Lecture 5-Introduction to Irish habitats Flashcards
what does Gulf Stream do
current supplies the north east Atlantic with sub-tropical warmth
what is Irish climate like
Ireland has an extreme oceanic climate
Average annual temperature is about 9°C.
Mean temperature highest in southwest.
Sunshine duration highest in the southeast
what is Ireland average rainfall
Average rainfall varies between about 800mm (SE) and 2,800mm (NW)
what is Ireland average wetdays
Average number of wet days
(days with more than 1mm of
rain) ranges from 150 days a
year (E/SE) to 225 days a year
(W/NW).
what % are Irish skies covered by clouds
Irish skies are completely covered by cloud for well over 50% of the time.
what is soil type
is interaction between climate, underlying geology and recent glaciation
what was Ireland like in the early Munsterian cold period
Ireland was covered in deep ice for
much of the early Munsterian cold
period.
what was Ireland like in the later Midlandian cold period
The later Midlandian cold period was
less severe and some areas of southern Ireland were relatively ice free
what do Eskers mean
long ridges of fluvial gravel and boulders.
Common in the Irish midlands
what are Drumlins
spoon-shaped mounds of coarse sediment formed by glaciers moving over the land – fertile and well-drained.
what are Corries
amphitheatre-like valleys formed by glacial erosion
what is the name of the brief ‘re-advance’ of the ice about 13,000 years ago
Nahangan cold phase or Younger Dryas, named after a flower (Dryas octopetala) that grows in cold conditions and became common in Europe during this time
