Documentary and instrumental-based drought indices for the
Czech Lands back to AD 1501

J 2016

Documentary and instrumental-based drought indices for the Czech Lands back to AD 1501

BRÁZDIL, Rudolf, Petr DOBROVOLNÝ, Miroslav TRNKA, Ulf BÜNTGEN, Ladislava ŘEZNÍČKOVÁ et. al.

Basic information

Original name

Documentary and instrumental-based drought indices for the Czech Lands back to AD 1501

Authors

BRÁZDIL, Rudolf (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution), Petr DOBROVOLNÝ (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Miroslav TRNKA (203 Czech Republic), Ulf BÜNTGEN (756 Switzerland, belonging to the institution), Ladislava ŘEZNÍČKOVÁ (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Oldřich KOTYZA (203 Czech Republic), Hubert VALÁŠEK (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution) and Petr ŠTĚPÁNEK (203 Czech Republic)

Edition

Climate Research, 2016, 0936-577X

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Článek v odborném periodiku

Field of Study

10500 1.5. Earth and related environmental sciences

Country of publisher

Germany

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

References:

URL

Impact factor

Impact factor: 1.578

RIV identification code

RIV/00216224:14310/16:00087932

Organization unit

Faculty of Science

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/cr01380

UT WoS

000388194400002

Keywords in English

documentary evidence; climate reconstruction; drought variability; extreme years; Central Europe

Abstract

V originále

This study addresses the reconstruction of 4 slightly different drought indices in the Czech Lands (now the Czech Republic) back to 1501 AD. Reconstructed monthly temperatures for Central Europe that are representative for the Czech territory, together with reconstructed seasonal precipitation totals from the same area, are used to calculate monthly, seasonal and annual drought indices (SPI, SPEI, Z-index, and scPDSI). The resulting time series reflect interannual to multi-decadal drought variability. The driest episodes cluster around the beginning and end of the 18th century, while 1540 emerges as a particularly dry extreme year. The temperature-driven dryness of the past 3 decades is well captured by SPEI, Z-index and scPDSI, whereas precipitation totals show no significant trend during this period (as reflected in SPI). Data and methodological uncertainty associated with Czech drought indices, as well as their position in a greater European context, are critically outlined. Comparison with fir tree-rings from southern Moravia and a spatial subset of the ‘Old World Drought Atlas’ (OWDA) reveals statistically significant correlation coefficients, of around 0.40 and 0.50, respectively. This study introduces a new documentary-based approach for the robust extension of standardised drought indices back into pre-instrumental times, which we also believe has great potential in other parts of the world where high-resolution paleoclimatic insight remains limited.

Links

GAP209/11/0956, research and development project

Name: Globální a regionální modelové simulace klimatu ve střední Evropě v 18.-20. století v porovnání s pozorovaným a rekonstruovaným klimatem

Investor: Czech Science Foundation

GA13-04291S, research and development project

Name: Rekonstrukce hydro-klimatických podmínek jara a léta posledního milénia v České republice na základě dubové standardní chronologie

Investor: Czech Science Foundation

GA13-19831S, research and development project

Name: Hydrometeorologické extrémy na jižní Moravě odvozené z dokumentárních pramenů

Investor: Czech Science Foundation

Citovat

BRÁZDIL, Rudolf, Petr DOBROVOLNÝ, Miroslav TRNKA, Ulf BÜNTGEN, Ladislava ŘEZNÍČKOVÁ, Oldřich KOTYZA, Hubert VALÁŠEK and Petr ŠTĚPÁNEK. Documentary and instrumental-based drought indices for the Czech Lands back to AD 1501. Climate Research. 2016, vol. 70, 2-3, p. 103-117. ISSN 0936-577X. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.3354/cr01380.

@article{1345372,
   author = {Brázdil, Rudolf and Dobrovolný, Petr and Trnka, Miroslav and Büntgen, Ulf and Řezníčková, Ladislava and Kotyza, Oldřich and Valášek, Hubert and Štěpánek, Petr},
   article_number = {2-3},
   doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/cr01380},
   keywords = {documentary evidence; climate reconstruction; drought variability; extreme years; Central Europe},
   language = {eng},
   issn = {0936-577X},
   journal = {Climate Research},
   title = {Documentary and instrumental-based drought indices for the Czech Lands back to AD 1501},
   url = {http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/cr/v70/n2-3/p103-117/},
   volume = {70},
   year = {2016}
}

TY  - JOUR
ID  - 1345372
AU  - Brázdil, Rudolf - Dobrovolný, Petr - Trnka, Miroslav - Büntgen, Ulf - Řezníčková, Ladislava - Kotyza, Oldřich - Valášek, Hubert - Štěpánek, Petr
PY  - 2016
TI  - Documentary and instrumental-based drought indices for the Czech Lands back to AD 1501
JF  - Climate Research
VL  - 70
IS  - 2-3
SP  - 103-117
EP  - 103-117
SN  - 0936577X
KW  - documentary evidence
KW  - climate reconstruction
KW  - drought variability
KW  - extreme years
KW  - Central Europe
UR  - http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/cr/v70/n2-3/p103-117/
N2  - This study addresses the reconstruction of 4 slightly different drought indices in the Czech Lands (now the Czech Republic) back to 1501 AD. Reconstructed monthly temperatures for Central Europe that are representative for the Czech territory, together with reconstructed seasonal precipitation totals from the same area, are used to calculate monthly, seasonal and annual drought indices (SPI, SPEI, Z-index, and scPDSI). The resulting time series reflect interannual to multi-decadal drought variability. The driest episodes cluster around the beginning and end of the 18th century, while 1540 emerges as a particularly dry extreme year. The temperature-driven dryness of the past 3 decades is well captured by SPEI, Z-index and scPDSI, whereas precipitation totals show no significant trend during this period (as reflected in SPI). Data and methodological uncertainty associated with Czech drought indices, as well as their position in a greater European context, are critically outlined. Comparison with fir tree-rings from southern Moravia and a spatial subset of the ‘Old World Drought Atlas’ (OWDA) reveals statistically significant correlation coefficients, of around 0.40 and 0.50, respectively. This study introduces a new documentary-based approach for the robust extension of standardised drought indices back into pre-instrumental times, which we also believe has great potential in other parts of the world where high-resolution paleoclimatic insight remains limited.
ER  -

BRÁZDIL, Rudolf, Petr DOBROVOLNÝ, Miroslav TRNKA, Ulf BÜNTGEN, Ladislava ŘEZNÍČKOVÁ, Oldřich KOTYZA, Hubert VALÁŠEK and Petr ŠTĚPÁNEK. Documentary and instrumental-based drought indices for the Czech Lands back to AD 1501. \textit{Climate Research}. 2016, vol.~70, 2-3, p.~103-117. ISSN~0936-577X. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.3354/cr01380.

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