Relative humidity at Armagh Observatory, 1838-2008

We present a calibrated atmospheric humidity series for Armagh Observatory, Northern Ireland. Beginning in 1838 and continuing to the present day, this series is believed to be the longest presented so far. Daily wet‐bulb and dry‐bulb temperature readings are corrected for the time of reading and fo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of climatology 2012-04, Vol.32 (5), p.657-668
Main Authors: Butler, C. J., García-Suárez, A. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
humidity
Meteorology
Northern Ireland
oscillations
time series
wet-bulb and dry-bulb temperatures
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Summary:We present a calibrated atmospheric humidity series for Armagh Observatory, Northern Ireland. Beginning in 1838 and continuing to the present day, this series is believed to be the longest presented so far. Daily wet‐bulb and dry‐bulb temperature readings are corrected for the time of reading and for known instrumental errors to determine mean monthly, seasonal and annual relative humidity (RH) at 09:00 GMT from 1838 to 2008 and at 21:00 GMT from 1844 to 1964. The mean seasonal and annual time series of RH at this site show only marginal evidence for a trend in RH since the 1880s, however, there is significant decadal and multi‐decadal variability, some of which appears to be cyclic. Wavelet analysis indicates the presence of two quasi‐periodic components in RH, one ranging from 23.4 to 25.5 years and the other from 36 to 51 years. We discuss potential physical origins of these cycles such as changes in the atmospheric and thermohaline circulation and the solar magnetic cycle. There is a small but significant anti‐correlation between RH and northerly winds. Two conspicuous peaks in RH during the 19th century coincide with major infestations of potato blight in Ireland. Copyright © 2011 Royal Meteorological Society
ISSN:0899-8418
1097-0088
DOI:10.1002/joc.2302