Precipitation at Armagh Observatory 1838-1997

Precipitation at Armagh Observatory 1838-1997

The meteorological series maintained at Armagh Observatory began in 1795 and are the longest in Ireland and among the longest in the British Isles. Here we present the monthly mean daily precipitation recorded at Armagh since 1838. Variations in the distribution of the rainfall during the year, over...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biology and environment : proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy Vol. 98B; no. 2; pp. 123 - 140
Main Authors: Butler, C. J., Coughlin, A. D. S., Fee, D. T.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Royal Irish Academy 01-12-1998
Subjects:
Autumn
Climate models
Correlations
Lawns
Meteorology
Periodicity
Precipitation
Rain
Summer
Winter
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Summary:The meteorological series maintained at Armagh Observatory began in 1795 and are the longest in Ireland and among the longest in the British Isles. Here we present the monthly mean daily precipitation recorded at Armagh since 1838. Variations in the distribution of the rainfall during the year, over this period, are apparent, with a tendency for drier summers in recent decades. We find a significant correlation between the mean seasonal rainfall and the North Atlantic Oscillation index during autumn and winter, and there appears to be a negative correlation between the summer rainfall and the North Atlantic Oscillation index for the previous winter. A search for periodicities has been made and no evidence of an eleven-year cycle similar to the Sunspot cycle has been found. However, Fourier analysis reveals an approximate seven-year cycle in summer rainfall. We examine the evidence that this cycle may be linked either to the Taurid meteor stream or to the North Atlantic Oscillation.
ISSN:0791-7945