15/06/2026
Meet Kevin Sheehan, a Geophysicist with the Advanced Mapping Services team at the Marine Institute and a key member of the INFOMAR programme.
Kevin has just returned from a month-long seabed mapping survey in the Atlantic Ocean and Celtic Sea, where the team mapped more than 2,000 square kilometres of seabed. During the most recent phase of the survey, conducted approximately 100 kilometres west of the Aran Islands, over 1,000 square kilometres of seafloor were mapped, including the discovery and documentation of a shipwreck.
Using state-of-the-art multibeam sonar technology, the team collected high-resolution bathymetry and backscatter data, alongside seabed samples that will help scientists identify and map seabed habitats. Together, these datasets provide valuable insights into Ireland’s marine environment and support research, conservation, marine spatial planning, and sustainable offshore development.
As Ireland’s national seabed mapping programme enters its final phase, INFOMAR has approximately 10,000 square kilometres of seabed left to survey before field mapping is completed. The remaining work will be carried out over the coming years, with the programme scheduled to conclude in 2029, leaving behind one of the most comprehensive marine mapping datasets ever assembled for Ireland.
INFOMAR is the Department of Climate, Energy and the environment (DCEE) funded national seabed mapping programme, jointly managed, and delivered by Geological Survey Ireland and Marine Institute.
