IndexIntroductionGeology of Galway BayPhysical and chemical oceanographyClimateEcologyMarine pollutionConclusionIntroductionAn understanding of the historical and current characteristics of the coasts of Western Ireland and Galway Bay is necessary to interpret the results of our scientific study. In particular an understanding of geology, physical and chemical oceanography, climate, ecology and marine pollution. The purpose of this review is to provide a broad overview of the characteristics of these subcategories in relation to Galway Bay. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Geology of Galway BayOne of the main distinguishing geological features of the west coast of Ireland is the transition from Aran Islands limestone to Galway granite. The Galway Bay fault line runs northwest to southeast and detects the transition of limestone to granite ("Celtic Voyager Survey"). The islands create a barrier-like formation that partially separates the waters of the bay from those of the Atlantic Ocean (Pybus). The islands were formed during an glaciation dating back to approximately 3.5 million years ago (“History of the Islands”). The Killard Point Stadial marked Ireland's last ice age, where the Irish ice sheet advanced from the mid-north plains to the Northern Irish Sea basin approximately 15,200 years ago. During this period, the Irish ice sheet experienced the Heinrich 1 event (icebergs broke off in the North Atlantic) creating swaths of moraine landscapes. At the same time, about 15 thousand years ago, at the end of the KPS, a deglaciation of the Irish ice sheet occurred. On the time scale of glaciations, this is a very rapid response to climate change by the Irish ice sheet. During the deglaciation, moraines were deposited up to about 15.6 thousand years ago (J. Clark et al.). The moraine structure extends from southwestern Ireland to the Shetland Islands. The small Irish ice sheet contributed to global sea level rise by 2.5 m during the last glaciation (CD Clark). Physical and chemical oceanography The two sections of Galway Bay are defined by the bathymetry of the ocean. The depths of the inner bay are defined as less than 30 meters, while those of the outer bay range from 30 to 60 meters. The length of Galway Bay runs from the west of the Aran Islands to Oranmore for 62 km. The widest section of the bay is 33 km at the mouth, while the narrowest is 10 km at Black Head/Leac na Gibeoige (Fallon and Nash, 1). The bay's circulation is influenced by the Irish Coastal Current which helps mix the fresh water with the salt-rich Atlantic waters. The current is less likely to be related to the strength of the pressure gradient balanced by the Coriolis effect, as it is with the wind speed around Ireland. Wind contributes massively to coastal water circulation on the west coast of Ireland (Fernand et al.). A study by WG Huang proposed that wind regulates the northward buoyancy plume of the River Shannon in Galway Bay (Huang et al.). Despite this, wind does not play a role in maintaining the nutrient composition of the Galway Bay microlayer. The layer is produced by the biological activity of phytoplankton and is mainly composed of phosphate, silicate and nitrate (Lyons et al.). Oxygen concentrations in Galway Bay are at healthy levels and there is no data to suggest that the bay has oversaturation, deficiency, hypoxia or anoxia (O'Boyle et al.). Shellfish aquaculture sites, which remove thephytoplankton, are common among the bays of western Ireland and help prevent the growth of the eutrophic condition (Smith and Cave). Climate The past climate of Ireland during the Holocene (last 11,500 years) was analyzed in a study by Barber et al. His study of plant macrofossil remains in bogs (particularly Abbeyknockmoy and Mongan Bog in western and central Ireland) indicated that the Holocene had three distinct climates. First, the early Holocene showed monocot-rich action indicating dry conditions. Second, the middle Holocene showed factions thriving in predominantly humid conditions, and Ireland experienced a sequence of rapid sea level rises. Finally, the late Holocene showed a variety of factions indicating a fluctuation or oscillation of wet and dry conditions (Barber et al. al.). After the extreme storms of 2014, Professor Michael Williams of the University of Massachusetts found that around 7,500 years ago Galway Bay was covered with forests and lagoons. Storms exposed the north coast of Galway (west of Spiddal), resulting in patches of “drowned” forest (Siggins, “Storms Reveal 'Drowned Forest' in Galway”). Ireland's current climate is described as a temperate oceanic climate consisting of abundant rainfall, moist, humid air, and temperatures without extremes. According to the climatological note n. 14 of 2011, average temperatures and precipitation by season and year were determined over a 30-year period from 1981 to 2010. Seasonal summer temperatures revealed that the highest highs were between 18°C ​​and 20° C located in internal areas. Average annual temperatures ranged between 9°C and 10°C and revealed that the highest values ​​were found in coastal regions rather than coastal regions. inland regions suggest a stronger coastal effect than mean highs. Seasonal rainfall in spring and summer averaged 260 mm while in autumn and winter it averaged 350 mm. According to annual data, the highest rainfall occurred along the western side, decreasing towards the north-east of the island with an average of 1230 mm for all of Ireland (Walsh, 1). Because Galway Bay is located on the west coast of Ireland, it experiences more rain and moderate temperatures than the inland and east/north side of Ireland. Ecology Galway Bay is home to a diverse array of organisms including fish, plankton, diatoms and more. A plankton study by J. Fives revealed that over 67 species of fish larvae were present in Galway Bay in 1972-1973. Of the fish larvae in both 1972 and 1973, 32.80% were Clupeids, 23.80% were Gadids, and 10.8% were Gobiids. All other families were recorded at percentages lower than 7%. Clupeids are made up of foraging marine fish with small teeth. The Gadidae are made up of Gadiformes including cod, cod, haddock and more. The Gobiidae family is extremely numerous with over 2,000 species. These fish are bony inhabitants of benthic seabeds. These three major fish families make up the majority of fish species in Galway Bay and their populations provide information on the benthic health of Galway Bay (Fives and O'Brien). In addition to fish species, phytoplankton play an important role in the ecology of Galway Bay. The phytoplankton population of Galway Bay varies from coastal to estuarine waters. The variation of phytoplankton species in coastal waters is due to tidal and thermohaline fronts, ocean currents, coastal upwelling, wind and heat transmission. The variation of species in estuarine waters is due tochanges in river flow, tides and other local factors. Overall, phytoplankton growth is determined by water circulation (coastal upwelling) and the vertical stability of the water column. The stability of coastal waters is determined by the sun and net primary production. In coastal waters, phytoplankton blooms are most abundant in summer and are limited by sunlight in winter. Estuarine phytoplankton will only flourish if the growth rate is greater than the flow rate. The flow rate is highly variable because it considers factors created by the wind, the state of the tides and the flow of the river (O'Boyle et al.). Specifically, planktonic diatoms play an important role in the ecology of Galway Bay. Galway Bay has a pronounced seasonal diatom cycle. At the beginning of the year, small, fast-growing diatoms predominate. As the water column stabilizes over the summer, larger, slow-growing diatoms begin to dominate. As temperatures cool into autumn, the wind mixes the waters and once again reduces the stability of the water column creating a waxing and waning population of diatoms (Pybus). The main pigments of these diatoms are chlorophylls. Chlorophyll A was studied by CM Roden in Connemara (just north-west of Galway Bay). This study revealed that chlorophyll a was highest in spring during high tides and early summer spring tides, while transient chlorophyll a bloomed during late summer high tides. Roden hypothesized that this was attributed to stable conditions that produced a restricted set of flagellates. It has been suggested that the stable conditions are due to horizontal mixing (Roden). Marine Pollution Marine pollution has come to the forefront of scientific studies over the past 30 years, particularly microplastic pollution. Microplastics are endless in the marine environment, concentrating along ocean gyres and coastlines. Little is known about the future of microplastic pollution and especially their effects on the marine food web. Four ways microplastics can be assessed in the marine environment are sediment sampling, trawling, observational surveys and biological sampling. Sediment sampling measures microplastics in benthic material from the seabed, estuaries and beaches. Trawling allows scientists to measure the presence of microplastics suspended in the water column. Observational surveys allow scientists to observe the location, size and type of plastic fragments in our oceans. Biological sampling allows scientists to examine plastic consumed by marine creatures (Cole et al.). The effects of microplastics consumed by marine biota are poorly understood because they are extremely difficult to measure. In the Atlantic Ocean, microplastics are concentrated in coastal pelagic areas. Determining the amount of microplastic present in the water column was the starting point of a study conducted by A. Lusher in 2015. She found that more than 60% of the trawls she studied in the Atlantic and Caribbean Sea presents the presence of microplastics with densities exceeding 580,000 particles/km. Lusher proposes that a better understanding of ocean mixing, sinking rates, and sediment resuspension is necessary to begin to understand the fate of microplastics in the ocean (Lusher et al.). Not only do they pose a threat to the consumption of marine biota, but they also pose a threat to the gas exchange ecology of the ocean. Over the past 20 years, the rate of microplastic deposition has exceeded..