Maharees at the cutting edge of erosion research
A ground-breaking research project being undertaken this week in the Maharees could help save the fragile strip of land from being washed away by the sea.
Dr Eugene Farrell of NUIG, who plays a key role in the ongoing battle against coastal erosion in the Maharees, is currently carrying out an experimental project, using drones to map the coastline and inshore seabed. At the same time the Geological Survey of Ireland vessel ‘RV Geo’ is carrying out similar mapping of the seabed. The results of both surveys will later be compared to see if drones can replace boats and manned aircraft in surveying coastal areas.
The research being conducted by Dr Farrell and his team of four NUIG students is hugely significant. If drones can do the work of traditional survey craft, then it will become possible to map shallow coastal waters much more cheaply and efficiently.
For the Maharees this would provide a means of quickly gathering the data on sand movement that is vital to understanding the process of erosion that eats away at the peninsula with every winter storm. The same technology – using a multispectral camera – could also be pressed into service in other coastal areas around the country, and worldwide, where erosion in a growing threat.
“The project will redefine our concept of what is ‘ best available data’ for coastal modelling and advance the state-of-knowledge of coastal dynamics,” according to Dr Farrell. More than that, the work being undertaken this week puts the Maharees at the forefront of research into coastal erosion, which ultimately could attract the resources and funding that would make the difference in saving the peninsula from the sea.
In another branch of the effort to protect the Maharees’ coastline, volunteers led by the Maharees Conservation Action group planted marram grass in June to help protect sand dunes that had been blown apart by wind and waves at Maharabeg Cut. The success of their work, which was revealed by aerial photography shot last week, shows that the grass has spread profusely to provide a barrier against further erosion. Dr Farrell described the success of the marram planting project as ‘phenomenal’ but added that a long term management plan is needed for the entire Maharees dune system.
Action group member Martha Farrell said the success of the marram planting project was thanks to the efforts of many volunteers, including local school children, scouts from Killarney, farmers and beach users as well as the support of Kerry County Council and the National Parks and Wildlife Service. She said the group also greatly appreciated that summertime beach users respected directions to ‘ keep off the dunes’, which gave the grass a chance to grow.
Working with the action group, Kerry County Council is now preparing a submission seeking OPW funding for a more detailed study into the erosion problem and the future prospects for the Maharees, which is highly valued as an ecological site with Ramsar, SPA and SAC status.
On a less positive note, action group members and volunteers collected 15 bags of litter along a 1km stretch of beach during the recent ‘Big Beach Clean’ organised by Clean Coasts Ireland. About 40 per cent of the litter was made up of nets, rope and other fishing debris, while plastic bottles and bags made up the bulk of the remainder, along with toiletries, shoes, gloves, and underwear.