The report warns that the Gulf Stream system is predicted to decline due to the climate crisis, which could impact Ireland’s future climate.ĭue to the oceans absorbing about one third or one quarter of human-made CO2 emissions each year, the report claims that rising emissions levels are altering seawater chemistry. This system of ocean currents transports warm shallow water north and returns cold deeps water south, and is a “major factor” in Ireland’s mild climate. Recent years have seen a slight cooling period in Irish waters, but the report suggests this is linked to a slowdown anomaly of the Gulf Stream system. Meanwhile, sea surface temperatures are roughly 0.4 degrees Celsius warmer this century compared to the period between the 1960s to 1990s. The findings show Irish sea levels have risen by roughly 2mm to 3mm per year since the 1990s, with a larger sea level rise in Dublin and Cork. The report was launched yesterday (4 April) by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue, TD.

The Irish Ocean Climate and Ecosystem Status Report 2023, published by the Marine Institute, highlights that many climate threats are impacted Ireland’s oceans. A Marine Institute report highlights that 40pc of Ireland’s population live close to coastal regions, making it ‘critical’ to further understand how our waters are being hit by the climate crisis.Ī new report has listed the various threats facing Ireland’s oceans, with evidence of rising sea levels, higher surface temperatures, greater acidity and a growth in harmful algae species.

The sea the sea iris