 |
| Source:http://www.ecology.com/2012/03/17/ireland-emerald-isle-nasa/ |
|
Month
|
Min(°F)
|
Max(°F)
|
|
Jan
|
36.5
|
45.7
|
|
Feb
|
36.5
|
45.5
|
|
Mar
|
37.6
|
49.1
|
|
Apr
|
39.9
|
52.5
|
|
May
|
44.2
|
57.6
|
|
Jun
|
49.3
|
63.0
|
|
Jul
|
52.5
|
66.0
|
|
Aug
|
52.0
|
65.5
|
|
Sep
|
49.3
|
61.9
|
|
Oct
|
45.7
|
56.7
|
|
Nov
|
39.6
|
49.6
|
|
Dec
|
37.8
|
47.1
|
The city of Dublin rests on the eastern side of the island
of Ireland. Ireland resides in the
Northern Atlantic Ocean northwest of the European Continent and just west of
England. Due to the North Atlantic Ocean
current, Dublin enjoys a very mild climate with monthly highs only changing
from around the 40s in the winter to the mid 60s in the summer. The amount of monthly precipitation also
doesn’t vary much with an average of 2-3 inches per month with slightly higher
values coming in the later months of the year.
The western side of Ireland is exposed to westerly winds causing more
change in the average temperatures and rainfall while Dublin’s position on the
east side of the island make it less exposed to the same extremes shared by the
rest of the island.
 |
| Graph showing monthly temperature together with average monthly rainfall Source:http://www.world-climates.com/city-climate-dublin-ireland-europe/ |
 |
| Graph showing monthly highs and lows for Dublin, Ireland Source:http://en.allmetsat.com/climate/europe.php?code=03969 |
The geography of Ireland is mostly rolling plains covered in
green grass year round due the consistently high humidity from warm, moist air
coming from the tropics via the North Atlantic Ocean current. There are few mountainous regions on the
island with steep coastal cliff on the western coast of Ireland leading to high
winds and higher extremes in temperatures and precipitation.
 |
| Koppen Climate Map showing the climate of Ireland to be Cfb, meaning it is temperate, without a dry season, and has warm summers Source:http://people.eng.unimelb.edu.au/mpeel/koppen.html |
The North Atlantic Ocean current is the main influencer in
the climate of Ireland. The warm waters
that travel across the Atlantic to islands of the United Kingdom give the
islands a temperate maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. This is why this area, being at the same
latitudes as the northern United States or Russia, experiences fairly warm winters
with little snow while the northern United States and Russia experience very
cold and snowy winters. The climate of
Dublin is very similar to that of southern parts of continents in the southern
hemisphere, which we associate more with hotter temperatures and less moisture.
 |
| Picture of the North Atlantic Ocean Current bringing warm water from the Caribbean up the east coast of the US, across the Atlantic to Greenland and northern Europe Source:http://www.pik-potsdam.de/~stefan/thc_fact_sheet.html |
Bowen ratios are used to determine how net radiational
heating is partitioned between the sensible and latent heat fluxes. The sensible heat flux means the amount of
heat conducted from the Earth’s surface to the atmosphere. This mean the more landmass in an area, the
higher the sensible heat. Latent heat
refers to the amount of heat conducted through water meaning coastal areas will
have higher latent heat than sensible.
In terms of the Bowen ratio, moist areas will have lower ratios and dry
areas will have high ratios because moist regions, usually being coastal, have
more moisture available giving higher latent heat levels while areas in the
interior of continents are much dryer because land is much greater than water. In terms of the Bowen ratio for Dublin, I would estimate the ratio to be low, around 0.20-0.30 because Ireland is a coastal landmass, giving it a low sensible heat level, with a lot of available moisture, giving it a high latent heat flux, making the Bowen ratio relatively low.
