The oceanography of southwest Ireland: current research activities

Abstract

The coastal waters of Ireland are rich in physical features affecting both chemistry and biology. Amongst these are the tidal fronts of the Irish Sea (Le Fevre, 1986) and the Irish Shelf Front on the Atlantic coast lying along the 200m iso bath (Huang et al., 1991). Recently, an upwelling system has been described in the vicinity of the Fastnet Rock (Roden, 1986; Raine et al., 1990). Coastal upwelling systems are ecologically very important and are generally extremely productive, as nutrients brought up to the sea surface can stimulate extensive phytoplankton growth. This paper describes further satellite and ship-based investigations which are currently being carried out to examine the mechanisms driving the upwelling system and its effect on local ecology.