Marine - Ocean Focus

Nathan Walsh, 5, and Nina Ozuabanda,6 on Grattan beach in Salthill. Photo:Andrew Downes

Expansion of the Explorers Marine Education programme kicks off with Maths Week

Dublin conference attracts international ocean energy experts

The International Conference on Ocean Energy (ICOE) 2012 - the largest of its type in the world which took place over three days in October at Dublin’s Convention Centre, has been hailed a major success by its host, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

This was the fourth such event of its kind to focus on the global industrial development of renewable marine energy, bringing together almost 1,000 ocean energy experts from 40 countries, and included exhibits from 70 of the leading developers of ocean energy technologies.

Trilateral launch of Atlantic Ocean research alliance in Galway

Marine

Lisa Fitzpatrick

The EU, United States and Canada joined forces at the Marine Institute, Galway, on May 24 to sign the historic Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean Cooperation at a two-day conference: The Atlantic – A Shared Resource.

The objectives are to better understand the Atlantic Ocean and to promote sustainable management of its resources. The agreement also aims to connect the ocean observation efforts of the three partners.

Simon Coveney T.D., Irish Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine; Senator David M. Wells, Parliament of Canada; Maria Damanaki, Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries; Enda Kenny, T.D., Taoiseach; Máire Geoghengan-Quinn, Commissioner for Research Innovation and Science; Dr Kerri-Anne Jones, US Department of State; Dr Peter Heffernan, CEO, Marine Institute;

Standing: Political representatives from Canada, United States and Europe:Robert Jan Smits, Mark Ferguson, Tom Barrett, Helen Joseph, Claude Detrez, Dominique Ristori, Joao Ribeiro, Juan Maria Vazquez, Andrew Brown,

The work will study the interplay of the Atlantic Ocean with the Arctic Ocean, particularly in relation to climate change. EU Member States alone invest nearly €2bn on marine and maritime research annually.

"The enormous economic potential of the Atlantic remains largely untapped. We probably know more about the surface of the Moon and Mars than we do about the deep sea floor. This alliance can make a big contribution to meeting challenges such as climate change and food security.” remarked European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn.

INFOMAR busy on strategic and research fronts

Marine

K. Verbruggen, GSI & Tommy Furey, MI

INFOMAR, the national marine mapping programme, run jointly by Geological Survey of Ireland and Marine Institute has had its busiest ever ‘quiet season’

Traditionally the programme is flat out on data acquisition from April to October and hosts its annual seminar and workshops at year-end, leaving time for planning and preparation in the early New Year.

But 2013 has seen a flurry of activity in addition to survey preparation and planning, with the INFOMAR data and team members appearing in many and varied locations.

Caption:

INFOMAR reports successful start of the survey season

Marine

F. Sacchetti, T. Furey, MI

Since the beginning of April, the INFOMAR team has been extremely busy with survey activities and data acquisition.

Survey operations, carried out onboard the R.V Celtic Voyager commenced off the Cork coast between Ballycotton and Youghal, shoreward of the coverage attained in previous years.

Extent of multibeam coverage achieved during the survey

The area forms part of the INFOMAR South Priority Area (SPA), stretching from Mizen Head in the southwest to Carnsore Point in the northeast. Survey operations alternated between the inshore area and an offshore block south of Waterford (Figure 1). The priority Bays of Youghal and Dungarvan were partially surveyed with dramatic seabed morphology imaged.

Dr Peter Heffernan, MI; Dr George Rose, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, his Excellency Loyola Hearn on board RV Celtic Explorer

Canadian Ambassador visits RV Celtic Explorer at Galway docks ahead of transatlantic survey

Marine

Cushla DromgoolRegan, Marine Institute

Irish and Canadian scientists have joined forces on a transatlantic survey on-board the Irish National Research Vessel, RV Celtic Explorer to carry out fisheries research in the Newfoundland and Labrador Seas.

Dr Peter Heffernan, MI; Dr George Rose, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, his Excellency Loyola Hearn on board RV Celtic Explorer

The aim of this research is to locate ‘hot spots’ of smaller mid-water fish, such as lanternfish (Myctophidae) and begin to understand their distribution. Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, his Excellency, Loyola Hearn, visited the vessel at Galway Docks on April 15 to meet the Irish and Canadian collaborators in this transatlantic expedition.

Political vision and funding the way forward says ocean energy expert

Marine

Andrew Parish has over 20 years experience in a variety of areas including energy, environment, innovation, new product development and business management. He has been a director of Tonn Energy Ltd for the past four years, and after six years as CEO of Wavebob Ltd, decided recently to step down to develop other businesses “that will serve the sector“. He remains as an advisor to Wavebob Ltd, and provides support and advice to small business through his company Parish Consulting.

On the final day of ICOE 2012, Inshore Ireland caught up with him for a brief ‘snapshot’ of the ocean energy sector in Ireland.

Has the ICOE conference been worthwhile?

My feelings are mixed. At one level it’s been very positive to see such a large community coming together in Dublin - 900 people all focused on wave and tidal energy. It’s positive also seeing the emergence of a supply chain, as well as utilities, technology developers, and service and component suppliers.

That’s all good, and a sign that the sector is maturing. But, there’s still no money. We’re all here with an expectation and a passion to drive a new industry; however the missing ingredient is the financial engine which would actually allow us to do real commercial business.

RV Cosantóir Bradán and RV Keary alongside in Crosshaven. Note the tow-mount for the multibeam sonar on on the Cosantóir Bradán which is in the raised position

INFOMAR survey operations 2012

Marine

Eoin MacCraith, GSI

The 2012 survey season comprised a mixture of collaborative work and progress for the national mapping project. With four survey vessels at work by the end of the season on behalf of the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) and the Marine Institute (MI), bathymetric and geophysical coverage of the seafloor was significantly extended in a number of locations around the Irish coast.

RV Cosantóir Bradán and RV Keary alongside in Crosshaven. Note the tow-mount for the multibeam sonar on on the Cosantóir Bradán which is in the raised position

Dundalk Bay was the first area to be surveyed at the start of the season as a continuation of the INISHydro INTERREG IVA project that had begun last year. INISHydro is a 3-year programme with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in the UK as lead partners.

Challenging times prevailed throughout 2012 but positive signs too on the horizon

Marine

A brief look back at some of the key topics reported by Inshore Ireland throughout 2012 confirms that despite persistent energy-sapping doom and gloom in the wider media about the state of the economy, for the aquatic environment at least, there is reason for optimism.

In February we wondered if Our Ocean Wealth document heralded the dawn of Ireland’s long-hoped for ‘maritime era’. For the first time it seemed that here at last was a government that was taking the marine sector seriously by actually seeking public input into creating a maritime policy.

And sure enough to the surprise of many, the government followed up in July with the launch of Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth.