A new marine monitoring scheme has been announced between Ireland and Wales.

The STREAM (Sensor Technologies for Remote Environmental Aquatic Monitoring) project will use technology in the Irish Sea to help people to understand the impacts of climate change

It will see sensors feed back real-time data.

The €5.4m programme, backed with €4.3m of EU funding, will develop advanced marine monitoring systems to give a better understanding of the impacts of climate change, lower the cost of marine observation and accelerate the process of providing data to key organisations.

The scheme was announced by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe and the Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Mark Drakeford.

Supported through the Ireland Wales Cooperation Programme, the Waterford Institute of Technology will lead the scheme - alongside Swansea University and Cork Institute of Technology.

STREAM will develop sensors capable of providing real-time environmental data to organisations in Ireland and Wales, which are responsible for protecting and improving the productive capacity of our waters.

Data will be made available in real-time through web portals and mobile applications - while mass-produced sensors will provide a consistent, non-intrusive and low cost service.

Detail of the effects of climate change will be made available at a local level.

The project will host workshops and summer schools to inform coastal communities on these impacts of climate change.

'Unique blend of expertise'

Commenting on the initiative, Minister Donohoe said: "I am delighted to see the launch of another EU-funded project under the Ireland Wales Programme.

"The continuing cooperation between our two nations in areas such as scientific research, yields benefits on all sides.

"Climate change is a shared challenge, which serves to highlight the importance of cross-border cooperation through projects like STREAM.

"By furthering our understanding of the impact of climate change in this way we will be better placed to combat it in the future, improving the quality of our seas for the years to come".

Dr Joe O’Mahony, principal investigator at Waterford Institute of Technology, added: "WIT welcomes the significant investment made by the EU in further developing the marine sensing and communications knowledge base within our cross-border region.

"This investment builds on the unique blend of expertise offered across all partner organisations and will ensure that the cross-border region continues to be an exemplar for clean and productive seas.

"We are very much looking forward to working with our partners in both Wales and Ireland on this very exciting and important operation."