BEACHES:A MYSTERY surrounding the shifting sands of Northern Ireland's north coast may finally have been solved thanks to an academic investigation.
For years locals have been baffled as to why Portrush's popular West Strand has been gradually disappearing into the sea while the nearby Portstewart Strand has held firm against the tide. Now a University of Ulster (UU)academic says he's found the answer lurking in the deep.
Dr Joni Backstrom, from Finland, has established that the seabed off Portrush is less stable and behaves differently than the ocean floor a few miles away off the Portstewart coast. Using echo sounding technology, Dr Backstrom was able to analyse the sedimentary movements on the seabed at both strands.
Dr Derek Jackson, who supervised the PhD research project at UU's centre for coastal and marine research, explained the significance of Dr Backstrom's research. "The work showed for the first time that almost the entire Portrush seabed - the shoreface - was set in motion during high energy storms, whereas at Portstewart only the upper part near the beach showed significant changes," Dr Jackson said.
"A beach's ability to retain its position is usually reflected in what happens on the seabed area out to a depth of 35 metres, and this is seen at Portrush West Strand.The steeper angle of the Portrush West Strand shoreface also leads to offshore transport of sediment, especially during storms.
"Dunes which can act as a sand reservoirs to feed the beach when required, have long since been removed through human destruction at West Strand, so this makes Portrush's beach more vulnerable to storms in the future." - ( PA)