Summary of Ireland

      

    Galway, Clare and Roscommon are the counties where sinkholes and subsidence are most likely to occur, a location intelligence software and services provider has found. Using its risk assessment reporting tool, Perilfinder, Gamma has identified a number of areas across the country that are more exposed to subsidence events such as sinkholes.

   Subsidence occurs when the earth’s surface ‘sinks’ unexpectedly and it can damage or destroy buildings, land and infrastructure. Soil depth, soil type, rock type and historic underground structures can all have an effect on risk levels, while the extent of subsidence depends on underlying environmental factors and the design of building foundations.

  Ireland and other parts of northwestern Europe will bear the brunt of increasingly severe flooding caused by climate change, according to a new Europe-wide study. The findings, by 24 research centres including the Maynooth college, will force states to make flood management strategies more robust as the frequency of extreme floods in river systems is likely to increase from one-in-a-100-year event to one-in-80-year, and possibly one-in-50-year event. 

This found the impact of flooding in Europe had increased over the past 50 years – and that this can be directly attributed to global warming. It is the first time the trend has been proven, according to Dr Conor Murphy of the Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units at Maynooth University who was involved in the research. 

The reason I chose these two hazards is because Ireland deals with these two hazards the most.

Flooding in Ireland can have a significant impact on homes, businesses, people and communities. The flooding problem cannot be eliminated but can be managed or mitigated to reduce its likelihood, severity or impact. The Office of Public Works (OPW) is leading a proactive and whole of Government approach to managing flood risk that takes the potential impacts of climate change into account, across three strategic areas:

• Prevention - avoiding construction in flood-prone areas
• Protection - taking feasible measures to protect areas against flooding
• Preparedness - planning and responding to reduce the impacts of flood event

   The most vulnerable areas are in Galway, Clare, and Roscommon. Each of these counties has more than 15% of their total buildings falling within a high risk zone.  Over a quarter (26%) of the 123,401 buildings in Galway fall within such areas. That’s more than 31,500 structures – some 26,800 of which are residential dwellings. In Clare, this percentage is just slightly lower at 24%, which equates to almost 12,000 buildings, including approximately 10,200 residential buildings. 

  Meanwhile, 16% of the buildings in Roscommon fall within a high risk area which is the equivalent of nearly 5,000 structures. Again, the majority (3,800) of those are residential structures. At the other end of the scale, Wexford and Wicklow have very few buildings located in high risk subsidence areas; each less than 1%. Across Ireland as a whole, less than 5% of buildings (111,056 addresses) – both commercial and residential – fall within areas predisposed to subsidence events.

I wouldn't construct a house personally, as i would live in Walsh Island, Ireland. where its country life intrigues me the most and is less likely to to have sinkholes or flooding.

Cites and Notations:

https://irishtechnews.ie/gamma-reveals-areas-in-ireland-most-at-risk-from-sinkholes-and-subsidence/#google_vignette

https://www.gov.ie/en/news/f5a59-managing-flood-risk-in-ireland/ 

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30872313.html

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/ireland-at-risk-of-severe-flooding-from-climate-change-1.4000229 

Irelands Coast and its Problems

• The power of the sea has shaped Ireland’s coast into what we can see today. Two main processes are responsible for this; erosion and deposition. Coastal erosion is the breaking down and carrying away of materials by the sea. Deposition is when material carried by the sea is deposited or left behind on the coast.
• Ireland has coastline of approximately 7400 km (+/-5%). Topography, together with linked geological controls, has resulted in extensive (3000 km) rock-dominated coasts. This is particularly so for the southwestern, western and northern regions of Ireland. In contrast, the eastern and south-eastern regions are composed of unconsolidated Quaternary glacigenic sediments and fewer rock exposures. Glacial and fluvial actions have also created major sedimentary areas on the western coasts in the form of large bays and estuaries. 
• Within the different coastal settings, significant coastal systems include those of cliffs, beaches, and barriers (sand and gravel types); lagoons; dunes and machair (sand ‘‘plains’’); and salt marshes, mudflats and other wetlands. Coastal flooding and erosion pose serious threats to Ireland's economy, society and natural environment, and this is particularly the case as Ireland's major cities (Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway) are located on the coast. Coastal flooding occurs when high tides, surges and wave-overtopping combine to inundate coastal areas. Coastal erosion, which is intimately linked with coastal flooding, occurs when the sea progressively encroaches upon the land.There is a need to understand how climate change will affect coastal flooding in Ireland and what decision-making challenges may benefit from easily accessible climate information.
• Presently, at a national scale (in Ireland), there is no available metocean dataset for future climate scenarios. Therefore, coastal flooding studies that consider climate change are typically carried out using simplified assumptions. These assumptions could include defining a fixed ratio of increase of water level per year, or a fixed percentage change in wind speed and wave height for the mid- and long-term future.
• Neither Ireland nor Northern Ireland has yet adopted a strategic approach to shoreline management. Responsibility for coastal erosion management remains fragmented and practice-led. The emphasis still appears to remain on protection schemes but with an anticipated increased reliance on beach nourishment in Ireland. 
• At present, there are no specific national (or islandwide) policies in place to manage the effects of SLR under global warming Awareness of climate-warming issues and flood risk has led many local authorities and the Environmental Protection Agency in the Republic of Ireland (responsible for implementing environmental impact assessments, or EIAs) to prohibit developments in the coastal zone below 3-m msl and close to vulnerable dune and eroding coastal areas. EIAs for large-scale coastal developments are now required. However, politics and money ‘‘speak’’, and planning guidelines are increasingly becoming infringed in the absence of clear ICZM policy and linked legislation.

CITES AND NOTATIONS:

https://www.gsi.ie/en-ie/geoscience-topics/natural-hazards/Pages/Coastal-Erosion.aspx

https://www.climateireland.ie/#!/tools/sectors/coastalAreas

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/0aa269d2e1f64c739d65c4a02aeb917f

Irelands extreme weather

 

Like it’s people, Ireland’s weather is never boring or predictable. Dancing in the rain, blowing in the wind, but all the time, the sun is never far away!

Our climate can be summed up as being mild, moist and changeable with abundant rainfall and a lack of temperature extremes. You can experience all four seasons in the one day, if you're lucky!

Because the island is hugged all year round by the warm influence of the Gulf Stream, Ireland is much warmer than other countries that share its latitude. The Gulf Stream also ensures that the Irish coastline remains ice-free throughout winter. 

Extreme winters are rare, and you're more likely to encounter a warm glow than a frosty reception, with average winter temperatures of between 40°F/5°C and 46°F/8°C. 

Summer temperatures are generally between 60°F/15°C to 70°F/20°C.  One thing that is more than probable is rain -  that’s what makes our grass so green, so don’t forget to pack your rain gear and a woolly jumper!

Climatologist Professor John Sweeney has warned that Ireland “will have to get used to” extreme weather events like the flooding experienced in parts of Cork last week.

Prof. Sweeney told Newstalk Breakfast that all extreme weather events have the “fingerprint, however small” of climate change on them and Storm Babet was no different.We know that this particular storm, however, developed in the very warm waters off the coast of Portugal. We’ve been having a marine heatwave most of the summer and autumn, so it was developing in waters which were one to two degrees Celsius warmer than usual.

“That means it could hold a lot more water vapours, so it’s arriving on our shores supercharged, and it’s that really which, I think, is pointing to the climate change dimension as being instrumental in making the event more extreme as the residents of Midleton would no doubt testify.”

There was no doubt that floods like those in Cork last week would happen again because Ireland’s climate was changing.

Citations and cites:

https://www.educationinireland.com/en/living-in-ireland/before-arrival/climate/

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/ireland-will-have-to-get-used-more-extreme-weather-events-says-climatologist-1543186.html

Irelands mass wasting hazard

 ​​​​​​​​The term "landslide" describes a wide variety of processes that result in the downward and outward movement of materials under the force of gravity; this includes materials like rock, debris, earth, mud and peat, or a combination of these.  Ireland's location, terrain and climate result in landslides occurring mainly in areas with steep slopes where rock meets the surface and peat covers the terrain.

Landslides have the potential to cause great havoc, and have done so all around the world. They have resulted in massive loss of life and damage to infrastructure. Landslides can damage roads, railways, canal embankments, and cause dams to fail. They can destroy or severely damage buildings of all types – housing, commercial or industrial property. Rivers can become blocked or diverted by sediment or rock displaced by landslides.

The consequences of this can include flooding, pollution of watercourses and the killing of fish stocks. Agricultural land can be sterilised in the short to medium term. It does not require spectacularly huge landslide events to cause serious disruption or loss of life. Relatively small landslides in terms of the volume of material displaced can damage bridges and roads, and also cause injury and death. These potential impacts of landslides, irrespective of their size, mean that the scale of the problem for Ireland in the past and into the future needs serious attention so that the susceptibility of the Irish landscape to slope instability can be properly assessed. Ireland is fortunate not to be in an extreme high risk to major geohazards. Indeed, in comparison to many other countries, Ireland may be regarded as a medium hazardous environment in terms of landslide hazard. 

The Irish Landslides Group (ILWG) was established in early 2004 as a direct response to the landslides in the autumn of 2003. It was felt important that it should be a multi-disciplinary team, bringing together various types of expertise which are relevant to landslide studies. 

Main objectives:-

1. Build a national database of past landslide events

2. Examine geotechnical parameters with regard to landslides.

3. Assess the potential for landslide susceptibility mapping in Ireland.

4. Make recommendations on the integration of landslide hazard issues into the planning process.

5. Promotion of landslide research in Ireland.

6. Raise public awareness about landslide hazard in Ireland.

Links and sources:

https://www.gsi.ie/en-ie/programmes-and-projects/geohazards/activities/Pages/Irish-Landslides-Working-Group.aspx

https://www.thinkhazard.org/en/report/119-ireland/LS

Ireland and its volcanoes!!!

By studying the type of material and the distribution of sediment, geologists can learn a lot about volcanic activity. 

Eruptions can be predicted in several ways: 

Tiltmeters are highly sensitive devices used to identify any bulges in the volcano's sides. The increased pressure causes the sides of the volcano to bulge, indicating an eruption may be imminent. 

Gas or steam rising from the crater or the appearance of geysers may suggest that an eruption will occur soon. 

Seismometers are used to detect vibrations in rocks. These can be caused by movement of magma or cracking of rocks due to increased temperatures, both of which indicate an impending eruption. 

For real time monitinrg of the worlds volcanoes see the World Organisation of Volcanic Observatories website

 
 
Ireland and Volcanoes
Ireland is not known for its high level volcanic activity in recent history but by studying the landscape volcanoes from hundreds of millions of years ago can be still be seen.
 
There are a number of extinct volcanoes in Ireland these include Slieve Gullion in County Armagh, Croghan Hill in County Offaly, Mount Slemish in County Antrim, Lambay Island in Dublin and Loch Na Fooey in County Galway. These volcanoes are all extinct with the last eruption was approximately 60 million years ago.
 
Today the Geological Survey continues to identify previously undiscovered volcanoes hidden beneath the surface of Ireland. To learn more about these Geophysical surveys visit the Tellus page.

 
Other volcanic activity can also be identified here in Ireland. One of the world’s most famous Geoheritage sites The Giant’s Causeway, is a result of volcanic activity. Approximately 60 million years ago Antrim was at the heart of intense volcanic activity, magma from below the Earth’s surface forced its way up through fissures in the rock and formed a huge lava plateau. As this lava rapidly cooled it contracted forming the famous hexagonal columns.
To learn more on the Giant’s causeway website.

Cites and notations 

https://www.gsi.ie/en-ie/geoscience-topics/natural-hazards/Pages/Volcanoes

https://www.siliconrepublic.com/climate/volcano-mullingar-tellus

Ireland and its systems to predict earthquakes

 Today I'm going to talk about Ireland and how they prevent/mitigate earthquakes. 

    The fundamental objective of the Irish National Seismic Network (INSN) activity is to distinguish and find tremors in and close to Ireland. Indeed, we truly do notice seismic tremors in Ireland! The roundabout markers on the guide show the seismic tremors that we identified in and around Ireland starting around 1980. The INSN additionally recognizes enormous seismic tremors that happen anyplace all over the planet. Estimations from our stations add to the worldwide examination into these seismic tremors.

      Ground vibrations are estimated at our seismic stations, see dark triangles on the guide, and sent    through the web to our server farm in Dublin for programmed and manual handling. Quakes are estimated on the Richter scale, a logarithmic scale that goes up in elements of ten, meaning a size 2 tremor is ten times more powerful than a greatness 1.0, etc.  Earthquake researchers use hardware called seismometers to measure the events and despite the fact that Ireland is a moderately steady place, it was Irish researchers Robert Hammer who made the first seismometer in 1846. The three " Hotspot areas" for earthquakes in Ireland are Donegal, Wexford and the Irish Ocean, however the greatest quakes in Ireland are offshore in the Atlantic Ocean in Irish territory. While earthquakes can't be anticipated, researchers can utilize the productive pace of earthquakes in a given region to gauge the probability of getting one more earthquake of a given size, but it doesn't let you know when it will come.

Also just for fun saw this while looking through images of Drop, Cover, and Hold on!

                                                      links and citations

Irish National Seismic Network (INSN)

The science of earthquakes in Ireland (rte.ie)

                          Tectonic Plates and the Three Boundaries 

                                 Ireland's Past               

     

The tectonic plates are moving, and it has been believed that the plates have been moving (almost) since the beginning of Earth's history. The word tectonic alludes to the design of the earth and the cycles transpiring on it. Ireland has a long and fascinating tectonic record, and its why we have an many exceptional rock-types in many small regions around the world, like in different parts of Ireland. The regions where these plates meet are known as plate boundaries. There are three sorts of plate boundaries.

                                        

 

Divergent or constructive plate boundaries: 

The plates Diverge and this causes new development of rock and rock formations. It happens when two tectonic plates pull in different ways, allowing rock from the mantle to rise through the opening to shape new stone on the surface when it cools. It occurs toward the beginning of a new ocean and continues at the mid-ocean ridge while the sea is opening. Rifting (large-scale faulting) and volcanoes are caused by divergent plates. When the Atlantic Ocean was formed close to 60 million years ago, the Paleogene rocks in various counties in Ireland like Cooley, county Louth and at the Giant's Causeway in the county Antrim.

2. Convergent or destructive plates:

This is when two tectonic plates crash or collide into one another. The effects are determined by the kind of plates that collided, like for instance, the impact of two oceanic plates, an oceanic plate and a continental plate or two continental plates (which is conceivable). When there is a difference in the thickness of the plates that collided, subduction occurs. The oceanic crust tends to be denser than continental crust (most of the time) and is pushed downwards into the hot mantle when it crashes into the continental crust. The less dense continental crust is then pushed upwards. This happened in Ireland with the conclusion of the Iapetus Sea a long time back. The oceanic crust of Iapetus was initially subducted beneath the continental crust, but the oceanic crust eventually disappeared, and the continents collided.  This event caused the Caledonian mountains to be formed and were supposedly just as high as the modern Himalayas. 

                                    

3. Passive plate boundaries are also known as strike-slip or transform boundaries: 

This is when two plates pass one another, at the point when the plates move, the rough edges of the plate can catch or snag one another, getting wedged or jammed causing a development of pressure build up, the tension is then delivered as an earthquake. The nearest passive plate boundary to Ireland is the between the African and Eurasian plate south of Portugal.             

Sources

How volcanoes form - British Geological Survey (bgs.ac.uk)

Plate Tectonics (gsi.ie)

When One Continental Plate Slides Beneath Another? (myubi.tv)