Send message to Authors

Paper short abstract

This paper presents a reconstruction of nineteenth century rainfall variability over present-day Mozambique derived from historical sources.

Paper long abstract

Rainfall variability posed significant challenges for agrarian communities across the area occupied by present-day Mozambique during the nineteenth century. As a result, accounts of weather conditions and their impacts upon livelihoods, infrastructure and social/cultural activities are widely recorded in historical sources. This paper draws on diaries, memoirs and reports from the region, written by mainly British and Portuguese observers, to present a semi-quantitative reconstruction of rainfall variability spanning the full nineteenth century. It highlights episodes of drought and above-average rainfall, and then draws comparisons with annually-resolved rainfall reconstructions for other parts of southern Africa, to explore subcontinental patterns of nineteenth century rainfall variability.