Aberdeen experts have embarked on a project to investigate the issue of coastal flooding in parts of the Western Isles following the severe storm which hit the islands three years ago.
The team from the University of Aberdeen has been awarded Scottish Government funding by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) to research the area of Atlantic coast between South Uist and Benebecula.
The research forms part of a wider project led by the council to undertake a hydrodynamic study of the South Ford area following the devastating storm which hit the west coast of the isles in January 2005.
A family of five tragically lost their lives during the storm which also caused severe damage to houses, roads and buildings throughout the area.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, local attention focused on the South Ford causeway that joins South Uist and Benbecula, which replaced the earlier bridge structure in 1984.
The University project, led by Professors Alastair Dawson and Bill Ritchie of the Aberdeen Institute for Coastal Science and Management, will involve the development and evaluation of models that will simulate the effects of floodwater and sediment transport for the South Ford area linked to scenarios of extreme weather conditions.
The study will particularly focus on Gualan Island, a 3 km long barrier island to the west of South Ford, which suffered significant erosion during the storm.
It will also aim to find out the effects that the causeway may have had on the amount of sedimentation across the extensive South Ford intertidal strand since it replaced an earlier bridge structure in 1984.
Professor Bill Ritchie from the University of Aberdeen Institute for Coastal Science and Management said: "Our study will focus on a number of areas of particular concern around the Atlantic coast of the Western Isles with the aim of gaining a better understanding of the coastal geography of the area.
"Gualan Island, which in particular suffered significant coastal erosion during the storm, will form part of the focus for the study. There is concern that should the island be allowed to erode further the wave climate in South Ford would become more severe, and residents living on the shores would be at increasing risk of harm from the effects of potential future storms during extreme high tides."
Councillor Peter Carlin of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, whose ward includes the South Ford area, said: "We are pleased that the study has come to fruition after much hard work. We would like to thank Michael Russell, Minister for Environment, for providing the funds for taking this important project forward. We look forward to the completion of the studies to enable us to gain a better understanding of tidal flows and coastal processes and how the risk of flooding from future storms can be reduced to help safeguard people living in this vulnerable area."