Major research taking place along the Shannon estuary will hopefully predict future sea-level rises in the area, while also assessing how the mainland area and wildlife plants and habitats will be affected.
According to PhD researcher Séamus Coveney of NUI Maynooth, the south of Ireland is sinking by up to 1mm each year.
But despite a recent study by Nasa and the University of Kansas, which showed the loss of ice from Greenland doubled between 1996 and 2005, he said climate change is only one factor in predicted sea-level increases of between 20 and 88cm over the next 80 years.
"The impact of the last ice age, over 10,000 year ago, is also being felt," he said. "The north of Ireland was hardest hit by glacial activity and this has resulted in a 'tipping effect' whereby this part of the country has continued to rise year on year since the weight of the ice was removed.
"These contributory factors have helped us to predict what impact rising sea-levels will have on salt marsh environments such as the Shannon estuary."
The Shannon estuary project, due to be completed in 2007, is supported by Clare County Council and funded by the National Centre for Geocomputation. Earlier this year, a separate heritage map and survey aimed at outlining the diversity of plants and animals in Co Clare was commissioned as part of the Clare Heritage Plan Programme.The results are due to be presented in Ennis at the end of the summer.
Similar habitat mapping was undertaken in 2003 and forms the basis of the NUI Maynooth research into sea-level rise and habitat change.