Research projects to further develop climate services and new flood forecasting models have received €2.8m in funding from Met Éireann.

University of Galway, University College Cork and Maynooth University have all received funding.

One of the projects will look at the growing threat of flooding when rivers and streams burst, with plans to develop a three-day flood forecast system using AI-generated time series and water depth maps.

The project will examine diverse data sources - such as meteorological forecasts, river flows, tidal records and satellite data.

The awards are being made via the Met Éireann research call 2024 to innovative projects aimed at addressing climate change, extreme weather events and environmental sustainability.

Met Éireann’s weather and climate research programme aims to strengthen national research capacity and scientific expertise in weather and climate, through high-impact projects.

It is hoped that the projects will expand the knowledge and understanding of climate change impacts from an annual to 10-year time frame.

“They will explore the nature of how extreme events are changing and will develop services that support adaptation and decision-making for greater climate resilience in Ireland.

“The flood forecasting research project is aimed at improving our understanding of the interaction between river discharge, tide and storm surge, providing valuable insights on flood risk,” the Department of Housing said.