Scientists from the Centre for Research into Atmospheric Chemistry (CRAC), which is located in University College Cork, have been conducting a comprehensive air quality monitoring campaign throughout Cork Harbour since 2007. The team consists of about 10 personnel possessing a wide variety of expertises, from computing to chemical analysis to toxicology, all under the supervision of Professor John Sodeau from the UCC Department of Chemistry and Environmental Research Institute (ERI).

The aim of the studies is to compile an inventory of pollutant source origins, which give rise to airborne chemicals in gaseous, aerosols and particulate forms. The various monitoring campaigns performed will eventually provide effective linkage of actual emissions to sources for Cork Harbour and thereby allow contributions made by individual sources, such as ships, to be assessed. Three monitoring sites have been utilized within the area: Tivoli Docks (upper harbour), Haulbowline Island (mid-harbour) and Roche’s Point (outer harbour).

One of the driving forces behind the research is the need to investigate if shipping emissions do contribute significantly to pollution in our coastal communities. Various components of fuel burnt by ships and released to the atmosphere can lead to toxic responses in cells and so health concerns have been raised by epidemiological modelers on their actual role. But first, real time and long-term measurements of pollutant gases such as SO 2 , NO X & O 3 , particulates containing elemental carbon and aerosols containing acids and transition metals must be made to base our predictions on. Currently our collected samples and data are being analysed at UCC and results will subsequently be made available to the Irish EPA.