ORK01 Coastal Runoff Watch Ireland: Tracking Coastal Runoff and Water Quality

When heavy rain falls after slurry-spreading or fertiliser periods, where does that runoff go — and can we see its impact on Ireland’s rivers, estuaries, and coastal waters? This challenge aims to build an interactive map/dashboard that connects satellite imagery, rainfall, water-quality testing, and marine data to help visualise possible runoff patterns over time.

Over the 48 hours, I would like to develop a prototype website or dashboard that explores how available environmental data can be used to visualise coastal runoff and water-quality changes around Ireland.

The aim would be to build an interactive map-based tool, similar to the example image above, where users can compare satellite imagery with water-quality indicators, rainfall events, river/catchment data, and coastal monitoring information. The dashboard could show layers such as sediment or turbidity signals, chlorophyll/algal activity, rainfall before and after events, and official water-testing locations.

A realistic 48-hour prototype could include:

an interactive coastal map,
a small number of selected Irish coastal case-study areas,
satellite image layers or processed Sentinel visualisations,
rainfall and water-quality data overlays,
a simple timeline to compare conditions before and after heavy rainfall,
and a summary panel explaining what the data may indicate.

The goal is not to prove pollution from one source, but to create a useful public-facing investigation tool that makes complex marine and environmental data easier to understand. Longer term, the project could help highlight where Ireland may need more coastal sensors, deeper sea monitoring, and better investment in marine water-quality testing.

Data analysis, marine science, oceanography, environmental science, hydrology, water-quality monitoring, and Earth observation / satellite imagery.
A special interest in people who can help interpret indicators such as nitrates, phosphates, chlorophyll, sediment, turbidity, rainfall, and runoff, and who understand Sentinel-2 / Sentinel-3 data or tools such as the Ulyssys Water Quality Viewer.