Identification of historic meteorological records to support research into climate change

由罗伯特·比克斯教授领导的布里斯托尔大学的一项新研究旨在帮助人们全面了解中国在南中国海及其周围的气象观测和实践，这些观测和实践可以追溯到19世纪中叶。这是一个罕见而令人兴奋的例子，将人文研究作为坚实的科学改进的基础。这项工作为英国气象局哈德利中心的“地球大气环流重建”[http://www.met-acre.org/]项目]做出了贡献，该项目推进了对气候变化原因的研究。这项工作是一个全球项目的一部分，该项目试图重建一系列可追溯到18世纪中期的天气状况。比克斯教授与英国气象局哈德利中心的罗布·艾伦博士以及布里斯托尔大学历史系最近毕业的博士凯瑟琳·莱德斯合作，将人文学术应用于科学研究。拉德斯博士在中国档案馆中搜索了19世纪东亚和东南亚地区气象实践和气候条件的记录，这些信息不属于常规气象来源，特别是“传统”和“非传统”人文来源，如船舶航海日志和未公布的数据。这项研究还使人们对中国海事海关气象活动的历史有了新的认识，在更广泛的范围内对中国海岸气象学的作用，收集和分发数据的标准和程序，以及这些记录的后续历史。比克斯教授的发现将被埃克塞特的英国气象局哈德利中心使用。这项研究有助于扩大东亚和东南亚海洋和河面观测气象数据覆盖范围的知识，并有助于完成该全球项目的一系列全球气象重建。它产生了迄今为止该领域最全面的英文清单，发现的中国历史天气观测反过来可以帮助重建中国内陆站和南海中国海周围的观测：该项目可以恢复、成像和数字化它们。

New research by the University of Bristol, led by Professor Robert Bickers, aims to help the development of a comprehensive picture of Chinese meteorological observations and practices in and around the South China Sea, dating back to the mid-19th century. It is a rare and exciting example of humanities research as a basis for solid scientific improvement. The work contributes to the Met Office Hadley Centre's 'Atmospheric Circulation Reconstructions over the Earth' [http://www.met-acre.org/] project, which advances research into the causes of climate change. The work is part of a global project attempting to reconstruct a series of weather conditions dating as far back as the mid-18th century. Professor Bickers worked with Dr Rob Allan at the Met Office Hadley Centre and recent PhD graduate Dr Catherine Ladds at the Department of History at the University of Bristol, in this application of humanities scholarship to scientific research. Dr Ladds searched Chinese archives for information about meteorological practices and for records of climate conditions in 19th century East and South-East Asia that are outside of usual meteorological sources, specifically 'traditional' and 'non-traditional' humanities sources such as ships' logbooks and unpublished data.The research also informed a new understanding of the history of Chinese Maritime Customs meteorological activity, its role in China coast meteorology more widely, its standards and procedures for collecting and distributing data and the subsequent history of those records. Professor Bickers's findings are to be used by the Met Office Hadley Centre at Exeter. The research has helped broaden knowledge of East and South East Asian maritime and riverine surface observational weather data coverage, and contributed to helping to complete the global project's series of global weather reconstructions. It has resulted in the most comprehensive English language inventory of this field to date and the historical Chinese weather observations uncovered can in turn help to reconstruct the observations made at Chinese inland stations and around the South China Sea: the project can recover, image and digitise them.