Saturday, October 06, 2007

Interactive maps of Ireland's environment

The Environmental Protection Agency's ENVision tool enables you to access and map information on Ireland's environment and land use. It includes information on:

  • Air and water quality (including of rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal and bathing waters);
  • Land cover information;
  • Soil and subsoil;
  • Locations of Water Framework Directive Protected Areas and River Basin Districts, hydrometric stations and river catchments;
  • Location of towns, rivers and lakes;
  • Facilities licensed by the EPA (e.g. facilities with waste licences).

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The island of ireland

Once upon a time, and for 15000 years, ice a mile high blanketed Ireland. When the lingering Ice Age finally released and the Irish ice departed it left a landscape scoured. Across land bridges linking Ireland, Britain and mainland Europe plants and animals arrived to colonise the new lowlands, mountains and valleys. The world’s ice continued to melt, the sea levels to rise, and some 8000 years ago Ireland became the island we now know, accounting for just 0.01% of the world's total land area and the most westerly point of Europe.

Though at Alaskan latitudes, the country's climate is tempered, due partly to the neighbouring waters of the Gulf Stream and partly the prevailing southwesterlies that veering and backing make landfall on our sodden coast. These offerings from the Atlantic mean it is never too hot, never too cold. But without doubt it is wet. Rain lingers year round, never far away, though is most frequent in winter, the western counties and, inevitably, on the day of your parade.