Marine & Coastal Engineering

The focus of our research in marine and coastal engineering is the application and development of numerical and physical models to study important processes such as coastal erosion, coastal flooding, ocean energy and water quality. More than 60% of the world’s population live on, or near, the coast. Coastal waters are hugely important resources for these coastal communities, but they are also under severe pressure from human activities. We use our ocean models to study the impacts of waves and tides on our coast and its communities and the impacts of man-made activities on marine waters such as the transport and fate of pollutants. Examples of current projects include:

• Monitoring and modelling of coastal erosion in Brandon Bay – funded by Science Foundation Ireland and Irish Marine Institute
• Modelling the effects of Ireland’s future climate on ocean energy resources – funded by Met Eireann
• Development of machine learning ocean forecast models – funded by Irish Marine Institute
• An exploitation of remote sensing products for water quality monitoring (AquaCop) - funded by Irish Environmental Protection Agency
• Improvement of Marine Institute operational modelling system and observation network of Irish marine waters using state-of-the-art model with data assimilation (MareDA) - funded by Irish Marine Institute
• Development of engineering solutions for climate resilient communities (CREPS) - funded by Irish Environmental Protection Agency
• Ocean forecasting using ML/AI techniques (ML4Ocean) - funded by Irish Marine Institute
• Novel approaches for forecasting multi-hazard hydrological events (StopFloods4.ie) - funded by Research Ireland
• Past and future droughts in Europe – funded by University of Galway
• Integrating remote sensing into ecosystem change and marine management processes (RS4EcoChange ) - funded by Irish Marine Institute