A standard paleoclimatological approach to temperature reconstruction in historical climatology: an example from the Czech Republic, A.D. 1718–2007

This paper addresses a standard paleoclimatological approach to reconstructing temperatures in historical climatology. Weighted monthly temperature indices on a scale from − 3 to + 3, derived from documentary evidence for the period 1718–1850 in the Czech Lands, were used to create a series of seaso...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of climatology 2009-08, Vol.29 (10), p.1478-1492
Main Authors: Dobrovolný, Petr, Brázdil, Rudolf, Valášek, Hubert, Kotyza, Oldřich, Macková, Jarmila, Halíčková, Monika
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bgi / Prodig
Climatic oscillations. Historical climates. Palaeoclimates
Climatology
Climatology. Bioclimatology. Climate change
Czech Republic
documentary data
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
linear regression model
Meteorology
Physical geography
Prague‐Klementinum
temperature indices
temperature reconstruction
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This paper addresses a standard paleoclimatological approach to reconstructing temperatures in historical climatology. Weighted monthly temperature indices on a scale from − 3 to + 3, derived from documentary evidence for the period 1718–1850 in the Czech Lands, were used to create a series of seasonal (DJF, MAM, JJA, SON) and annual temperature indices as simple sums of indices from corresponding months. The period 1771–1850, when such indices overlap with instrumental measurements taken at Prague‐Klementinum, was used to calibrate and verify relations between indices and the temperatures measured, using linear regression models (LRM) evaluated by various statistical characteristics. The most accurate LRM performance was obtained for DJF, MAM and annual temperatures, while JJA and SON temperature results proved slightly less reliable. Reconstructed data for 1718–1770 were combined with measured data to create series of seasonal and annual temperatures for the Prague‐Klementinum station covering the period 1718–2007. Various problems in temperature reconstruction are further discussed: the completeness and quality of the index series, the expression of extreme temperatures, and the selection of a reference period for calibration. The suggested standard paleoclimatological approach lends more objectivity to both verification of reconstructed temperatures and the expression of uncertainties in reconstruction. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society
ISSN:0899-8418
1097-0088
DOI:10.1002/joc.1789