Driving out the Otago Peninsula to Taiaroa Head the line of cars gets longer - all headed north towards the lighthouse that marks the end of the road. The road snakes endlessly along by the sea but eventually rises, and you look ahead to where the cars are neatly parked in the distance. Then the enormous shape of a Royal Albatross arcs its way from behind the lighthouse and soars over the matchbox-like cars like an impossible apparition.

The first time I saw one of these astounding seabirds I nearly drove off the cliff in amazement. They are simply huge by comparison with any of our native Irish seabirds or seasonal North Atlantic migrants. Standing by the Taiaroa Albatross Centre another adult bird glides into view and whizzes overhead soundlessly, carried on the whirling updraughts that help to make Taiaroa Head a unique mainland nesting colony for the species.

And there’s something about the way they look at you. An ancient, knowing stare that kind of says: “What are you doing here?” Standing two-legged on the ground never seemed more awkward. (o.ocadhla@ucc.ie)

Page 4 http://cmrc.ucc.ie

Other News

CMRC News is published quarterly by the CMRC. A pdf version can be found at: http://cmrc.ucc.ie/news.

Editor: Ned Dwyer, n.dwyer@ucc.ie Layout and Design: Liz O’Dea, l.odea@ucc.ie Additional Photos: Michelle Cronin, Oliver Ó Cadhla, Liz O’Dea, Cathal O’Mahony

Disclaimer: The views expressed by the CMRC are not necessarily those of either the ERI or UCC.

Coastal and Marine Resources Centre Lewis Glucksman Marine Research Facility

ERI, University College Cork Naval Base, Haulbowline

Cobh, County Cork Ireland

Tel: +353 21 4703100 Fax: +353 21 4703132

http://cmrc.ucc.ie

University College Cork Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh

Ceardlann CoCoNetCeardlann CoCoNet

Trish Clayton is leaving the CMRC to start a Graduate Diploma in Primary School Teaching at the Mary Immaculate College in Limerick. Trish has many fond memories of her time at UCC and CMRC, including accompanying slightly decomposing marine mammals to the UCC labs in the back of the zoology van! We wish Trish the very best in her new career.

CoCoNet (Coastal Communities Network) is a Southern Irish Sea INTERREG IIIA funded project, co-ordinated by the CMRC and MACE (the Marine and Coastal Environment Group, in Cardiff University). The project aims to develop opportunities for networking among community groups with an interest in sustainable management of their local coastal resources.

Three workshops will be held in 2004, the first of which took place in Howth on the last weekend of January. This workshop, which combined talks, roundtable discussions and field trips, had a total of 60 participants, 17 of whom were from Wales. For information on upcoming workshops, please contact Cathal O’Mahony (c.omahony@ucc.ie). To download Howth workshop presentations and reports, check out the project website at http://coconet.ucc.ie.

The Interreg IIIC funded Coastal Practice Network (CoPraNet) aims to bridge the gap between planners, managers and the research community by working towards the effective management of coastal environments, especially in the areas of tourism, coastal erosion and beach management. The CMRC will deliver a web portal of information on Coastal Management in Ireland as part of the project. Val Cummins (v.cummins@ucc.ie) and Jeremy Gault (j.gault@ucc.ie) will be attending the kick-off meeting in early March with 20 other partners who come from 11 European countries.

New Project on Coastal ManagementNew Project on Coastal Management

CoCoNet WorkshopCoCoNet Workshop

Farewell from CMRC Farewell from CMRC

Close Encounters with New Zealand’s RoyaltyClose Encounters with New Zealand’s Royalty

Biologist Oliver Ó Cadhla moved to Dunedin on the South Island of New Zealand in June 2003 to carry out a one year Postgraduate Diploma in Natural History Filmmaking and Communication. Despite the distance, he is still working for CMRC , and here he reports on a recent trip to the Otago Peninsula just north of Dunedin.

Is tionscal é CoCoNet atá bunaithe ar dhul chun cinn a dhéanamh ar Bhainistíocht Comtháthaigh Chósta sa réigiún INTERREG IIIA. Tá bunachar sonraí á chruthú ag an bhfoireann.

Tá trí cheardlann le bheith ar siúl i rith 2004. Bhí an chéad cheann ar siúl ar feadh cúpla lá ag deireadh Mhí Eanáir i mBinn Eadair. Tháinig 17 nduine as an mBreatain Bheag agus 43 as Éirinn. Eagraíodh dhá thuras freisin go Ceann Bhinn Éadair agus go hOileán an Bhulla. Tá níos mó eolais le fáil ag Cathal O’Mahony (c.omahony@ucc.ie) nó ar an suíomh idirlín http://coconet.ucc.ie. Daoine ón gceardlann ar Cheann Bhinn Éadair. D'obair an comhairle contae le muintir na háite chun timpeallacht an chinn a fheabhsú.

Workshop attendees on Howth Head, where the participation of coastal communities in the local planning process has benefited the coastal environment.

Page 1 http://cmrc.ucc.ie

CC MRCMRC News News Nuachtlitir an Ionad Acmhainní Cósta is MaraNuachtlitir an Ionad Acmhainní Cósta is Mara

The Quarterly Newsletter of The Quarterly Newsletter of the Coastal & Marine Resources Centrethe Coastal & Marine Resources Centre, est. 1994, housed in , est. 1994, housed in the Lewis Glucksman Marine Research Facithe Lewis Glucksman Marine Research Facil-l-

Issue 4, Winter 2003/04Issue 4, Winter 2003/04

Satellite Imagery Aids Marine Monitoring Satellite Imagery Aids Marine Monitoring

All those with an interest in marine monitoring and oceanography will want to check out the tools and information delivered as part of the recently completed EU FP5 project, Marine SAR Analyses and Interpretation System (MARSAIS). The project focused on developing tools for the detection and analysis of oil pollution, ocean current features, and sea state (wind, waves) in satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery. The unique on-line demonstrator presents current scientific advances in SAR technology, contains educational material on SAR and provides links to advanced processing algorithms. It is suitable for students, scientists, experts and novices and can be accessed from http://marsais.ucc.ie/.

Rhoda Ballinger, Hance Smith, Valerie Cummins and Wendy Dodds taking a break from the conference. (Photo: Rhoda Ballinger)

Valerie Cummins participated in the Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands Mobilizing for Implementation of the Commitments Made at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, held at UNESCO in Paris on November 12-14, 2003. The conference took a strategic view of what has been achieved since the Rio Summit in 1992.

According to Valerie, the most impressive examples of effective coastal management initiatives presented were those that were based at the coastal community level. Details and presentations from the conference are available at http://www.globaloceans.org/globalconference/.

Wonders Revealed in the Abyss

It is astonishing to consider that scientists may know more about what is happening on the surface of Mars than at the bottom of the ocean, even off of the Irish coast.

In this issue, one of our focus articles reveals some of the wonderful discoveries made at 1000m depths by the team which was aboard the R.V. Polarstern research cruise last summer. In this environment, where it is pitch dark with strong currents and tremendous water pressures, the most spectacular coral creatures were photographed. The majority of the deep-sea coral mounds surveyed during the cruise were in pristine condition, although severe damage of some mounds by trawling was noted.

We also report on the online demonstrator packed with information for working with radar remote sensing data that has been produced as part of the MARSAIS project.

The CoCoNet initiative held its first workshop in Howth at the end of January. The programme is engaging Irish and Welsh coastal communities on both sides of the Irish Sea in dialogue to improve management of coastal areas .

As this is our first issue this year, we wish all our readers a happy 2004!

In This Issue • Ireland’s Coral Gardens • Focus on Coastal Processes and Seabed Mapping • Marine Monitoring with Satellite Imagery • Paris Coastal Management Conference • New Zealand’s Royalty • Ceardlann CoCoNet • New Project on Coastal Management

SAR data can help map oil spills, such as that which occurred from the Prestige near northern Spain in November 2002. (Image: ESA) ©

IFR

EMER

200

3

Within MARSAIS, the CMRC was responsible for compiling and analysing marine user requirements for SAR data. The final project report contains key recommendations on the future development of products derived from SAR data and on the essential role of end users in this process. An extensive database of contacts in over 500 marine organisations worldwide has been compiled by the CMRC as part of this process. For further information contact Cathal O’Mahony (c.omahony@ucc.ie).

© E

SA 2

002

Successful Coastal Management Initiatives Highlighted at Paris ConferenceSuccessful Coastal Management Initiatives Highlighted at Paris Conference

Biologists were excited by the images as they confirmed the diversity and abundance of species eking out an existence on Ireland’s continental slope. The pressures at these depths are immense and would easily crush humans, but this survey has reinforced how nature can readily adapt to create thriving communities in the most unlikely environments.

As well as collecting these spectacular images and specimens, the underwater survey also revealed the impact of fishing in these fragile ecosystems. This ranged from

localised accumulation of fishing nets and gear to widespread scarring of the seabed as a result of trawling.

Safe-guarding these resources will ensure that these sites are preserved for future generations to enjoy and will help to sustain the fishing industry by protecting

what are important nursery grounds.

Further information on this cruise can be accessed at http://www.polarstern-victor.de/index-e.html.

The rich tapestry of life surrounding the corals pictured here will probably not come as any great surprise, as the abundance of life that surround coral reefs is well documented. What is surprising is that these pictures were not taken in the shallow waters of the Great Barrier Reef or an exotic Pacific island but in fact were recorded in depths of 1000m off the coast of Ireland!

These extraordinary photographs were taken several hundred miles off the Galway coast in 2003 using an unmanned submarine, and they reveal the true beauty and extent of these previously hidden habitats. The carbonate mounds that host the cold water corals were only discovered in the late 1990s and the recent survey is the culmination of five years of research and planning.

Page 2 http://cmrc.ucc.ie

FOCUS: Coastal Processes and Seabed Mapping

From 2nd-19th June 2003 Andy Wheeler, Jeremy Gault and Max Kozachenko joined a group of eight Irish-based scientists aboard the Alfred Wenger Institute’s RV Polarstern. The group were amongst a 50-strong international compliment of multi-disciplined scientists and students under Chief Scientist Prof. Jörn Thiede. Utilising Ifremer’s VICTOR 6000 deep water remotely operated vehicle (ROV), they were able to collect a range of visual, physical, biological and geophysical data on the carbonate mound systems that occur in a narrow band around Ireland at depths between 800-1000m. For further information, contact Andy Wheeler at a.wheeler@ucc.ie.

© IF

REM

ER 2

003

© IF

REM

ER 2

003

© IF

REM

ER 2

003

Top: Heavily colonised dropstone at 972m with lophelia, madrepora, antipatharians, and sylasterids. Crinoids and Spider Crabs hold to gorgonians. Fish is lepidion eques. Above: ROV Victor 6000 unmanned submersible used for research.

Above: Spider Crabs cling onto a gorgonian. Below: Lost fishing net adjacent to one of the mounds.

Above: Grab arm of Victor 6000 removing a physical sample for study on board the R.V. Polarstern.

Ireland’s Coral Gardens Revealed at LastIreland’s Coral Gardens Revealed at Last

The CMRC’s coastal processes and seabed mapping group investigates the processes that influence the evolution, development and change in the marine environment. The group aims to provide valuable information for managers of marine resources by measuring changes in the marine environment (e.g. coastal erosion) and assessing whether these are a result of natural processes (e.g. tides) or a combination of natural and human influences (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions). Here they report on some of the wide ranging interests of the group, from continental shelf geology to mudflat dynamics - all activities which involve field data collection in coastal areas as well as from ocean going research vessels.

© IF

REM

ER 2

003

© IF

REM

ER 2

003

Page 3 http://cmrc.ucc.ie

FOCUS: Coastal Processes and Seabed Mapping

Since 2001, the group have been using multibeam sonar and underwater video to map extensive areas of the seabed in scallop grounds off the Waterford and Wexford coasts. This work is part of an integrated project which aims to develop a management regime for the commercially valuable southeast coast’s wild scallop stocks. Funded by Bord Iascaigh Mhara, the project operates in close cooperation with the scallop fishing fleet based in Kilmore Quay who, under the guidance of TCD doctoral student Antonio Hervas and local BIM Fisheries Officer John Hickey, are providing detailed information on the biology of scallop populations. For more information contact Gerry Sutton (gerry.sutton@ucc.ie).

Seabed Mapping Helps in Development of Seabed Mapping Helps in Development of Management Plans for ScallopManagement Plans for Scallop

Above: Screenshot from GIS with colour contours depicting broad scale distribution of scallop across the southeast coast grounds.

Left: Seabed image created from multibeam bathymetric data showing detailed arrangement of seabed. Rocky outcrops in the north give way to sands and gravels further off-shore that are favoured by scallop.

Below: Sands shown up as dark grey in sonar backscatter, and gravels as light grey. Left: In-situ appearance of gravels from video.

Left: Underwater video camera is housed in a sledge and towed behind the RV Celtic Voyager to ground truth sonar.

HI HIerarchical erarchical MOMOnitoring nitoring MMethods ethods for Intertidal Flatsfor Intertidal Flats

SeaSea--level Rise Impacts Studied level Rise Impacts Studied

Intertidal flats, despite the extreme condition of periodic exposure to air and variations in salinity, are one of the most productive natural ecosystems on Earth. The algae and seagrass which grow there are vital food sources for wading birds and fish.

The EU funded HIMOM project is assessing the health of and changes in the biological and physical characteristics of intertidal regions in five study sites across Europe, including the Barrow Estuary in Co. Waterford. The eight partner organisations are exploring a range of techniques, from simple ground measurements to remote sensing. UCC are unique in

considering the relationship between physical and biological processes, and their goal is to provide a range of monitoring options to coastal end-users.

For more information on this project contact Jeremy Gault (j.gault@ucc.ie) or consult the web site at http://www.brockmann-consult.de.himom.

Measuring spectral reflectance on the River Barrow. (Photo: Jeremy Gault)

In order to predict future coastal responses to sea-level rise and associated climatic changes, it is necessary to understand the processes that formed and continue to shape coastal environments. Courtmacsherry Bay and Ballymacoda Estuary in Co. Cork are being studied to assess the hydrodynamic and sedimentological characteristics of estuary-bay systems. The research incorporates numerous field, boat and laboratory-based techniques as well as analysis to identify specific environmental forcing conditions and resultant environmental responses, and investigates whether these patterns fit established models of coastal evolution. This understanding should provide coastal planners with information that can be applied at a regional scale. The project is nearing completion, and results will be presented at the International Coastal Symposium in Brazil in March. Further details will be published in the next newsletter issue, or can be obtained from Prof. Robert Devoy (r.devoy@ucc.ie) or Lee Swift (l.swift@ucc.ie).

Phot

os: G

erry

Sut

ton

Our next issue will focus on integrated coastal management.