Abstract
Information from a variety of sources has suggested that increased storminess was experienced across the British Isles in the late eighteenth/early nineteenth century. However, it is not clear how stormy that period was relative to current conditions. Using newly recovered barometric pressure data that extend back to 1748 we have constructed a measure of geostrophic wind speed for the English Channel region using a pressure-triangle approach. We show that the 1790−1820s was a period of increased storminess across the region. This storminess extended throughout the year, which is different to comparable increases observed since the 1990s, which were confined to the winter season. While a strengthened North Atlantic jet stream is implicated in both periods, in the earlier period it is likely that the storm track shifted slightly to a more southerly location. We discuss the potential forcing mechanisms responsible for the changes in storminess over this multi-century timeframe.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.