{"NOAAStudyId":"18655","contactInfo":{"address":"325 Broadway, E/NE31","city":"Boulder","constraints":"Please cite original publication, online resource, dataset and publication DOIs (where available), and date accessed when using downloaded data. If there is no publication information, please cite investigator, title, online resource, and date accessed. The appearance of external links associated with a dataset does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of external Web sites or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities, the Department of Commerce/NOAA does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. These links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this Department of Commerce/NOAA Web site.","country":"USA","dataCenterUrl":"https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/paleoclimatology-data","email":"paleo@noaa.gov","fax":"303-497-6513","longName":"National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce ","phone":"303-497-6280","postalCode":"80305-3328","shortName":"DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI","state":"CO","type":"CONTACT INFORMATION"},"contributionDate":"2015-05-18","dataPublisher":"NOAA","dataType":"CLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS","dataTypeInformation":"https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/paleoclimatology-data/datasets/climate-reconstruction","difMetadataLink":"http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/metadata/published/paleo/dif/xml/noaa-recon-18655.xml","doi":null,"earliestYearBP":154,"earliestYearCE":1796,"entryId":"noaa-recon-18655","funding":[],"investigators":"Hannaford, M.J.; Jones, J.M.; Bigg, G.R.","mostRecentYearBP":96,"mostRecentYearCE":1854,"onlineResourceLink":"https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/18655","originalSource":null,"publication":[{"abstract":"Atmospheric circulation in the oceans surrounding southern Africa plays an important role in determining its precipitation. This study uses wind information recorded in ships' logbooks in order to statistically reconstruct summer and winter season precipitation at four southern African weather stations from 1796 to 1854. The reconstruction was obtained by first relating gridded 8 x 8 degree NCEP-DOE reanalysis seasonal mean wind vectors in the adjacent oceans to station precipitation. Over a 30-year calibration period (1979-2008), significant correlations between wind and precipitation at Cape Town, Mthatha and Royal National Park showed particular correspondence with those areas with the greatest concentration of logbook observations. Principal component regression was used to assess the potential of the dominant patterns of variability in the wind vectors as predictors to reconstruct precipitation. Cross-validation in the calibration period gave confidence that precipitation could be reconstructed at several stations across South Africa, meaning the regression relationships derived in the calibration period could be applied to the gridded seasonal mean logbook data to produce reconstructions of precipitation from 1796 to 1854. The reconstructions show a degree of correspondence with other regional data sets. For instance, the decade beginning in 1810 was the wettest of the period at Mthatha and Royal National Park, while the 1820s were the driest. At Cape Town, the 1820s were the wettest decade, with drier conditions observed in the 1830s. An index of west-east circulation in the summer season revealed correspondence with two documentary reconstructions of El Niño events and increased westerliness, although this did not always result in drier conditions. Attention is also drawn to the remaining 3000 yet to be digitised English East India Company logbooks which would provide a high-resolution picture of atmospheric circulation back to 1700 in the region under consideration.","author":{"name":"Matthew J. Hannaford, Julie M. Jones, and Grant R. Bigg "},"citation":"Matthew J. Hannaford, Julie M. Jones, and Grant R. Bigg. 2015. Early-nineteenth-century southern African precipitation reconstructions from ships' logbooks. The Holocene, 25(2), 379-390. doi: 10.1177/0959683614557573","edition":null,"identifier":{"id":"10.1177/0959683614557573","type":"doi","url":"http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0959683614557573"},"issue":"2","journal":"The Holocene","pages":"379-390","pubRank":"1","pubYear":2015,"reportNumber":null,"title":"Early-nineteenth-century southern African precipitation reconstructions from ships' logbooks","type":"publication","volume":"25"}],"reconstruction":"Y","scienceKeywords":["Precipitation Reconstruction"],"site":[{"NOAASiteId":"56520","geo":{"geoType":"Feature","geometry":{"coordinates":["-31.53","28.67"],"type":"POINT"},"properties":{"easternmostLongitude":"28.67","maxElevationMeters":"742","minElevationMeters":"742","northernmostLatitude":"-31.53","southernmostLatitude":"-31.53","westernmostLongitude":"28.67"}},"locationName":"Continent>Africa>Southern Africa>South Africa","mappable":"Y","paleoData":[{"NOAADataTableId":"29035","coreLengthMeters":null,"dataFile":[{"NOAAKeywords":["earth science>paleoclimate>reconstructions>precipitation"],"fileUrl":"https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/historical/africa/mthatha2015precip.txt","linkText":"Mthatha Precipitation Reconstruction","urlDescription":"Data File","variables":[{"cvAdditionalInfo":"dated by Nov","cvDataType":"CLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS|HISTORICAL","cvDetail":null,"cvError":null,"cvFormat":"Numeric","cvMaterial":null,"cvMethod":null,"cvSeasonality":null,"cvShortName":null,"cvUnit":"year Common Era","cvWhat":"age variable>age"},{"cvAdditionalInfo":"Reconstructed precipitation relative to 1979-2008 mean; error = +/-147.6; principal components regression","cvDataType":"CLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS|HISTORICAL","cvDetail":"anomalized","cvError":null,"cvFormat":"Numeric","cvMaterial":null,"cvMethod":"regression analysis","cvSeasonality":"5-month period>Nov-Mar","cvShortName":null,"cvUnit":"millimeter","cvWhat":"earth system variable>hydroclimatic variable>hydroclimate rate>precipitation"},{"cvAdditionalInfo":"Reconstructed precipitation relative to 1979-2008 mean; error = +/-147.6; principal components regression","cvDataType":"CLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS|HISTORICAL","cvDetail":"anomalized","cvError":null,"cvFormat":"Numeric","cvMaterial":null,"cvMethod":"principal component analysis","cvSeasonality":"5-month period>Nov-Mar","cvShortName":null,"cvUnit":"millimeter","cvWhat":"earth system variable>hydroclimatic variable>hydroclimate rate>precipitation"}]}],"dataTableName":"Mthatha2015precip","dataTableNotes":null,"earliestYear":1796,"earliestYearBP":154,"earliestYearCE":1796,"mostRecentYear":1854,"mostRecentYearBP":96,"mostRecentYearCE":1854,"species":[],"timeUnit":"AD"}],"siteName":"Mthatha"},{"NOAASiteId":"56521","geo":{"geoType":"Feature","geometry":{"coordinates":["-28.6858","28.9542"],"type":"POINT"},"properties":{"easternmostLongitude":"28.9542","maxElevationMeters":"1392","minElevationMeters":"1392","northernmostLatitude":"-28.6858","southernmostLatitude":"-28.6858","westernmostLongitude":"28.9542"}},"locationName":"Continent>Africa>Southern Africa>South Africa","mappable":"Y","paleoData":[{"NOAADataTableId":"29036","coreLengthMeters":null,"dataFile":[{"NOAAKeywords":["earth science>paleoclimate>reconstructions>precipitation"],"fileUrl":"https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/historical/africa/royal2015precip.txt","linkText":"Royal National Park Precipitation Reconstruction","urlDescription":"Data File","variables":[{"cvAdditionalInfo":"dated by Nov","cvDataType":"CLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS|HISTORICAL","cvDetail":null,"cvError":null,"cvFormat":"Numeric","cvMaterial":null,"cvMethod":null,"cvSeasonality":null,"cvShortName":null,"cvUnit":"year Common Era","cvWhat":"age variable>age"},{"cvAdditionalInfo":"Reconstructed precipitation relative to 1979-2008 mean; error = +/-343.67; principal components regression","cvDataType":"CLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS|HISTORICAL","cvDetail":"anomalized","cvError":null,"cvFormat":"Numeric","cvMaterial":null,"cvMethod":"regression analysis","cvSeasonality":"5-month period>Nov-Mar","cvShortName":null,"cvUnit":"millimeter","cvWhat":"earth system variable>hydroclimatic variable>hydroclimate rate>precipitation"},{"cvAdditionalInfo":"Reconstructed precipitation relative to 1979-2008 mean; error = +/-343.67; principal components regression","cvDataType":"CLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS|HISTORICAL","cvDetail":"anomalized","cvError":null,"cvFormat":"Numeric","cvMaterial":null,"cvMethod":"principal component analysis","cvSeasonality":"5-month period>Nov-Mar","cvShortName":null,"cvUnit":"millimeter","cvWhat":"earth system variable>hydroclimatic variable>hydroclimate rate>precipitation"}]}],"dataTableName":"Royal2015precip","dataTableNotes":null,"earliestYear":1796,"earliestYearBP":154,"earliestYearCE":1796,"mostRecentYear":1854,"mostRecentYearBP":96,"mostRecentYearCE":1854,"species":[],"timeUnit":"AD"}],"siteName":"Royal National Park"},{"NOAASiteId":"56522","geo":{"geoType":"Feature","geometry":{"coordinates":["-33.97","18.6"],"type":"POINT"},"properties":{"easternmostLongitude":"18.6","maxElevationMeters":"42","minElevationMeters":"42","northernmostLatitude":"-33.97","southernmostLatitude":"-33.97","westernmostLongitude":"18.6"}},"locationName":"Continent>Africa>Southern Africa>South Africa","mappable":"Y","paleoData":[{"NOAADataTableId":"29034","coreLengthMeters":null,"dataFile":[{"NOAAKeywords":["earth science>paleoclimate>reconstructions>precipitation"],"fileUrl":"https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/historical/africa/capetown2015precip.txt","linkText":"Cape Town Precipitation Reconstruction","urlDescription":"Data File","variables":[{"cvAdditionalInfo":"dated by Nov","cvDataType":"CLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS|HISTORICAL","cvDetail":null,"cvError":null,"cvFormat":"Numeric","cvMaterial":null,"cvMethod":null,"cvSeasonality":null,"cvShortName":null,"cvUnit":"year Common Era","cvWhat":"age variable>age"},{"cvAdditionalInfo":"Reconstructed precipitation relative to 1979-2008 mean; error = +/-119.9; principal components regression","cvDataType":"CLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS|HISTORICAL","cvDetail":"anomalized","cvError":null,"cvFormat":"Numeric","cvMaterial":null,"cvMethod":"regression analysis","cvSeasonality":"6-month period>Apr-Sep","cvShortName":null,"cvUnit":"millimeter","cvWhat":"earth system variable>hydroclimatic variable>hydroclimate rate>precipitation"},{"cvAdditionalInfo":"Reconstructed precipitation relative to 1979-2008 mean; error = +/-119.9; principal components regression","cvDataType":"CLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS|HISTORICAL","cvDetail":"anomalized","cvError":null,"cvFormat":"Numeric","cvMaterial":null,"cvMethod":"principal component analysis","cvSeasonality":"6-month period>Apr-Sep","cvShortName":null,"cvUnit":"millimeter","cvWhat":"earth system variable>hydroclimatic variable>hydroclimate rate>precipitation"}]}],"dataTableName":"CapeTown2015precip","dataTableNotes":null,"earliestYear":1796,"earliestYearBP":154,"earliestYearCE":1796,"mostRecentYear":1854,"mostRecentYearBP":96,"mostRecentYearCE":1854,"species":[],"timeUnit":"AD"}],"siteName":"Cape Town"}],"studyCode":null,"studyName":"Southern African Precipitation Reconstructions From Ships' Logbooks 1796-1854","studyNotes":"Wind data from ships' logbooks are used to reconstruct precipitation at southern African rainfall stations, including Mthatha, Royal National Park and Cape Town, between 1796-1854. The reconstructions are based on relationships derived between NCEP-DOE 2 reanalysis u-wind data and station precipitation data over a calibration period of 1979-2008.","version":"1.0","xmlId":"16337"}