Irish Sea

Irish Sea

The Irish Sea is a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, between the islands of Great Britain to the east and Ireland to the west. It is connected to the ocean in the north. By the Strait of North, and by the Strait of St. George in the south. It is located on the mainland shoal, which is crossed by a narrow trough running parallel to the Irish coast. Depths up to 272 m. The bottom sediments are pebbles, sand or coquina.

General Information

Westerly winds prevail over the Irish Sea throughout the year. Storms are frequent in winter. Temperatures are around 5 °C in winter and 15 °C in summer.

Water temperature from 5-9 ° C in February to 13-16 ° C in August, changing little with depth. Salinity ranges from 328‰ to 34.8‰. Surface currents form a cyclonic circulation.

Tides are semi-diurnal, their height from 1.2 to 6 meters.

Fishing (herring, sprat, cod, anchovies).

The large islands are Maine and Anglesey. The coasts are indented with small bays and inlets.

Major ports are Liverpool (UK) and Dublin (Ireland).

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