Editing Pembrokeshire (section)

==Geography==

===Climate===
{{climate chart
|Milford Haven
|3.1|8.5|115.4
|2.8|8|90
|3.8|9.7|87
|5|12|61
|7|15|52
|10|17|67
|12|20|53
|12|19|93
|10|17|102
|8|14|131
|5.3|11|130
|5|9.5|126.4
|source=[https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate/gchqhvphc The Met Office] 
|float=right
}}

There are three weather stations in Pembrokeshire: at Tenby, Milford Haven and [[Penycwm]], all on the coast. Milford Haven enjoys a mild climate and Tenby shows a similar range of temperatures throughout the year,<ref name="MetOfficeTenby"/> while at Penycwm, on the west coast and 100m above sea level, temperatures are slightly lower.<ref name="MetOfficePenycwm"/>

The county has on average the highest coastal winter temperatures in Wales due to its proximity to the relatively warm Atlantic Ocean.  Inland, average temperatures tend to fall 0.5&nbsp;°C for each 100 metres increase in height.<ref name="MetOffClimate"/>

The air pollution rating of Pembrokeshire is "Good", the lowest rating.<ref name="BBCNews10Jan2018"/>

===Geology===
The rocks in the county were formed between 600 and 290 million years ago. More recent rock formations were eroded when sea levels rose 80 million years ago, at the end of the [[Cretaceous Period]]. Around 60 million years ago, the Pembrokeshire landmass emerged through a combination of uplift and falling sea levels; the youngest rocks, from the [[Carboniferous Period]], contain the [[Pembrokeshire Coalfield]].<ref name="PVMCoal"/> The landscape was subject to considerable change as a result of ice ages; about 20,000 years ago the area was scraped clean of soil and vegetation by the ice sheet; subsequently, meltwater deepened the existing river valleys.<ref name="PVMGeology"/><ref name="HowellsGeoHistPembs"/> While Pembrokeshire is not usually a seismically active area, in August 1892 there was a series of pronounced activities (maximum intensity: 7) over a six-day period.<ref name="Davison1924"/>{{rp|184}}

===Coastline and landscape===
[[File:Pembrokeshire Coast National Park UK location map.svg|thumb|alt=map of area of national park in the county|Pembrokeshire Coast National Park shown in green]]
The Pembrokeshire coastline includes numerous bays and sandy beaches. The [[Pembrokeshire Coast National Park]], the only park in the UK established primarily because of its coastline,<ref name="VWExploring"/><ref name="NatGeo2Nov2017"/> occupies more than a third of the county. The park contains the [[Pembrokeshire Coast Path]], a near-continuous {{convert|186|mi|adj=on}} [[long-distance trail]] from [[Amroth, Pembrokeshire|Amroth]], by the Carmarthenshire border in the southeast, to [[St Dogmaels]] just down the [[River Teifi]] [[estuary]] from [[Cardigan, Ceredigion]], in the north.<ref name="NTPembsCoastPath"/> The [[National Trust]] owns {{convert|60|mi}} of Pembrokeshire's coast.<ref name="BBCNews27Jan2018"/> Nowhere in the county is more than {{convert|10|mi}} from tidal water. The large estuary and natural harbour of [[Milford Haven (harbour)|Milford Haven]] cuts deep into the coast; this inlet is formed by the [[confluence]] of the Western [[River Cleddau|Cleddau]] (which flows through Haverfordwest), the Eastern Cleddau, and rivers Cresswell<ref name="PCNPACresswell"/> and Carew. Since 1975, the estuary has been bridged by the [[Cleddau Bridge]],<ref name="Hansard8Dec1994"/> a toll bridge carrying the [[A477 road|A477]] between Neyland and Pembroke Dock. Large bays are Newport Bay, Fishguard Bay, [[St Bride's Bay]] and western [[Carmarthen Bay]]. There are several small islands off the Pembrokeshire coast, the largest of which are [[Ramsey Island|Ramsey]], [[Grassholm Island|Grassholm]], [[Skokholm Island|Skokholm]], [[Skomer Island|Skomer]] and [[Caldey Island|Caldey]].<ref name="PCNPAIslands"/> The seas around Skomer and Skokholm, and some other areas off the Pembrokeshire coast are [[Marine protected area]]s.<ref name="DEFRAIslands"/>

There are many known shipwrecks off the Pembrokeshire coast with many more undiscovered.<ref name="BBCNews26Oct2014"/><ref name="DiveWrecks"/> A [[Viking]] wreck off [[Smalls Lighthouse|The Smalls]] has protected status.<ref name="WO6Jan2018"/> The county has five [[List of RNLI stations#Wales,_West_&_Isle_of_Man_Region|lifeboat stations]], the earliest of which, [[Fishguard Lifeboat Station|at Fishguard]], was established in 1822; in 2015 a quarter of all [[Royal National Lifeboat Institution]] Welsh rescues took place off the Pembrokeshire coast.<ref name="MM27Jan2016"/>

[[File:View from Carn Menyn eastwards towards Foel Drigarn and Y Frenni 2011.jpg|thumb|alt=grey stone blocks in the foreground and hills in the background|View from the bluestone quarry to other peaks in the Preselis]]
Pembrokeshire's diverse range of geological features was a key factor in the establishment of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and a number of sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs).<ref name="PCNPAGeology"/> In the north of the county are the Preseli Mountains, a wide stretch of high [[moorland]] supporting sheep farming and some forestry, with many [[prehistoric]] sites and the probable source of the [[bluestone]]s used in the construction of the inner circle of [[Stonehenge]] in England.<ref name="DATPreseli"/> The highest point is [[Foel Cwmcerwyn]] at {{convert|1759|ft|m}}, which is also the highest point in Pembrokeshire. Elsewhere in the county most of the land (86 per cent according to [[CORINE]]) is used for farming, compared with 60 per cent for Wales as a whole.<ref name="BBCNews9Nov2017"/>

===Biodiversity===
Pembrokeshire's wildlife is diverse, with marine, estuary, woodland, moorland and farmland habitats.<ref name="WWPembs"/><ref name="Guardian10Jul2012"/> The county has a number of seasonal seabird breeding sites, including for [[razorbill]], [[guillemot]], [[puffin]] and [[Manx shearwater]],<ref name="PCNPASeabirds"/> and rare endemic species such as the [[red-billed chough]];<ref name="Madge1994"/>{{rp|133&ndash;135}} Grassholm has a large gannet colony.<ref name="VPGrassholm"/> Seals,<ref name="VPSeals"/> several species of whales (including rare [[humpback whale]] sightings<ref name="BBCNews14Aug2021"/><ref name="BBCNews20Jan2024"/>), dolphins and porpoises can be seen off the Pembrokeshire coast; whale-watching boat trips are frequent, particularly during the summer months.<ref name="VPWhales"/> An appeal for otter sightings in 2014 yielded more than 100 responses,<ref name="BBCNews17Jun2014"/> and a rare visit by a walrus occurred in the spring of 2021.<ref name="BBCNews20Mar2021"/>

Pembrokeshire is one of the few places in the UK that is home to the rare Southern damselfly, ''[[Coenagrion mercuriale]]'', which is found at several locations in the county, and whose numbers have been boosted by conservation work over a number of years.<ref name="BBCNews24Sep2020"/>

Ancient woodland still exists, such as [[Tŷ Canol Wood]], where [[Fluorescence#In_nature|biofluorescence]], seen under [[ultraviolet]] light under the dark sky, is a feature that has led to the wood being described as "...one of the most magical and special woodlands in the UK."<ref name="BBCNews17Feb2024"/>

The [[Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales]] is in the process of restoring a lost [[temperate rainforest]], also known as a Celtic forest, in Trellwyn Fach, near the town of [[Fishguard]].<ref name="BBCNews6Sep2024"/> Although temperate rainforests once covered much of western Britain's coasts, they were destroyed over centuries and only remain in fragments.<ref name="WTrust15Jul2024"/> The {{Convert|59|ha|acre|adj=on}} site will connect with remnants of the remaining rainforest in the [[Cwm Gwaun|Gwaun valley]].<ref name="FoJo15Jul2024"/> The project is part of a larger, 100-year Atlantic rainforest recovery programme.<ref name="TimeOut16Jul2024"/>