ISO-TAISE
Dr Pete Akers, Discipline of Geography
The project: ISO-TAISE – Isotopic Tracing of Atmospheric Rivers and Irish Storm Extremes – is dedicated to improving our understanding of the moisture that fuels Ireland’s extreme storms and rain events. The storm systems that impact Ireland gather and transport water vapour from hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away, and some of the most damaging storms are believed to draw upon water vapour that originally evaporated from the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Through ISO-TAISE, we aim to identify what common patterns the most extreme and damaging storms share in moisture-sourcing and -transport and then use this new knowledge to improve Ireland’s resilience to storms through better forecasting and community preparedness.
Water vapour being transported to Ireland from the Tropical Atlantic during Storm Éowyn in 2025. Data is taken from satellite observations and mapped through the MIMIC-TPW2 product courtesy of CIMSS team at the University of Wisconsin.
At the Trinity Botanic Garden, we have installed an analyser that continuously samples the water vapour currently present in the local Dublin air to measure the vapour’s stable isotopes. The stable isotopic values of water vapour change depending on where the vapour originated from and how it made its way to Ireland. By monitoring the vapour’s isotopes here at the Gardens, we are able to detect changes in atmospheric moisture sources in real-time and study how the moisture supplies of impacting storm systems evolve at a minute-by-minute resolution. Funded by the EPA to run through at least 2028, this water vapour analyser is the first of its kind to be deployed in Ireland and through it, ISO-TAISE will give Ireland an unprecedented view into one of the major forces that shape our island’s weather.
