New perspectives on historical climatology

White, Sam; Pei, Qing; Kleemann, Katrin; Dolák, Lukáš; Huhtamaa, Heli; Camenisch, Chantal

doi:10.1002/wcc.808

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 165 publications

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“…In response to the observed entanglement of environmental and societal factors for famine causation, the study of past famines has increasingly turned toward more integrative models (Degroot et al, 2021; Izdebski et al, 2018; White et al, 2023) where vulnerability assessments play an important part (Collet, 2015; Engler, 2012; Nelson et al, 2016; Pfister & Brázdil, 2006). Famine vulnerability is understood as a dynamic process on various scales induced by a range of geographic, economic, and social factors such as environmental conditions, population pressure, degree of proto‐industrialization, market dependence, and impoverishment of population (Collet, 2012; Dijkman & van Leeuwen, 2019; Krämer, 2015; Lassen, 2016).…”

Section: Causes Of Faminementioning

confidence: 99%

Famines in medieval and early modern Europe—Connecting climate and society

Ljungqvist,

Seim,

Collet

2023

WIREs Climate Change

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The article evaluates recent scholarship on famines in Europe during the medieval and early modern periods (c. 700–1800), synthesizing the state‐of‐the‐art knowledge and identifying both research gaps and interdisciplinary potentials. Particular focus is placed on how, and to what extent, climatic change and variability is given explanatory power in famine causation. Current research, supported by recent advances in palaeoclimatology, reveals that anomalous cold conditions constituted the main environmental backdrop for severe food production crises that could result in famines in pre‐industrial Europe. Such food crises occurred most frequently between c. 1550 and 1710, during the climax of the Little Ice Age cooling, and can be connected to the strong dependency on grain in Europe during this period. The available body of scholarship demonstrates that famines in medieval and early modern Europe best can be understood as the result of the interactions of climatic and societal stressors responding to pre‐existing vulnerabilities. Recent research has shown that societal responses to these famines, and the appropriation of their consequences, have been much more comprehensive, dynamic, and substantial than previously assumed. The article concludes by providing recommendations for future studies on historical famines.This article is categorized under: Climate, History, Society, Culture > Major Historical Eras Climate, History, Society, Culture > Disciplinary Perspectives Paleoclimates and Current Trends > Paleoclimate

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Section: Causes Of Faminementioning

confidence: 99%

Famines in medieval and early modern Europe—Connecting climate and society

Ljungqvist,

Seim,

Collet

2023

WIREs Climate Change

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“…Recent research has focused more broadly on historical climatology 24 – 26 , as well as on the reconstruction and impacts of extreme precipitation events. For instance, the Past Global Changes (PAGES) Floods Working Group has begun multidisciplinary analyses of historical floods and their impacts using a variety of archival proxies from natural and documentary archives 27 , 28 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical information sheds new light on the intensification of flooding in the Central Mediterranean

Diodato¹,

Ljungqvist

Bellocchi

2023

Sci Rep

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Hydrological disasters, such as floods, can have dire consequences for human societies. Historical information plays a key role in detecting whether particular types of hydrological disasters have increased in frequency and/or magnitude and, if so, they are more likely attributable to natural or human-induced climatic and other environmental changes. The identification of regions with similar flood conditions is essential for the analysis of regional flooding regimes. To this end, we here present the longest existing flood reconstruction for the Eastern Liguria Area (ELA) in northwestern Italy, covering 1582 to 2022 CE, which offers a case study representative of the central Mediterranean region. An Annual Flood Intensification Index was developed to transform the historical data into a continuous annual hydrological time-series contained by a homogeneous data structure for the study-area. We found two change-points (trend breaks) in the reconstructed time-series, in 1787 and 1967, with only occasional heavy floods comparable to present-day disasters occurring before the first change-point, and an increasing intensification of floods after the second change-point up to the present day. The recent intensification of flooding in the ELA, associated with changes in land use and land cover, also appears to coincide with phases in which hydrological hazards have become more changeable and extreme in disaster-affected areas. This is evidenced by river basin responses to human-induced disturbances.

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“…The development of historical climatology and paleoclimatology in Europe over the past 2 to 3 decades has led to the creation of numerous databases and papers dealing with detailed weather information, even with hourly or daily resolution (e.g. Brázdil et al, 2005Brázdil et al, , 2010Glaser, 2008;Pfister et al, 2018;Pfister and Wanner, 2021;White et al, 2023). These resources have been subsequently used to develop long-term climate series and reconstructions (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weather and climate and their human impacts and responses during the Thirty Years’ War in Central Europe

Brázdil

Dobrovolný

Pfister

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Abstract. The Thirty Years’ War, which took place from 1618 to 1648 CE, was an armed military conflict in Europe. It resulted from the culmination of contradictions between advocates of the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches during the 17th-century reformation, as well as a power struggle for European political hegemony. This war brought about extensive devastation to Europe. Based on documentary evidence, this paper characterizes the climate, weather extremes, and economic and socio-political events in Central Europe during that time. Natural climate forcing indicates a gradual climate deterioration during the first half of the 17th century, associated with a decrease in solar activity towards the Maunder Minimum and increased volcanic activity. The mean temperatures in Central Europe from 1618 to 1648 were significantly colder than the reference period of 1961 to 1990 in winter, autumn, and annually, while precipitation and drought means did not differ significantly from the reference. Summer temperatures, spring precipitation, and drought also exhibited significantly larger variability. Remarkably below-mean values, centered around the 1630s, characterized precipitation and drought fluctuations. These analyzed climatic patterns were accompanied by the occurrence of numerous weather extremes. Notably, late winter, late spring and early autumn frosts, floods, intense rain spells, and droughts affected grain, fruit, and vine grape harvests, as well as the yields of other crops. These weather extremes contributed to various human impacts, such as food shortages (reflecting harvests and grain prices), famines, and epidemics. Ultimately, these events, along with the effects of the war, led to a decline in the population. The results obtained were discussed within the broader European context, taking into account climate, weather extremes, and socio-economic impacts.

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New perspectives on historical climatology

Cited by 11 publications

References 165 publications

Famines in medieval and early modern Europe—Connecting climate and society

Famines in medieval and early modern Europe—Connecting climate and society

Historical information sheds new light on the intensification of flooding in the Central Mediterranean

Weather and climate and their human impacts and responses during the Thirty Years’ War in Central Europe

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