Beachgoers are now helping scientists track changes to the coastline. Visitors to Tyrella Beach in County Down can use their smartphones to take photos through a special frame. These pictures are then logged on a website.
Each photo adds to a growing record. Scientists will use this record to see how the beach changes over time. This helps them understand coastal erosion, rising sea levels, and climate change. Open days will teach people how to join in.
Melanie Biausque, a geomorphologist with Geological Survey Northern Ireland, leads this project. She studies how coastlines change. Biausque believes regular beach visitors can greatly improve scientists' understanding.
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Start Your News Detox"We're trying to understand how the coastline changes now and how it will evolve in the future," she said. "What can we do now to protect it so it's not too impacted by the changes that are going to happen in the environment?"
Why Tyrella Beach?
Tyrella Beach is the first spot in Northern Ireland to have a CoastSnap photo station. CoastSnap started in Australia and is part of a larger project called Co-creating Coastal Resilience (CoCor).
Tyrella was chosen because local volunteers have already worked to restore its sand dunes. Biausque learned about their efforts when they presented to the Newry, Mourne and Down council. Volunteers had collected seeds to plant new marram grass and installed fences and signs to protect the young plants.
Biausque noted, "When I heard that, I realised that I had never had any idea that was happening - and I really wanted to put that on the map and to say, things are happening." She added that one missing piece was tracking how these efforts evolve.
How Coastlines Change
Coasts naturally move and change. Waves, tides, currents, and wind constantly shift sand. Dunes also grow and erode over time.
However, scientists like Biausque expect "big" changes. These include rising sea levels and more frequent storms due to climate change. "If we want to understand how it's going to happen and what's going to happen on the coast, we need to understand what is happening now and how it works," she explained.
This is where CoastSnap helps. By comparing many photos taken from the same spot over months and years, researchers can see how the coastline reacts to different weather and seasons. The Department for the Economy funds the Northern Ireland project. More sites will soon get photo cradles and signs.
Easy to Participate
Taking part is simple, only requiring a phone. A steel cradle on a fence post holds your phone horizontally. This ensures every photo is taken from the exact same angle. An opening in the cradle frames the specific area of interest: the upper beach where volunteers worked.
After taking a photo, visitors scan a QR code on a sign and upload it to the CoastSnap website.
Biausque said the process is anonymous. "You don't have to leave your name or anything, unless you want to." The project runs year-round. Participants can also note other observations, like coastal erosion or changes in vegetation.
Scientists cannot visit Tyrella every day. But regular visitors can help answer questions by sending photos. "Why do we have algae standing here? Why sometimes you can see the vegetation progressing? Why do you come in the winter and the beach is so different?" Biausque asked.
She added, "All of this is the interaction between the sand or the sediment and the waves, the currents, the tides, and at the minute we know that all of those processes are going to change in the future." To adapt to these changes, scientists need to better understand how the coast works today. That's why collecting these photos is crucial.
