Evaluating the utility of qualitative personal diaries in precipitation reconstruction in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
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Published:2021-01-14
Issue:1
Volume:17
Page:133-149
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ISSN:1814-9332
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Container-title:Climate of the Past
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language:en
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Short-container-title:Clim. Past
Author:
Harvey-Fishenden AliceORCID, Macdonald Neil
Abstract
Abstract. To date few studies have reconstructed weather from
personal diaries (also known as private diaries). In this paper, we consider
different methods of indexing daily weather information, specifically
precipitation, from eighteenth and nineteenth-century personal diaries. We
examine whether there is a significant correlation between indexed weather
information and local instrumental records for the period, thereby assessing
the potential of discursive materials in reconstructing precipitation
series. We demonstrate the potential for the use of diaries that record
weather incidentally rather than as the primary purpose, and the value and
utility of diaries covering short periods when used alongside nearby
contemporary diaries. We show that using multiple overlapping personal
diaries can help to produce a more objective record of the weather,
overcoming some of the challenges of working with qualitative data. This
paper demonstrates indices derived from such qualitative sources can create
valuable records of precipitation. There is the potential to repeat the
methodology described here using earlier material or material from further
away from extant instrumental records, thereby addressing spatial and
temporal gaps in current knowledge globally.
Funder
Arts and Humanities Research Council
Publisher
Copernicus GmbH
Subject
Paleontology,Stratigraphy,Global and Planetary Change
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