBC ACommercial 
6514:50WC1WC1 8+FDULBCNeptune 
65a14:55 WJ15 4X+FNewRossCommercial 
6615:00MJ16XMJ16 1XF3 Castles, Clune, O3 Castles, Gilheany, D 
6715:05MSXMS2XFCommercial BCommercial A 
67a15:10 MJ15 4X+FCommercial CCommercial A 
6815:15WJ168WJ16 8+fCommercialAthlone 
6915:20MC1 MC1 8+FCommercial ACommercial B 
7015:25MSXMS 1XFCommercial, Maher, MCommercial, Dowling, C
Published in Rowing

# ROWING: The Dublin Head of the River finished in a dead heat on Saturday, the first time this has happened in exactly 60 years. A big composite crew built around the Commercial senior four and with with members of three other clubs finished with the same time as UCD in cold and clear conditions. The college crew rested their senior oarsmen for the event.

 The only other dead heat in the 69 years of the event came in 1953 when UCD and Trinity dead-heated in an event which featured only nine crews. An impressive number of crews – 32 – took on the sometimes choppy water this year, but the boats set off at sometimes very long intervals, dulling some of the competitive edge.

UCD’s senior women won their battle with Trinity, covering the course from the Ha’penny Bridge to Islandbridge nine seconds faster than their rivals.

One negative note was the break-in and theft from three cars in the UCD car park.

Dublin Head of the River (Selected Results)

Overall: 1= UCD senior eight; Commercial/Grainne Mhaol/ Old Bones/University of Limerick 10 minutes 32.0 seconds; 3 UCD intermediate eight 11:02.0, 4 Trinity novice eight 11:17.0, 5 UCD intermediate eight 11:25.0, 6 Neptune junior eight 11:35.0.

Graded Results

Men, Eight – Senior: 1= UCD and Commercial/Grainne Mhaol, Old Bones/University of Limerick 10:32.0. Intermediate: 1 UCD 11:02.0, 2 UCD B 11:25.0, 3 Commercial 11:41.0. Novice: 1 Trinity 11:17.0, 2 Queen’s 11:39.0, 3 Trinity 12:09.0. Junior: 1 Neptune 11:35.0, 2 Blackrock College 12:27.0, 3 Neptune B 14:49.0.

Four – Senior: 1 Commercial B 12:35.0, 2 Commercial 31:18.0. Masters: Commercial 13:28.0. Quadruple – Novice: Trinity 13:49.0.

Women – Eight, Senior: 1 UCD 12:04.0, 2 Trinity 12:13.0. Intermediate: 1 Commercial 12:56.0, 2 UCD 12:58.0. Novice: 1 UCD 13:34.0, 2 Trinity 13:57.0, 3 Trinity B 14:08.0. Junior: 1 Commercial 14:00.0, 2 Commercial B 15:33.0.

Four – Senior: Trinity 14:47.0.

Published in Rowing

# ROWING: Dave Neale of UCD won the time trial of the Dublin Sculling Ladder at Islandbridge on Saturday. The Offalyman, who also won the Tullamore Time Trial last weekend, headed up the list of 180 contestants with a time of six minutes 51.82 seconds. Albert Maher of Commercial was second and the best junior of the day, Andrew Griffin of UCD came in an impressive third.

The best junior woman, Sally O’Brien of Trinity, also excelled – she was less than three seconds slower than women’s open winner, Amy Bulman of UCD.

Dublin Sculling Ladder Time Trial, Saturday, Islandbridge

Overall: 1 D Neale (UCD) 6 mins 51.82 seconds, 2 A Maher (Commercial) 7:01.58, 3 A Grffin (UCD) 7:14.10, 4 M Bailey (UCD) 7:15.9, 5 P Hughes (Trinity) 7:16.72, 6 P Flaherty (Trinity) 7:19.99.

Men - Open: 1 Neale 6:51.92, 2 Maher 7:01.58, 3 Bailey 7:15.9, 4 Hughes 7:16.72, 5 Flaherty 7:19.99, 6 C Dowling (Commercial) 7:20.51. Junior: 1 Griffin 7:14.10, 2 S Mulvaney (Neptune) 7:40.61, 3 C Flynn (Neptune) 7:44.85.

Women – Open: 1 A Bulman (UCD) 8:09.11, 2 S Foreman (Old Collegians) 8:12.18, 3 G Foley (Commercial) 8:22.97. Junior: 1 S O’Brien (Trinity) 8:11.71, 2 A Rodger (Commercial) 8:28.13, 3 P Mulligan (Portora) 8:32.16.

Published in Rowing

#ANGLING - The first wild Atlantic spring salmon of 2012 was caught Sunday on the River Liffey in exceptional circumstances, The Irish Times reports.

Though the river is closed for salmon fishing as stocks are currently below sustainable levels, Inland Fisheries Ireland sanctioned a special catch-and-release club event for survey reasons at Islandbridge in the capital.

Declan Briggs – a 47-year veteran of the Dublin and District Salmon Anglers' Association - landed the 8.5lb beauty using a wooden Devon lure at 9.50am.

“This is my first time to catch the first fish. I’m absolutely delighted," he said.

Elsewhere in Ireland, Briggs' catch was mirrored by Tyrone man Ian Martin, who caught the northern region's first salmon on the year on the River Drownes near Bundoran.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

Published in Angling
The annual Liffey Descent canoe race has been pushed back by a month - due to a lack of water.
The Irish Canoe Union (ICU) announced that due to significantly low water levels in the ESB reservoirs that provide the flood for the race, the event has been postponed till 8 October.
Organisers said they were left with the "difficult decision" to either postpone the event or run the things as scheduled on 10 September without the flood.
"“It is considered that the running of the race in the absence of the excitement generated by a flood would detract from its value as the premier Irish canoeing event," said a statement from the ICU.
The Liffey Swim has been an institution since 1960, atracting canoeists from around the world every September for the run from Kildare to Islandbridge.
The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

The annual Liffey Descent canoe race has been pushed back by a month - due to a lack of water.

The Irish Canoe Union (ICU) announced that due to significantly low water levels in the ESB reservoirs that provide the flood for the race, the event has been postponed till 8 October.

Organisers said they were left with the "difficult decision" to either postpone the event or run the things as scheduled on 10 September without the flood.

“It is considered that the running of the race in the absence of the excitement generated by a flood would detract from its value as the premier Irish canoeing event," said a statement from the ICU.

The Liffey Swim has been an institution since 1960, atracting canoeists from around the world every September for the run from Kildare to Islandbridge.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

Published in Canoeing

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.”