Historical climatology

The Historical Climatology is concerned with the effect of the climate and its changes to historical societies. The focus in addition to the reconstruction of historical climate conditions, the search for the social influence slow climate change and climate-related extreme events, as well as a cultural history of the climate in the center, which includes a science and perception of history. This often happens under the broader perspective of environmental history.

For a long time it was placed at the boundaries of the social history and the mentality and subject to the charge of climate determinism. Since the debate about the current global warming is enjoying the climate history of increasing scientific and public interest, but there were serious methodological problems. First, weather patterns, climate parameters, weather situations and natural disasters for the period before the establishment of state monitoring networks should be created since the 1990s, associated with the changes produced by these (co- ) Society changes. The Historical climatology is based on data collection of different sub- disciplines that come from different climate archives, the " archives of the society and nature ." To provide the latter from ice cores from bogs, lake sediments, pollen and tree-ring time series. The former, however, provide significantly more information to be verified using serial sources, such as records of the annual beginning of the grape harvest, are preferred.

The variability of the climate was suspected only from the late 18th century for the first time and by authors such as Louis Agassiz common property. Only in this way could explain the traces of glacial and demonstrate long -term climate change. Short-term changes in historical times were significantly, however, only through the pioneering work of Hubert Lamb, Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie and Christian Pfister. Especially with the onset of research until the 1960s, considerable advances have been made here. First waves were identified that were comprehensible in terms such as Roman Climate Optimum or Medieval Warm Period. In 1963, it was noted in the studies medievali However, the Historical Climatology is still in its infancy. A turning point, the convention Climate in History in Norwich in 1979 dar.

The Little Ice Age, a cold period 1300-1850, has been particularly well studied, the Swedish economic historian Gustav Utterström had introduced into science. Only from this era can be throughout the Holocene glacier advances global evidence. In the Alps disappeared villages, the wine disappeared from Pomerania, East Prussia, Scotland or Norway, froze the olive trees in Tuscany. Parallel or by industrialization, which burned the " underground forest " in order to gain kinetic energy and heat, ie fossil fuels, the climate warmed again. By 1840, the energy equivalent of the combustion plant facilities in the UK coal corresponded to a so imaginary forest of the area of ​​the entire country. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry Paul J. Crutzen suggested, therefore, to let it end with the beginning of industrialization, the geological epoch of the Holocene and to speak from this point by a " Anthropocene ".

Since then settled for the time trace even the spatial patterns of single weather situations from about 1500; however, neither attempts to reconstruct even the repercussions of society have penetrated in the form of so-called Impact Research into the Middle Ages. Subsistence crises or epidemics could be linked in some cases with particularly cold periods in connection. On the basis of statements of grundherrlichem possession could be as about the influence of climate in connection with the Great European Famine of 1314-1317 show.

Central Europe is so rich in written testimonies that for the early modern period from about 1500 in sufficient density and quality for almost every month a differentiated picture of the thermal and hydric conditions can be created. This allows the assignment of source statements to seven intensity classes that range for the thermal data of -3 for extremely cold to 3 for extremely hot. A seasonal resolution with at least three ( -1 0 1 ) intensity classes is still possible for the period 1000-1500. Glaser ( 2008) presented the results together in a continuous row. Although the index data refer only to the temperature, but could be extended also other weather information. Did you hereby draw conclusions about climate change, so it could be that the subtle perception of the chroniclers would reflect adaptation to these same climatic conditions therein. But if the medium and long -term climate changes are perceived as a result of shifts in frequency rectified weather anomalies in longer periods of time, lose the uncertainties, eg through said adaptation of the perception of meaning. Under this assumption satisfy three rating classes to describe long-term fluctuations in seasonal scale. Retrieves one, which average temperature difference corresponds to an index step, and filters out the extreme deviations, as the reconstruction of long-term temperature trends is possible. Also a model for regionalization was developed so that also reflect the climates in the courses. The results are confirmed by dendrochronological investigations. Thus, the search loses consistent time series towards the provision of credible statements about individual seasons their importance as sharp deviations are reduced to a non-specific noise.

Since the 1990s, has become the focus of the Historical Climatology of the determination and presentation of mean values ​​for natural disasters, so extended extremes. Neglected for a long time as short-term events of quickly forgotten effect, research showed that social factors shape the perception, processing, and the course of such events to a great extent. Anthony Oliver - Smith's study of 1999 on the catastrophic earthquake of 31 May 1970 in Peru, which brought over 70,000 people to death, showed that the colonial system structures had created the society much more vulnerable, not to mention helpless against such made disaster. Further studies showed that the reactions of the companies on natural disasters can be interpreted not only scientifically, but also culturally and historically. Especially the urban fragility to extreme events emerged there. The social groups are affected to varying degrees by earthquakes. While wealthy groups can afford more stable structures and often live in safer places, the more frequent and harder affects mainly individuals in poor neighborhoods. Cities were repeatedly destroyed by earthquakes, floods, storms and fires paralyzed or, in extreme cases. The relationship between the city's history and disaster resilience - about the development of fire or earthquake safety, from easy recoverable structures - and natural hazard has indeed been investigated in single studies, but an overall view so far remains a desideratum.

The memory of natural disasters seen in many victims memorial plaques in high water marks in publications on specific anniversaries of an event or social practices. In Japan, for example, come from the Kanto earthquake of September 1, 1923, each year millions of people together. A media company goes above and beyond other disasters around, because they are also a business. About the earthquake in San Francisco in 1906, several hundred books were published, as well as photographs and the like sold.