rain in Scotland

Researchers from the University of New South Wales in Australia have been exploring a cave in Scotland, just to the north of Ullapool. They have been able to track cyclic changes in the North Atlantic Oscillation which affects climate in NW Europe. It confirms other studies – and even confirms dear old HH Lamb (all those years ago). By measuring the thickness of annual growth rings on five stalagmites taken from the Uamh an Tartair cave, a shallow cave beneath a blanket of peat, they were able to map out rainfall over a 3000 year period. The good news is they found nothing out of the ordinary. The medieval warm period is still alive and kicking – and so too is the Roman warm period. The not so nice or warm period in the Late Roman era remain just that – not very nice weather. See also www.nature.com/srep/2015/150611/srep10307/full/srep10307.html