Skeptical Science New Research for Week #37, 2019

Instrumental meteorological measurements from periods prior to the start of national weather services are designated “early instrumental data”. They have played an important role in climate research as they allow daily-to-decadal variability and changes of temperature, pressure, and precipitation, including extremes, to be addressed. Early instrumental data can also help place 21^st century climatic changes into a historical context such as to define pre-industrial climate and its variability. Until recently, the focus was on long, high-quality series, while the large number of shorter series (which together also cover long periods) received little to no attention. The shift in climate and climate impact research from mean climate characteristics towards weather variability and extremes, as well as the success of historical reanalyses which make use of short series, generates a need for locating and exploring further early instrumental measurements. However, information on early instrumental series has never been electronically compiled on a global scale. Here we attempt a worldwide compilation of metadata on early instrumental meteorological records prior to 1850 (1890 for Africa and the Arctic). Our global inventory comprises information on several thousand records, about half of which have not yet been digitized (not even as monthly means), and only approximately 20% of which have made it to global repositories.

Having an inventory in hand, the next logical step is to render these records into a format suitable for computational input. There are ongoing efforts to do this— projects to which all of us may contribute help. For more information and leads to ongoing conversions, visit the ACRE website. The "citizen scientists" approach has proven very successful; in a brief period of time some 3,272 volunteers made thousands of old meteorological observations from the UK available as input to various weather and climate research avenues. Collections in the inventory described by Brönnimann will doubtless become grist for the mill of citizen volunteers.

"Let them eat lobster thermidor"

With yet another week's articles ranging from "concerning" to "dismal," adolescent lobsters finding an expanded habitat in certain areas thanks to a changing climate seem a welcome relief. Unfortunately, close reading of Goode et al's The brighter side of climate change: How local oceanography amplified a lobster boom in the Gulf of Maine reveals that generally warming waters on the larger scale are the reason for otherwise less suitable lobster habitat improving so as to produce a burgeoning boon of deliciousness. As is the case with setting one's house on fire and basking in warmth on a cold winter's evening, local and ephemeral effects are likely not worth the ultimate cost.

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Skeptical Science New Research for Week #37, 2019

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"Let them eat lobster thermidor"

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