Milder winters, warm summers and more flooding by 2080s, study finds

MILDER winters, warmer summers and more frequent flooding will be the norm by the 2080s, according to research at the Marine Institute laboratories in Co Mayo.

Global warming is having a clear impact on the Burrishoole river catchment area being studied by researchers at the Mayo institute, in collaboration with UCD and Trinity College. The computer models being analysed will assist Irish fisheries and land use managers to plan ahead for the future impacts of climate change on sensitive peatland river catchments.

This work has been developed as part of the NDP-funded RESCALE project (Review and Simulate Climate and Catchment Responses at Burrishoole), newly launched by Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister, Brendan Smith.

“While global climate change is a worldwide phenomenon, the research findings in this report provide information at the local level that will be invaluable to fisheries and land use managers.

“Practical research work such as RESCALE is essential if we are to plan for the future management of our valuable agriculture, fisheries and forestry resources in the west of Ireland,” said Mr Smith.

The project is studying data from an unbroken record of information on water temperature, air temperature, river discharge, rainfall and a host of other factors which exists for the catchment dating back to the 1950s for the Burrishoole river.

This information collected at the Furnace facility and a neighbouring Met Éireann synoptic station, is invaluable as a resource, not only for measuring physical change over the past 60 years, but also as a proven yardstick to “ground-truth” any computer-generated models on the likely effects of global warming.

Mr Smith said: “I am very impressed with the work being done here in Newport and the high level of collaboration between the institute and the universities on marine research and its practical application to real situations to help inform decision making into the future.”