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Stronger claims of Global Warming from new ICARUS report
Eastern Ireland’s wettest summer for almost half a century, but indicators of global warming stronger, claims new report from the Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units (ICARUS)
A new report prepared by the Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units (ICARUS) for the EPA suggests that significant changes have been occurring in the Irish climate over the period of observational records. Since 1890 temperature increases at the Irish weather station network have averaged 0.7oC, almost identical to the global value quoted in the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Like much of the rest of the world this warming has been most prominent in two periods, in the case of Ireland from 1910-1949 and from the 1980s onwards. Since the 1980s temperatures in Ireland have been increasing by 0.42oC/decade - significantly faster than the global average. 6 of the 10 warmest years in the Irish records have occurred since 1995. Much of these changes have occurred in winters which have become noticeably milder. Rainfall records suggest relatively weak trends in rainfall, but increases in the west are apparent, especially in winter. Malin Head for example shows an average increase of 300mm on its annual total over the century from 1890-1990, while Valentia is over 18% wetter since the 1960s. A rather weak trend towards drier summers in the south east is also apparent.
