Shannon Estuary and Approaches

Inbhear na Sionainne agus Béal na Sionainne

• Overview
• INFOMAR Survey History
• Bathymetry
• Shaded Relief
• Backscatter
• 3D Movie Flythrough
• INFOMAR in Google Earth
• Data Access

Overview

The Shannon estuary is a large estuary on the west coast of Ireland where Ireland's longest river, the River Shannon enters the Atlantic Ocean. The estuary extends from Limerick City in the upper reaches out to the Mouth of the Shannon, an area between Loop Head, Co. Clare in the north and Kerry Head, Co. Kerry in the south. The mouth of the estuary is over 15 km wide, narrowing to just over 3 km between Kilcredaun and Kilconly Headlands. From the mouth to Limerick City the estuary is close to 100 km long following the central channel.

The relatively deep water and shelter from the Atlantic Ocean has led to the development of the estuary as a important centre for industry, imports and exports for Ireland. Large industries along the Shannon estuary include major power generation plants at Moneypoint, Co. Clare and Tarbert, Co. Kerry, bauxite refinery at Auginish, deepwater port facilities at Foynes. Import/Export goods and raw materials are carried on vessels up to 200,000 dwt in the estuary and illustrates the importance of safe navigation for these vessels making a strong case for the complete survey of the Shannon estuary by the INFOMAR project, particularly the navigable channel.

Ecologically, the Shannon estuary has a unique value with a group of bottle nosed dolphins resident in the estuary. As well as this, the estuary is an important habitat for migrating birds and wild fowl. The Shannon estuary is also an important recreational and tourist resource due to its location between two popular tourist areas in the Burren, Co. Clare and senic areas in Co. Kerry.

Location of Shannon Estuary and Approaches, west coast of Ireland.

Ordnance Survey of Ireland (OSI)/Government of Ireland OSI License No EN 0047207

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INFOMAR Survey History

The first INFOMAR survey of the Shannon estuary was undertaken in March 2009 when the Celtic Voyager mapped an area of the estuary extending from Foynes in the east out to the mouth of the Shannon and north of Loop Head. The final coverage for the CV09_01 leg was 167 square kilometres. The remaining areas and shallower water east of Foynes to Limerick will be surveyed by the RV Keary in the future.

Coverage achieved during the CV09_01 survey of Shannon estuary by the Celtic Voyager

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Bathymetry

Bathymetry of Shannon Estuary. (Click image for more detailed map)

Download more detailed bathymetric charts in .pdf format available at various scales here

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Shaded Relief

Overview image of multibeam echosounder shaded relief data collected in the Shannon estuary and approaches for the INFOMAR project. (Click on image for more detailed map)

Area of detail from shaded relief from an area around Loop Head showing spectacular folding and bedding in the bedrock outcropping on the seabed off Loop Head. The rock outcrops to the southwest show a different pattern of structure and texture suggesting that the rock outcrops on either side of the area of sediment cover are different rock types. (Click on image for more detailed map)

Shaded relief image of the across channel sand bar feature known as 'The Bridge' that lies on the seabed just west of Moneypoint on the Co. Clare side of the estuary. The surrounding water is around 20 to 30 metres deep but shallows to just over 6 metres at the crest of the sand bar. (Click on image for more detailed map)

Shaded relief image of the Shannon estuary at the location where the Killimer to Tarbert ferry crosses the channel. The image shows that west of Tarbert Island the channel deepens significantly. Another notable feature on the image is the pipeline or cable that runs northeast from the power station on Tarbert Island. Close examination of the seabed shows an abundance of sedimentary bedforms (sand waves, etc) suggesting the sediments on the seabed are being actively transported along the channel. (Click on image for more detailed map)

Shaded relief showing natural and man-made features on the seabed around Foynes Island. The long, straight feature to the west of the coverage is a gas pipe line that extends across the Shannon from the Above Ground Installation at Foynes. Sand wave formations north of the island are another interesting seabed feature shown in the dataset. These sinuous crested, bifurcating sand waves are probably the result of strong tidal currents operating in the estuary. (Click on image for more detailed map)

Download more detailed shaded relief charts in .pdf format available at various scales here

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Backscatter

Overview image of multibeam echosounder backscatter data collected in the Shannon estuary and approaches for the INFOMAR project. (Click on image for more detailed map)

Download more detailed backscatter charts in .pdf format available at various scales here

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3D Movie Flythrough

Click play below to view a 3D movie flythrough of the seabed of the Shannon estuary and approaches. The changing colours represent changes in water depth with red and orange for shallow water, yellow and green for intermediate depths and light and dark blue for deeper water. The flythrough begins in the upper extent of the CV09_01 survey coverage northeast of Foynes Island, moves along the channel towards the Mouth of the Shannon before zooming out to an overview to finish.

The INFOMAR project acknowledges and thanks the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) for allowing the Admiralty Chart for Galway Bay to be used as a reference map for the area.

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INFOMAR in Google Earth

To view and navigate around the Shannon Estuary dataset in Google Earth, click on the link below.

Shannon Estuary

To view additional datasets in Google Earth please click here

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Data Access

Full details outlining the process to gain access to datasets for the bay above or all INFOMAR data can be found in the INFOMAR | Data page of this website.

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