Oxford and Durham - The Two Longest Climatological Records in England
LOCATION
This presentation outlined the surviving instrumental data and metadata sources from two of the longest single-site weather records in the United Kingdom, namely Oxford’s Radcliffe Observatory (an unbroken daily record from November 1813) and Durham Observatory (record commenced July 1843).
Long series of weather records are most useful when accompanied by detailed descriptions of both site(s) and the instruments used, and such metadata are of immense importance in understanding and standardising multi-decade temperature, precipitation, sunshine and barometric pressure records. Unfortunately, many surviving long-period records lack such accompanying metadata. Changes in instruments or observing practice may introduce significant inhomogeneities within the record, which without adequate documentation may be misinterpreted as genuine climate trends or changes in the frequency of particular weather events. The requirement for accurate and detailed instrumental metadata to accompany observational records remains at least as important in the digital age, if not more so, particularly where existing ‘manual’ observations are increasingly replaced by unmanned automatic weather stations. The presentation concluded with planned ‘next steps’ in ongoing data rescue work from the archived content of both observatories.
Speaker
Dr Stephen Burt FRMetS, Visiting Fellow, Department of Meteorology, University of Reading
Dr Stephen Burt is the co-author, with Professor Tim Burt, of Oxford Weather and Climate since 1767 (Oxford University Press, 2019) and more recently the sister volume Durham Weather and Climate since 1843, also published by OUP, in June 2022. Stephen has also published widely on many and varied aspects of British climatology, including case studies of notable weather events, long climate records and citizen science data rescue projects.
Stephen has been a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society for over 40 years: he is also a member of the American Meteorological Society and the Scientific Instruments Society.
Registration
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED
This presentation outlined the surviving instrumental data and metadata sources from two of the longest single-site weather records in the United Kingdom, namely Oxford’s Radcliffe Observatory (an unbroken daily record from November 1813) and Durham Observatory (record commenced July 1843).
Long series of weather records are most useful when accompanied by detailed descriptions of both site(s) and the instruments used, and such metadata are of immense importance in understanding and standardising multi-decade temperature, precipitation, sunshine and barometric pressure records. Unfortunately, many surviving long-period records lack such accompanying metadata. Changes in instruments or observing practice may introduce significant inhomogeneities within the record, which without adequate documentation may be misinterpreted as genuine climate trends or changes in the frequency of particular weather events. The requirement for accurate and detailed instrumental metadata to accompany observational records remains at least as important in the digital age, if not more so, particularly where existing ‘manual’ observations are increasingly replaced by unmanned automatic weather stations. The presentation concluded with planned ‘next steps’ in ongoing data rescue work from the archived content of both observatories.
Speaker
Dr Stephen Burt FRMetS, Visiting Fellow, Department of Meteorology, University of Reading
Dr Stephen Burt is the co-author, with Professor Tim Burt, of Oxford Weather and Climate since 1767 (Oxford University Press, 2019) and more recently the sister volume Durham Weather and Climate since 1843, also published by OUP, in June 2022. Stephen has also published widely on many and varied aspects of British climatology, including case studies of notable weather events, long climate records and citizen science data rescue projects.
Stephen has been a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society for over 40 years: he is also a member of the American Meteorological Society and the Scientific Instruments Society.
Registration
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED