Paper short abstract:

This study explores the opportunities for using a database structure to correlate and qualify anecdotal source material related to severe weather phenomena in the North Atlantic area in a way that allows for analysis of intensity and severity of severe weather events in the Early Modern period.

Paper long abstract:

This study explores the opportunities for using a database structure to correlate and qualify anecdotal source material related to severe weather phenomena in the North Atlantic area in a way that allows for analysis of intensity and severity of severe weather events in the Early Modern period (c. 1500-1850). The material has mainly been collected from catalogs and compilations, useful but often underexplored resources, on historical weather events. These would previously be regarded as second grade sources in comparison to climatological data extracted from ice cores, speleothems, pollen deposits, and dendrochronological records, due to their anecdotal nature. By integrating the information collected from these catalogs and compilations into a data framework, anecdotal information from adjacent regions can be intercorrelated, which in turn can qualify or reject the individual piece of information. Correlating the information across regions allows for the integration of various independent sources on a given weather event, both qualifying that the event did take place as stated by the source, while also providing information on the spatial impact of the given event. The study proposes systematic and statistical models for exploring variations in intensity and severity of these past severe weather events. A case study on intensity and severity of storm surges and flooding in the North Sea area in the Early Modern period is presented to demonstrate this approach.