Up the Airy mountain: The hunt for Ireland’s 19th century sea levels

• Main Authors: McCarthy, G., Bridge, E., Edwards, R., Hogarth, P., Nolan, G., Westbrook, G., Woodworth, P., McLoughlin, P., Pugh, D.
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Ice Sheet
• Online Access: https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_5019649

In 1842, as part of the first land survey of Ireland, sea level observations were taken at 22 sites for durations of around six weeks and published by the astronomer royal, George Biddell Airy. While such short records could be dismissed in more sea-level data-rich countries, Ireland has sparse and geographically-biased records and these short records have proved very valuable in reconstructing the patterns and magnitudes of regional sea level change. In this paper, we discuss the adjustments for intermediate datum redefinitions, corrections for atmospheric, seasonal, and tidal effects, including validations of all of these adjustments for the determination of accurate mean sea levels from short records. These measured changes are interpreted in terms of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA), shedding light on the recent GIA modelling of the British-Irish ice sheet. Finally, we reflect on the utility of short sea level records in the understanding of regional, climate change-driven, sea-level change and the necessary constituents in this instance.