Arctic climate change 1750 to 1850: new insights from old documents. Catharine Ward University of Sunderland

Transcription

1 Arctic climate change 1750 to 1850: new insights from old documents Catharine Ward University of Sunderland 4 th ACRE workshop/ec FP7 EURO4M/ERA CLIM KNMI, De Bilt, The Netherlands September 2011

2 Objectives 1. To identify the full range of UK-based documentary and old instrumental sources for the Arctic region 2. To abstract the written, non instrumental and instrumental data 3. To develop and improve methods for working with historical data and narrative accounts and expressing them in a format that can be used for scientific analysis 4. To use the calibrated data (wind circulations, ice coverage, temperature and pressure) to provide an improved picture of the Arctic climate between 1750 and 1850

3 Logbook sources RN and other ships on voyages of scientific exploration: 1750 onwards relatively few but potentially valuable imaged and available on Ships in the service of the Hudson s Bay Company: twice yearly, outward from London in July, returning in September ( ) Whaling logbooks in UK archives, principally Hull.

4 Royal Navy ADM 55: Supplementary logs and journals of ships on exploration. ( ;1904) Most were kept by naval captains, masters, lieutenants and masters mates. Contains logbooks and meteorological journals kept on board ships voyaging in search of a NW passage during the 19 th century.

5 Royal Navy HMS Hecla and Fury cutting into Winter harbour (Melville Peninsula) October Brohan, P. et al., (2010) Clim. Past, 6, Met Journal was kept by Officers of the Watch on board HMS Hecla during it s first winter in 1821

6 The Hudson s Bay Company (HBC) 17th century Inuit trading furs with a HBC ship

7 The Hudson s Bay Company (HBC) Logbook record begins in 1750 Originals in HBC Archives in Canada Data from already digitised

8 Whaling ships The Bowhead s territory spans the Arctic seas. They live among the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) where they feed primarily on krill. They follow the MIZ as the sea ice melts back in the summer and ad vances in the winter.

9 Whalers hunted whales for there blubber and Baleen (Termed whale bone). The blubber was boiled down into oil that was used in textiles, lighting and soap. Baleen is very flexible and was primarily used in the construction of ladies petticoats.

10 Northern Whale Fishery, Isabella and Swan. John Ward 1849 There where 2 principal whaling grounds. The Spitsbergen fishery that was centred around Svalbard and the Fram strait. The Davis Straits fishery.

11 The introduction of a bounty in 1732 sort to revive Britain's floundering whaling trade. Is was not until 1749, after several increases that the bounty began to take effect. In order to qualify for the bounty each ship had to produce a logbook containing daily observations.

12 Logs contain daily wind force and direction recordings as well as general notes on the days weather, sea state and detailed ice descriptions.

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