Irish Sea: description, islands

In the Atlantic Ocean, the islands of Great Britain and Ireland are separated by the Irish Sea. It has been formed for a very long time and interests not only geographers and geologists, but also historians. What is known about the marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean? And what secrets are still stored in salty sea waters? This information may be of interest to many.

Where to look on the map

In a geographical atlas, each object has clear coordinates. However, you are unlikely to look for them on the position of the Irish Sea. It is much easier to find it, based on where Ireland is located on the map. So, the sea, which is the story, is washed by the British coast from the west, as well as the east coast of the island of Ireland, which is the third largest in Europe. The northern part of the reservoir is located near the lands of Scotland, and in the south it joins the Celtic. Possessing this knowledge, it is not at all difficult to find a sea bounded by two European islands.

One small detail: the island of Ireland on the map is divided into two unequal parts. One belongs to Great Britain (Northern Ireland), and the second belongs to the Republic of Ireland (independent state).

Some numbers and not only

It is interesting to consider all the figures that relate to the description of the Irish Sea. Initially, it should be noted that its area is approximately 47 thousand km ² . The depths of the Irish Sea are considered fairly uniform. Basically, they do not exceed 50 m in the basin, and about 159 m in the central rift basin. The deepest point of the depression is 175 m. It is found near the shores of Scotland (Cape Mall of Galloway).

Bottom sediments consist of pebbles of various fractions, sand and shell rock. Most likely, before the formation of the sea, the materials constituting the bottom rocks were part of the glacial moraines. In the vicinity of the island of Men, the bottom sediments are softer, composed of sand and silt.

The length of the Irish Sea along with the adjacent straits is only 210 km. And its width, also taking into account the straits - 240 km.

Geology

As you know, this science is studying the structure of the Earth. It considers the composition of the rocks, the origin and stages of the development of the planet, proceeding from the study of various processes taking place both on its surface and in the depths.

The Irish Sea was formed more than 1.6 million years ago. At this time, rift processes began as a result of ruptures in the earth's crust. As a result, a basin formed on the continental shelf, which filled the waters of the World Ocean. Contemporary outlines of the sea took not so long ago by geological standards, only 12 thousand years ago.

Outlines of the coastline, islands in the sea

Islands in the Irish Sea are different. Some of them are inhabited, and some remain uninhabited. Among the small islands can be identified Holi Island, Wally and Irlands-Ai. By the way, the last of these is uninhabited. There are only 2 large islands. One of them is the island of Mye, which belongs to the British Crown. Formally, the island is not part of the UK and is not considered its overseas territory. The island has its own coat of arms, postage stamps and mint its own coins. The governing function is performed by the local parliament, but questions of foreign policy and security are decided by the United Kingdom. The Mena area is 572 km ².

The second island that surrounds the Irish Sea is called Anglesey. It is an administrative part of Wales and belongs to the UK. The area of this island is 714 km ².

As for the coastline, it is broken by bays and bays. However, all the bays are not large and do not cut deep into the land.

Features of climate

The water of the Irish Sea is blown by the western winds. Because of them, it often storms here in winter. The air temperature at this time of year is about 5 ° C. In the summer, too, not too hot, the air will warm to 15 ° C. What other climatic parameters lead, describing the Irish Sea? The water temperature in summer here is not higher than 16 ° С. In winter, the maximum temperature of sea water is 9 ° C. Such warming up of water is not suitable for sea resorts. In addition, it is rather humid due to frequent precipitation and cloudiness. Even in the height of summer, there are few sunny days.

The sea is known for its cyclonic cycle in the St. George Strait area. It is formed by several surface currents. In addition, there are quite strong tidal currents with a semidiurnal cycle. The strongest tide, with a height of up to 6 m, is observed off the coast of England, in the northwestern part.

Mineral content

Due to the salinity of the waters, the Irish Sea is close to the overall indicators of the Atlantic. At the coast it is slightly lower, because it is diluted with flowing freshwater rivers. From the south to the north, along the deep central depression, there is a tongue with more salt waters. In general, the salinity varies in different areas from 32 ‰ to 35 . The maximum figure is observed in the summer, particularly in August, on the boundary sites between the Irish and the Celtic seas.

What is interesting about the history of the Irish Sea

Historians study the Irish Sea, closely intertwining and linking it with the development of several European nations. In the days of Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, the territory of the island of Ireland was called "Iberia". An approximate translation of this word is "cold." And the sea itself was called the "Iberian Ocean".

On the expanses of the Irish Sea, despite the currents and the storm, Celtic vessels boldly walked. Later, trying to find new territories and establish trade links, the Vikings often traveled here. They built on the coasts of the settlement in order to be able to rest, replenish supplies and repair their ships.

The history of the development of the Irish Sea can be traced through archaeological finds on the island of Men. The island passed many times from hand to hand. Here you can find the remains of the Neolithic buildings, the settlement of the times of King Edward of Northumbria. In addition, the territory several times became the property of England, then Scotland.

If you are interested in ancient treasures, then, according to the legends, there are countless of them. In the 16th century, in the waters of the Irish Sea, the famous Spanish "Invincible Armada" sank. There were 24 ships in its composition, the holds of which could not be empty. The culprit of the shipwreck was the strongest storm, which lasted more than two weeks.

Economic and economic importance

On the shores of the Irish Sea, there are several large ports belonging to England and the Republic of Ireland. One of these ports is considered the largest in the whole of Great Britain. It is called Liverpool. A major port is also located in the city of Dublin. A large number of goods pass through these ports.

Like all seas, related to the Atlantic Ocean, the Irish is famous for its developed fishery. Here, industrial catch of herring fish, cod, whiting, flounder and small anchovies is produced. The main fishing ports are Fleetwood, belonging to the English possessions and Kilkil, the territory of the Republic of Ireland.

Strong winds made it possible to build powerful wind power stations in the coastal areas. One of them is located in the Republic of Ireland, near the town of Arklow, the second - near the town of Drogheda. In the UK, a wind farm is located near the town of Rila.

For many years, there has been a discussion of an interesting project, the goal of which is to connect the islands of Britain and Ireland. While it is not clear, it will be a bridge or an underwater tunnel, like under the English Channel. Everything as always rests on finance. The implementation of the project may not recoup itself.

There is a black page in the history of the Irish Sea. Until 2003, there was located a large nuclear complex, whose name is Sellafield. Its construction began after the Second World War, in 1947. In addition to power generation, production of weapons-grade plutonium and nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants was organized here. The Greenpeace organization for many years proved that Sellafield pollutes the waters of the Irish Sea. The dismantling of nuclear reactors was started only a few years later (in 2007), after the official decision to close.