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Global climate and the effects of global warming are commanding unprecendented interest as climates grow more dynamic and changeable. How does global warming change patterns of climate? Why is the weather and climate of the British Isles so variable? Regional Climates of the British Isles presents a comprehensive and up-to-date survey of the diverse climate of the British Isles. Examining the ways in which regional climates evolve from the interplay of meteorological conditions and geography of the British Isles, leading climatologists provide detailed explanations of the climatic characteristics of eleven regions of the British Isles. Climatic distinctiveness and local weather contrasts are described for each region, together with a summary of climatic data from 1961 to the present. Reviewing the history and causes of climatic change and evaluating regional models, Regional Climates of the British Isles offers an important analysis of climatic variations. Examining future climatic change and its likely consequences, the authors acknowledge the need for regionally diverse responses to the greenhouse effect.
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REGIONAL CLIMATES OF THE BRITISH ISLES In recent years, global climate change and the effects of global warming have commanded unprecedented public interest. This book presents a detailed and up-to-date survey of the climate of the British Isles. A regional approach provides a framework for illustrating the interplay between geography and meteorology, together with the resulting variety of local weather conditions across the British Isles. The final chapter shifts the focus from climatic variability over space to variability over time, evaluating the causes and regional implications of climatic change. In Part One, contributors examine the ways in which regional climates evolve from the interplay of meteorological conditions and the geography of the British Isles. It provides a concise introduction to mid-latitude climates and is illustrated by numerous case studies and examples. Part Two is an up-to-date survey of the climatic characteristics often regions of the British Isles. The aim of each chapter is to assess the climatic distinctiveness of each region together with an explanation of local weather contrasts. Each chapter includes a comprehensive summary of climatic data using the 1961–90 climatic averages. Part Three relates the spatial dimension of Part Two to climatic change. Following a review of the causes and history of climatic change, evidence for future climatic change is compared with present day climatic variations and their consequences. Discussion of the implications of climatic change in this regional framework acknowledges increasing evidence for regionally diverse responses to the greenhouse effect. This study places regional climates in the context of a north-west/south-east climatic gradient across the British Isles in which the more changeable, dynamic and wetter climate of north-west Britain is distinguished from that of the south-east. Evidence for a recent strengthening of this contrast is compared with similar results from the most recent climate models. Dennis Wheeler is a Reader in Geography, University of Sunderland; Julian Mayes is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Environmental and Geographical Studies, Roehampton Institute London.
REGIONAL CLIMATES OF THE BRITISH ISLES edited by Dennis Wheeler and Julian Mayes
London and New York
First published 1997 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. "To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge's collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk." Disclaimer: For copyright reasons, some images in the original version of this book are not availab