EPA - Ireland's Environment, An Integrated Assessment - 2020

Chapter 8: The Marine Environment Research Marine EPA Research Programme 2014-2020 covering key challenges and emerging issues. Research into the resilience, vulnerability and adaptation of Ireland’s coastal and marine systems to climate pressures is ongoing and is supported by maintaining the marine observation network (marine data buoy, tide gauge and wave buoy networks). Ireland also contributes to the annual International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) Report on Ocean Climate. Some recent and current Irish research projects on coastal and marine systems include: n Challenges of Transformative Climate Change Adaptation: Insights from Flood Risk Management (Clark and Murphy, 2019) n Achieving Resilience in the Marine and Coastal Environment in Ireland (EPA funded) n Integrating Multidisciplinary Geoscientific Data into Forecasting Models to Monitor and Predict Coastal Change: Proof of Concept in Dublin Bay (PREDICT Project) (Science Foundation Ireland, Geological Survey Ireland and Marine Institute funded) n Mapping, Modelling and Monitoring Key Processes and Controls on Cold-water Coral Habitats in Submarine Canyons (MMMonKey_Pro) (Science Foundation Ireland, Geological Survey Ireland and Marine Institute funded) n Ireland also has representation at an international level on the Joint Programming Initiative Health and Productive Seas and Oceans (JPI Oceans). 33 Additional information on climate mitigation and adaptation is provided in Chapter 2. Since 2016, the EPA has funded up to 13 new research projects relevant to the Marine area; a commitment of €2.6 million. These projects were funded mostly under the Water Pillar of the EPA Research Programme 2014-2020. These EPA-funded projects included research on: n Nutrient Dynamics and Ecophysiology of Opportunistic Macroalgal Blooms in Irish Estuaries and Coastal Bays (Sea-MAT) http://www.seamatproject.net/home.html n Algal blooms in transitional and coastal waters https://macromanproject.com/ n Coastal lagoons https://www.projectclear.ie/ n Physico-chemical cycling of nutrients and carbon in marine transitional zones http://www.nuigalway.ie/ science/school-of-natural-sciences/disciplines/earth- ocean-science/research/nutsbolts/index.html 33 http://www.jpi-oceans.eu/ n Partial funding of a project on Integrated modelling of consequences of terrestrial activities and climate change for freshwater and coastal marine biodiversity and ecosystem services https://www.biodiversa.org/1424 n Saltmarsh Function and Human Impacts in Relation to Ecological Status (SAMFHIRES) n Ecosystem Tipping Points: Learning from the Past to Manage for the Future https://ecosystemtippingpoints. com/ Marine system-related EPA Research Reports are available at http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/research/water/ Further information on EPA-funded environmental research is available at http://www.epa.ie/researchandeducation/ research/researchpublications/researchreports/ Marine Litter and Plastics Plastic and marine litter needs to be tackled at source so that it does not end up on beaches or in the ocean. Knowledge and understanding of the overall ecological impacts of marine litter and plastics is evolving rapidly. It is projected that if current usage patterns and trends continue then impacts may become insurmountable (SAPEA, 2019). It is therefore considered prudent to adopt a precautionary principle when it comes to marine litter and, in particular, plastics. Several regulatory and legal frameworks exist or are emerging that are of relevance to marine litter and microplastics (SAPEA, 2019). The MSFD includes several goals that are relevant to marine litter and states that Member States must ensure that levels of litter do not cause harm to the coastal and marine environment. OSPAR has also produced a Marine Litter Regional Action Plan, which includes various actions and goals to reduce marine litter. Ireland is leading several actions under the plan, which include investigation of the use of alternatives to polystyrene, investigation of wastewater and stormwater as vectors for litter and assessment of economic and regulatory measures to deal with single-use plastics. Ninety vessels and 12 ports are taking part in the BIM initiative, Fishing for Litter. This encourages fisherfolk to take ashore the litter they encounter at sea while fishing and to manage their onboard waste appropriately. 213