Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
If you would like to write a summary for this topic, email phil [at] gyford [dot] com
[Courtesy of Brian, an annotation from 20 Mar, 1659/60]:
I came across a site that attempts to document weather related events during the time we are
[And from Bert Winther on the same day]:
Thank you, Brian. In an annotation for 3rd March, I expressed the hope that we would see Sam commenting on the unusual weather pattern in Europe during this time. Extremely low temperatures were observed over a decades-long period in the second half of the 17th century. Today, it is believed that the global cooling was caused by vulcanic activity outside of Europe and some historians refer to the period as
re: Causes of the Little Ice Age
There’s an interesting article over at the NASA Web site that blames sunspots for such climactic events as the Little Ice Age.
You can find the article here:
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/17jan_solcon.htm?list827409
Surprisingly (and, to me anyway, counterintuitively), during the periods of the Sun
[From maureen for 20 Mar 1659/60]:
London floods: both for topography and for meteorology this was a very silly place to put a capital city.
The causes of the floods are well explained at
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/yourenv/426221/426886/?lang=_e®ion=
with more of the science/history at
http://www.the-river-thames.co.uk/weather.htm
Global warming?
Today, every extreme weather event in the UK, or elsewhere in the world, is associated by the media with global warming. However, the extremes that Pepys has already experienced by March 1660 and the list of events in Emilio’s first link above show that weather extremes are nothing new. Such historical records are very important in assessing the arguments for and against Global Warming today.
This section is probably not the place to debate current issues, I think.
Having worked in the energy industry for seven years, I’m sorely tempted to reply at length to PHE’s post, but will instead point out that we should probably reserve these sections for information and commentary relating to Sam’s day, rather than our own.
A key interest of the diary is comparing the 1660s world with that of today - whether aspects that are very different or ones that have changed surprisingly little. A section on ‘weather’ would be of limited interest if confined to the day-to-day weather of Pepys’s experience. The discussion on the Little Ice Age puts Pepys’s experiences in the wider context of weather patterns that change over centuries. That discussion, and Pepys’s experience puts our current obsession with Global Warming into some perspective. As with other subjects discussed on this website, we learn much about human nature, society and the world around us that is relevant today. I don’t propose a lengthy debate on Global Warming, but think the observation is relevant.
Mini ice age
An illustration of what the Low Countries (and probably most of Western Europe) looked like in winter at the time - Pieter Breugel 16th C.
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/B/bruegel/winter_landscape_with_a_bird_trap.jpg.html
Those of us who have crossed the channel to Holland or Belgium in the heart of winter will have noticed that as a rule rivers don’t change into skate rings anymore nowadays…
Britain heads for hottest year since 1659—-latest prediction
“…the current 12 months will prove the hottest in the whole of the Central England Temperature Record, which goes back to 1659…”
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/environment/story.jsp?story=471145
tony t. on Tue 9 Dec 2003, 10:28 am | Link
Jenny Doughty on Tue 9 Dec 2003, 12:59 pm | Link
Regarding dendrochronology, recent discoveries seem to show that Sam is in the middle of a very happy period for people acquiring new violins, possibly caused by Europe being in the grip of the
Kevin Sheerstone on Tue 9 Dec 2003, 11:17 am | Link
Warmest since 1659 - tony t. I try to keep up with the UK press via the internet, but I missed this topic entirely. I am wondering how
Temperature in the 1600’s
The source given for the temperature figures in the Central England Temperature Record are: 1659-1973 MANLEY (Q.J.R.METEOROL.SOC., 1974). Furthermore “daily records extend back to 1772 and monthly records to 1659” says:
http://www.nbu.ac.uk/iccuk/indicators/1.htm
The year average for 1660 was 9.08 degrees Celsius - as compared to 10.60 for 2002.
The fact that a rise with 0.60 degrees in the 1990’s as compared to the average 1961-1990 is labeled an “anomaly” and taken very seriously by climatologists, implies that the 1.52 degrees difference between 10.60 (2002) and 9.08 (1660) represents a *huge* difference. These seemingly small differences in average temperatures stand for really important changes “on the ground”.
By the way, Peter, the thermometer had already been invented and was used by Sam’s time. For a history of this valuable instrument check:
http://www.brannan.co.uk/thermometers/invention.html
William Denham
Between 1697 and 1708 a William Denham was involved in some of the weather measurements now collected in the Central England Temperature Record. I wonder if he was related to Sir John Denham, and if so whether John (after all as a surveyor he must have had a scientific mind) also participated in collecting weather data - maybe even the ones we’re referring to for 1660.
Source:
www.atmos.colostate.edu/…/Slonoskyetal2001a_IJC.pdf
One Datum: Vicar Josselin’s perception:
Just for the fun of it…
Weather forecast for the UK … in Latin!
http://latin.wunderground.com/global/UK.html
Christo’s annotation to 13 December 1660
Thanks Christo! I think your source belongs here too, for later reference.
No polar bears
“One of the most important influences on the British climate is the Atlantic Ocean and especially the North Atlantic current which brings warm waters from the Gulf of Mexico to the United Kingdom by means of the global conveyor.
“This has a powerful moderating and warming effect on the UK climate. The North Atlantic Drift warms the climate of the UK to such a great extent that temperatures in winter would be about 10
Surprisingly dry in London and Essex
“Parts of the United Kingdom are surprisingly dry - London receives less rain annually than Rome, Sydney or New York. In England it typically rains on about 1 day in 3 and even more in winter. The wettest seasons are the winter and autumn.
“Rainfall amounts can vary greatly across the United Kingdom and generally the further west and the higher the elevation, the greater the rainfall. […] [T]he south east, east, north east and the midlands receive less than 700mm of rain per year.
“The county of Essex is one of the driest in the British Isles, with an average annual rainfall of around 600mm (24 inches), although it typically rains on over 100 days per year. In some years rainfall in Essex can be below 450mm (18 inches) — less than the average annual rainfall in Jerusalem and Beirut.”
The Little Ice Age (LIA)
was a period of cooling lasting approximately from the 14th to the mid-19th centuries, although there is no generally agreed start or end date: some confine the period to 1550-1850. This cooler period occurs after a warmer era known as the Medieval climate optimum. There were three minima, beginning about 1650, about 1770, and 1850, each separated by slight warming intervals. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Ice_Age
Emilio’s citation [Courtesy of Brian, an annotation from 20 Mar, 1659/60]:
I came across a site that attempts to document weather related events during the time we are ‘living in’. The author has pulled some quotes from Sam’s diary. [moved to a new web-site] http://homepage.ntlworld.com/booty.weather/climate/1650_1699.htm
Looks as if we’re entering another solar minimum:
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/06mar_solarminimum.htm
Let’s hope it doesn’t last 50+ years or so, like the Maunder Minimum of Sam’s time (or, given global warming, maybe we should hope for that!)
