Final Blog

Since this class started I have continued to learn more and more about the country of Ireland and the Natural hazards that take place. Although I have found that Ireland is a relatively calm and subtle place to live, there are a few minor hazards that affect the country and the people living there. From coastal erosion, to earthquakes and wild fires, Ireland experiences a wide variety of natural hazards, however, unlike most places in the world they seem to not do much damage. A few of the most common hazards in Ireland that I am going to talk about are coastal erosion and wildfires.

As far as coastal erosion goes, since Ireland is on the coast and mostly surrounded by water, they experience a good amount of erosion caused by heavy waves and frequent storms. What I have found is that Ireland’s beaches undergo a lot of devastation caused by storms, which wipe out dunes and structure located close to the water. Houses that are situated fairly close to the water are at great danger from erosion and damage. Ireland has tried methods of reconstruction and engineering to try and prevent further damage to the beaches and sand. By creating barrier like walls around the beaches made of gravel, large rocks, and sand, people are trying to eliminate the damage caused to the cliffs. However, if Mother Nature has anything to say about it, those barriers are not going to hold up very long when the sea levels rise and larger storms occur.

Just like living on any coast, if you build a house right next to the ocean, you are susceptible to the hazards that come along with it. Obviously the most risky and harming places you can build a house would be anywhere next to the water or on a cliff where the weather of the ocean could possibly do damage to your home. To stay safe in the country of Ireland from hazards, I have found that the country is filled with endless backcountry and rural areas that are great for families and people wanting to settle down and relax.

However, it seems to contradict itself when I say that living in the backcountry is safe because anywhere you go, you are at risk for some sort of hazard. If you live on the beach there are hazards, but if you live in the mountains there are also hazards. As far as living in the mountains and rural areas, people are at risk for wildfires. While researching I have found that wildfires are a big part of Ireland and can be dangerous to the people who live in the outskirts of town. Form results of high winds and dry weather, fire amongst the months of the summer are extremely common. From April 29^th through may 2^nd in 2011, the Northern Ireland fire service responded to 755 fires around the country, which was an extremely ridiculous amount of activity. Just like anywhere else in the world, wildfires are caused by dry grass and chemicals in the soil, mixed with high winds and hot weather. In most circumstances, preventing wildfires is a challenge because the weather is going to do what it is going to do. People can prevent wildfires by doing simple things like not throwing out cigarettes, not letting their burn piles get out of hand, and paying attention when they are mowing lawns.

Building a house deep in the mountains with no exit is never a good idea in the first place, but people who do live in the mountains and rural areas, which are susceptible to fire, need to be extra cautious when working outside.

Like I mentioned earlier, anywhere you live you are at risk to some sort of natural hazard, whether you live near the beach or the middle of nowhere, being cautious of your surroundings and helping to prevent any possible hazard is always good.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=50468

http://www.engineersjournal.ie/coastal-erosion-around-ireland-and-engineering-solutions/

http://www.iffpa.ie/Sectors/IFFPA/IFFPA.nsf/vPages/Information_Resources~presentations:-forest-fires-in-ireland---impact-on-industry,-the-environment-and-the-emergency-services-10-02-2012/$file/Forest%20Fire-%20Cause%20and%20effects%20-%20Ciaran%20Nugent.pdf

Coastal Problems in Ireland

Since Ireland is an island it is surrounded by a lot of coast. While researching this week, I have found that Ireland experiences a lot of coastal erosion and problems. Because of frequent storms which cause high and heavy waves, Ireland's beaches and dunes are slowly starting to deteriate. Storm surges are influenced by meteorological conditions, mostly low atmospheric pressure and onshore winds and can contribute to the water levels. Coastal erosion can destroy beaches and can even start to affect houses and the environment for people living close to the shores. Ireland is working on a few things to prevent erosion from occurring. The have been using a strategy called "hold the line" which consists of methods used by engineering, for example they lay down lots of sand or large rocks where the water is coming up to in order to help prevent the sand from washing out the cliffs. 
http://www.engineersjournal.ie/coastal-erosion-around-ireland-and-engineering-solutions/

Cyclones

While researching cyclones this week, I have found they are very rare amongst Ireland. I am starting to realize that Ireland must be a pretty great place to live considering that nothing ever happens there and it seems to be pretty calm. The last cyclone to hit Ireland was called Hurricane Debbie In 1969. This was the biggest tropical cyclone of all time and the largest one since. Debbie originated from a tropical storm that started in Central Africa. As the storm reached Ireland, it was at its peak reaching wind speeds of 114mph measured just off shores of the island. Debbie caused 40-50 million dollars in damage and killed 18 people. Ireland sent out warning for this storm as they knew it would be hitting them, as well, they also shut down most towns and stores. This was pretty rare for Ireland considering that the climate is pretty normal year round. In the summer the weather is pretty warm in Ireland, and in the winter it doesn't get to cold.
http://www.intechopen.com/books/advances-in-hurricane-research-modelling-meteorology-preparedness-and-impacts/the-impact-of-hurricane-debbie-1961-and-hurricane-charley-1986-on-ireland

Sinkholes

While researching sinkholes in Ireland, I have found them to be very usual. Half of Ireland is formed of carboniferous limestone which doesn't seem to be very strong and can be dissolved in acidic water. In Irealnd, instead of being called sinkholes, they are known as dolines. Dolines are basically huge funnels in the ground that collapse under and form from heavy weight of rock or water on the surface of them. They say there around 6000 of them around Ireland. They then sink underground and form caves that can fill with water as well. The most common Dolines in Ieland are called "cover collapse dolines" which is when soil from the bottom suddenly gives out. This picture illustrates below.

These Dolines can be dangerous because if they are in the grass like the one above, it can be hard to see when approaching them. I couldn't find much on what people are doing in order to prevent these sinkholes, other than filling the small ones when they can.

http://www.gsi.ie/Newsletters/Sinkholes+in+Ireland.htm

Mass Wasting

What I found while researching Landslides this week, was that they are actually quite frequent in Ireland. Most of the time the landslides in Ireland are relatively small and are caused by the amount of rain that occurs. When it rains, the mud and soil on top of the surface gets washed away which causes it to poor down a mountain like Lava. Most of the time it does little to no damage because there is some much open land. However, if it does occur where people are living, it can cause road blocking or can sometimes cause damage to homes. From what I also read, Ireland is susceptible to sinkholes. This happens when dissolution weathers away the landscape and basically chemicals eat through the ground and rock. This can cause massive holes in the ground and can also create caves.. From reading, I couldn't find what Ireland is doing to prevent mass wasting.

http://kaytlinryanandireland.blogspot.com/2011/03/weathering-and-mass-wasting.html

Tsunamis Around Ireland

While researching tsunamis this week, I found just like I found last week about volcanoes, was that that there isn't much activity. The reason being is because of the low earthquake rate in Ireland. As I found a couple weeks ago, Ireland has very little to zero earthquakes so the chances of a tsunami  occurring is slim. However, sources from last year have stated a warning on Ireland. Scientists told the irish government that they should install early warning systems around Ireland because of a big storm that hit Dublin recently. Ireland is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and it is said that there are some major fault lines that could pose possible tsunamis. Officials have claimed that it would not be a bad idea to have a warning system just in case of an uncalled emergency. The last tsunami to hit the area was in 1775.
http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Scientists-say-storm-battered-Ireland-at-risk-of-tsunami-VIDEO.html#

Volcanoes amongst Ireland

While I researched volcanic activity in Ireland this week, I came up a little short of what I thought I might find. From what I have found, all volcanic activity that was once known around 200 million years ago, is now extinct. Some of the most popular extinct volcanoes include, Slieve Gullion in Co Armagh, Lambay Island in Dublin, Loch Na Fooey in Co Galway, and Croghan Hill in Co Offaly. Most of the volcanoes were formed from molten rock beneath oceans that are still in existence today. All though these volcanoes are not in existence today, they are still a part of Irelands history and a reminder of what used to be in the Emerald Isle. 
http://www.irishcentral.com/culture/travel/the-volcanic-island-of-ireland-the-emerald-isles-harmless-craters-125780058-237763971.html