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An approach to reconstruction of temperature on a seasonal basis using historical documents from China
Author(s) -
Wang Risheng,
Wang Shaowu,
Fraedrich Klaus
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
international journal of climatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.58
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-0088
pISSN - 0899-8418
DOI - 10.1002/joc.3370110404
Subject(s) - climatology , china , index (typography) , series (stratigraphy) , climate change , environmental science , geography , econometrics , mathematics , computer science , geology , paleontology , oceanography , archaeology , world wide web
A methodology is presented for reconstructing past climates on a seasonal basis using historical data from chronicles and documents in China. This procedure consists of three steps: first, individual climate indicators are identified and scaled by ordinal numbers (or grades) based on their individual statistics; secondly, the cold (warm) climate index is defined as a function of the scaled indicators. Finally, the climate index is calibrated in terms of temperatures by regression with recent observations. This methodology is applied to constructing the temperature series of the last 500 years in China, based on which climate variations are studied. Spectrum analysis shows variability in about 200, 80, 30, and 22–year cycles.