David Butler, Ballyadams, Athy, Co Kildare

DEAR SIR: Your article on El Niño by Patrick Donohoe carefully avoids the real effect of El Niño on Ireland. Just remember the winter of 2010 – it was a long, cold, harsh period of as low as -17.5°C for up to six weeks. Another threat to our weather, and indeed climate, is the potential move of the North Atlantic Drift (NAD), which allows Ireland experience such mild winters. Because of melting Arctic and Greenland icecap, more cold water is affecting the Northern Atlantic Ocean and will inevitably move the NAD southerly.

Ireland’s climate will become like Newfoundland or the Baltic. Let’s have a good, intelligent article analysing the potential effects on Ireland and it’s agriculture – not if, but when these changes come about.

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