Rainfall Data Maps

Our parent organisation, the Sustainability Institute is undertaking a detailed evaluation of Irish climatic data from 1960 onwards. This project was initiated after some unexplained anomalies were spotted in Met Eireann annual rainfall maps. Data from individual weather stations suggests many parts of the west of Ireland experience lower rainfall than indicated on the national rainfall maps.

In order to more accurately identify local micro-climates suitable for fruit and nut crops, the Institute is drawing up new rainfall maps for the whole of Ireland. These maps take into consideration factors such as altitude, aspect, local topograhical features and proximity to the sea or inland water features such as lakes or large rivers.

Global Warming

One factor to consider when examining food-security is global warming. As a consequence of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, planet Earth is expected to rise by anything up to 6 degrees Celsius in the next 80-100 years. A rise in global temperature of 2 degrees Celsius is highly likely within the lifespan of most fruit and nut trees planted today. This will have considerable impact on future food production in Ireland. It is far from certain that Ireland itself will get warmer as a consequence of global warming - changes to high altitude jet streams and the flow of the Gulf Stream may result in much colder winters, and possibly warmer and drier summers (though there is not much evidence of the latter, so far). Adaptability is the key. Ideally, food crops should have a tolerance range that allows for both warmer and colder temperatures in the future.