WHOI Presents "Uncovering Climate Clues From New England Whaling Ship Logbooks" at the OVL

Bringing together Dr. Timothy Walker, Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and oceanographer Dr. Caroline Ummenhofer from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, our project examines the use of weather recordings contained in ship logbooks from American whaling voyages to assess shifting wind and weather patterns. We focus on unexploited caches of archival documentation, namely U.S. whaling logbooks of voyages spanning the period 1790 to 1910 from New England archives housed by the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Providence Public Library, Nantucket Historical Association, and Falmouth Historical Society. The Logbooks, often covering multi-year voyages around the globe, contain systematic daily weather observations, such as wind strength/direction, precipitation, and cloudiness. In historical climate research, long datasets are invaluable for establishing average weather and climate conditions, against which changes can be assessed. Yet pre-19th century instrumental data are sparse, especially over the ocean. We showcase how descriptive, qualitative weather records from New England whaling ship logbooks can be transferred to quantitative values, allowing for comparison with modern data. We also highlight how we can then use the historical data to assess shifts in wind patterns around the world. Our results demonstrate that the historical records provide and important long-term context for changing maritime wind patterns in remote ocean regions lacking observational records during the 19th century. We will discuss challenges and opportunities for climate research through data rescue and digitization of these under-utilized historical ship logbooks. Don't miss this must see informative talk taking place on Saturday May 31st at 2pm in the Main Meeting Room at the Osterville Village Library. For more information or to sign up for this program, please contact Amy Wolfe at awolfe@clamsnet.org or by calling the OVL directly at (508)428-5757