On the salinity of the surface waters of the Irish Sea

Abstract

This paper contains a discussion of the observations on the salinity of the surface waters of the Irish Sea, which have been made by a number of authorities from the year 1905 until the end of 1939. Its objects are: (1) To put on record the chief variations of the salinity in the central part of the sea during the whole period of observation. (2) To calculate grand mean values of the characteristics of the salinity and of its seasonal variation for stations distributed over the whole area of the sea. (3) To investigate the degree of correlation between the salinities at pairs of stations, and to find for what time-differences the coefficients of correlation attain maximum values. (4) To investigate the degrees of correlation between the salinities at different stations and the rainfall and barometric gradients; and to find the time-lags which correspond to maximum correlation coefficients. (5) To obtain from the correlation coefficients such indications as they may afford of the mean currents of the sea. For the first and second of the above objects all the observations have been used, but the correlation coefficients given are based on the series of observations which began in 1934. Many correlation coefficients based on the earlier series have been evaluated, but they showed little concordance among themselves and were often in disagreement with those of the later series.