INCH AND ROSSBEIGH, CO. KERRY
Inch and Rossbeigh are extensive barrier-dune systems linked by an ebb-tidal delta on the southwest coast of Ireland (right). These are two of the best examples of coastal dune environments in Ireland and are extremely popular with tourists, surfers, and locals (and recently, UCC MSc and PhD researchers!). Both beaches are vulnerable to storm-driven erosion, but nowhere is this more apparent than at Rossbeigh, where a major storm in 2008 caused leveling of over 10 ha of dunes and resulted in the separation of the distal end of the barrier from the mainland, now inaccessible at high tide. Locals here are concerned about the future of Rossbeigh, which continues to erode at an alarming rate. During this research alone, more than 90 m of dune recession has been observed between June 2012 and January 2014. Click on the links below to find out more about my field sites.
